Finishing Process for Red Oak Chairs

adding subtle color

When we returned to Maine, I started using red oak in earnest. Much of my work in Kentucky was with ash and white oak. I enjoy all three species. Each has different working characteristics, advantages, and challenges. The move towards red oak happened because Maine, at least where we live, has few white oaks. And the ash borer arrived in our neighborhood around the same time that we got here (that’s a coincidence, not causation). There’s still good ash around, and the borer is moving slowly, but I stopped using it because of the insect. Also, compression failure is more commonplace with ash than with red oak, and I didn’t like the appearance of ripples upon the inside surfaces of my bent posts.

(Quick note: I’m using ash for a current stick chair. There are no significant bends with this chair. I’d forgotten about how consistent and workable ash is with the drawknife. The other advantage of ash? It’s half dry in the log. There’s considerably less moisture in the split stock than red oak, leading to shorter drying times and less distortion when making parts. I plan on adding ash back to the mix for chairmaking materials.)

There are lots of good red oaks around. Sometimes I fail to pick out a good one, but that’s on me (although, since I work alone and have no one else to blame, I scapegoat the log). My issue with red oak is that I don’t like a clear finish with my chairs. The red oak often has a pale tone to it. I like to add a little color, especially when using materials from two different red oaks within the same chair.

In general, my favorite finishes are clear ones that show the wood. I usually prefer seeing the natural material to a stain. But not with the red oak. My goal in staining is a simple one - make the stain as unnoticeable as possible.

I want to look at a chair and think:

• “Was that chair stained?”

  NOT…

• “That chair was stained.”

Alright, enough word play. Here’s how I finish the red oak chairs. There are a number of steps, but each one is fast and easy.

Red oak and hickory bark. The Dark Half Oil adds a subtle color to the chair.