Pre-Finishing

It took a little longer to finesse the shape of my cabinet than expected. But it all makes up for it when I put my finish on and see the beautiful smooth surfaces. Pre-Finishing?? Let me explain. Most would assume that when a cabinet is built, it is completely constructed and then the finish is applied. A smarter approach is to finish while building the cabinet. It is a lot easier to apply a finish when they are in pieces. Getting into corners that are glued up can be tricky.

There are many ways to finish wood. For most of our projects at school, we stick to a simple finish, that leaves a natural look. I will not bore you with the details. Our finish usually ranges from 3 to 6 coats of Shellac and 2 coats of wax polish. 6 coats??? That must take forever to finish? Nope. Shellac dries really quickly; many coats can be applied throughout the day.



When mixing Shellac an empty bottle is needed. Most people choose a fancy wine bottle or whiskey bottle. I decided to use a bottle that I found humorous. I selected a bottle of Colt 45. It cost 7 dollars, has a high alcohol content, tastes like piss, and promises to "get you drunk every time". I washed the bottle out and mixed up my shellac. The next morning I arrived at school and checked my shellac. It smelt like Malt Liquor. The shellac was ruined. Oh well, guess I will use a boring old wine bottle.

The Shellac made a nice smooth finish to my cabinet carcass. The Beeswax Polish I applied after added a nice shine and made it feel like silk. I have never achieved these results with a finish. But it isn't just the finish, that made my cabinet so smooth. Surface preparation is the main reason the surfaces finished so well.



The pieces for the cabinet carcass are now ready for glue up.