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a rag. This tends to fl oat the color off the harder, smoother
areas, changing the color to more of an olive tone and highlight-
ing the fl akes and rays of the quartersawn oak. This coat was
allowed to dry on the surface for 48 hours, and then the cabinet
was scuffed with a Scotch-brite pad.
Some areas were a little too green, so I used some medium
walnut Watco in those areas, carefully blending the color. This
was allowed to dry on the surface overnight, and once dry these
areas were scuffed with the abrasive pad. The entire cabinet was
then given two additional coats of natural Watco, followed by a
coat of paste wax.
I fi nished the inside of the cabinet with shellac, then installed
the shiplapped back planks, screwing them at top and bottom to
the cross rails of the back frame.
I wanted the hardware to look old, so I soaked it in lacquer
thinner and scrubbed the fi nish off with a nylon abrasive pad.
I then put the parts in a plastic container along with a smaller
container. I poured some ammonia into the smaller container,
and put the lid on the larger one. Fumes from the ammonia
oxidized the hardware in a few hours, giving me the patina I
wanted.
I hung the doors on the cabinet, used a pair of ball catches at
the top to keep them closed, and installed the pulls and knob.
Post Script
As a commercial enterprise, the furniture made at Byrdcliffe
was a dismal failure. As examples of fi ne design, however, they
were a tremendous success. In making this piece, I wanted to
add the fi nest craftsmanship I could to this wonderful design,
paying some respect to the anonymous craftsmen that Ralph
Whitehead assumed would spoil the work if left unattended.
I knew I had succeeded when I showed my wife the finished
cabinet. She looked at it for a while and then said, "It’s like looking
through pine trees on the edge of a forest on a perfect day in the
fall." When craftsmanship evokes poetry, it’s been a pretty good day.
The stain is followed by a coat of natural color Watco, which lightens the
color and highlights the fi gure of the quartersawn wood.After staining, the wood is a rich green color and the open pores of the
wood are fi lled with pigment.The stain, a mixture of artist’s oil colors and Watco Danish Oil is liberally applied.
After letting it soak into the surface for 15 minutes the surface is wiped dry.4 40-51_ByrdcliffeLinenPress.indd 51 0 - 51 _ByrdcliffeLinenPress.indd 51 3 3/25/13 9:56 AM/ 25 / 13 9 : 56 AM