Need Woodworkers help

TruReef

TruReef

New member
I'm trying to figure out what kind of wood I want to skin my stand/hood with. I have very dark colored funiture and would like to match this look on the stand and hood of my build. I've looked at the wood selection at HD and Lowes and they only carry red oak, poplar, and pine. I bought a small piece of red oak as it is the darkest of the three, and use some dark stain (minwax Red Mahogany) to see how it looks and its still too light after 2 coats. What are the other dark woods I can buy locally and where is a good place to buy? I have a 84 Lumber store near where I work but have never been inside one so I don't know what they carry.(maybe a possibility) Can anyone help me out, please....
 
I don't want it to be black, just darker red coloration. If I wanted Black I'd paint it. Is it possible to mix stains? Can I put one coat of ebony and next coat Red Mahogany?
 
How bout a pic of what your trying to match? A pic would make it pretty simple to see what your going for.

Don
 
Oak is a harder wood to stain well in dark colors, different parts of the grain will take stain differently from other areas. Lowes used to carry some rather nice maple a few years back, but sadly no longer :(, but they're still decent for getting a "finished" piece of wood for the average guy to slap together.

I would check out your local lumber yards & see what you can get, and in what finish quality. Might be able to pick up some walnut or mahogany for an acceptable price.
 
Agreed, you're going to have a hard time staining oak dark since it's a harder wood. Especially with cheap stains like Minwax, you'll need to do about 4 coats before the richness of the color really starts to show up.

If you have a Sherwin Williams around your area, take a look over there. Ask to see their line up of BAC stains. They penetrate harder woods better so you get a nice rich color in one or two coats.

I went though the same debate when trying to chose a wood and color for my current build. I ended up going with Poplar. It's a medium/hard wood and I like the characteristics in the grain. I also have a lot of dark colored wood furniture around the house, and plenty of shelves and such that I've made myself in the Red Mahogany color. I purchased loads of sample stains before chosing a color. I ended up going with a Traditional Cherry that I got from Sherwin Williams and really like it. It's hard to get the true look of the color to show up in photos but here it is over poplar. One coat.

010a.jpg

032.jpg


Oh, btw...if you don't want your wood to be black, don't put ebony on it. I tried some samples with it and absolutely hated it.
 
Take your sample wood to Sherwin Williams and have them match the stain color to that species of wood....best part of it FREE MATCH
Erik
 
I do guitar necks with a color that I think you are talking about. They are mahogany to start. I use water based stains and do it in 3 colors (without mixing before hand)

First is a bright yellow let it dry. Then a Red Mahogany, let it dry. And finnaly a brown Walnut. Once you put a clear finish over it, it is a nice deep brown but with a very nice "light from within" look that has those hints of red in it.

Obviously for something like that you would have to experiment with your colors on your wood, but it is something that can turn out quite nice.

rear%20headstock.jpg
 
2Quills said:
I ended up going with Poplar. It's a medium/hard wood and I like the characteristics in the grain.
Click to expand...

Poplar is not a medium hardwood its one of the softest woods available in the US not much harder than basswood. The natural green tint is what makes it difficult to get a good finish not Minwax vs Sherwin Williams.

Don
 
Post a pic of what your trying to match so that the wood can match the rest of the stuff in your home, grain structure and porosity. Then after you pick a decent wood then the coloring is just the icing on the cake. You can make any wood any color you want.

Don
 
Daemonfly said:
Oak is a harder wood to stain well in dark colors, different parts of the grain will take stain differently from other areas. Lowes used to carry some rather nice maple a few years back, but sadly no longer :(, but they're still decent for getting a "finished" piece of wood for the average guy to slap together.

I would check out your local lumber yards & see what you can get, and in what finish quality. Might be able to pick up some walnut or mahogany for an acceptable price.
Click to expand...

I'll see if I can find a lumber near me..thanks

username in use said:
I do guitar necks with a color that I think you are talking about. They are mahogany to start. I use water based stains and do it in 3 colors (without mixing before hand)

First is a bright yellow let it dry. Then a Red Mahogany, let it dry. And finnaly a brown Walnut. Once you put a clear finish over it, it is a nice deep brown but with a very nice "light from within" look that has those hints of red in it.

Obviously for something like that you would have to experiment with your colors on your wood, but it is something that can turn out quite nice.
Click to expand...

I think your on to something here, this is very close to the colors I'm looking at..

2Quills said:
Agreed, you're going to have a hard time staining oak dark since it's a harder wood. Especially with cheap stains like Minwax, you'll need to do about 4 coats before the richness of the color really starts to show up.

If you have a Sherwin Williams around your area, take a look over there. Ask to see their line up of BAC stains. They penetrate harder woods better so you get a nice rich color in one or two coats.

I went though the same debate when trying to chose a wood and color for my current build. I ended up going with Poplar. It's a medium/hard wood and I like the characteristics in the grain. I also have a lot of dark colored wood furniture around the house, and plenty of shelves and such that I've made myself in the Red Mahogany color. I purchased loads of sample stains before chosing a color. I ended up going with a Traditional Cherry that I got from Sherwin Williams and really like it. It's hard to get the true look of the color to show up in photos but here it is over poplar. One coat.


Oh, btw...if you don't want your wood to be black, don't put ebony on it. I tried some samples with it and absolutely hated it.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking I'll try a sample of 1part ebony to 2or3parts red mahogany. It's worth a try right... I already have a qt of Red Mahogany. If that doesn't work I'll try Sherwin Williams.. thanks
 
TruReef said:
sanded with 150 and 220, then stained..
Click to expand...

220 is one grit over sanded for oak but is probably not your issue. Over sanding burnishes the wood and makes the stain not penetrate like it should but it doesnt make a real big difference with oil based stains unless you go way down to like 400.

Don
 
When staining a hard wood, such as maple, to get a darker finish I usually sand to 150 grit and use a pigment based stain. The Sherwin Williams stuff is supposed to be pretty good. I actually adjust my grit to adjust the shade to an extent. For example, solid wood gets 150 grit, plywood gets 220 grit. The shade ends up the same.
 
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