An earlier post asked about dealing with end grain on a cherry table being restored. That got me thinking.
The problem is that "end grain" (think "grain as a bundle of straws, end grain being the ends of the straws" ) wants to suck up more of the finish than "side grain" and therefore darkens when a finish, any finish, is applied. UNLESS you do something to minimize the problem. The usual method is to sand the end grain to a much finer grit and/or "seal" the end grain with a commrecial sanding sealer or perhaps just some super blonde shellac.
But what if you burnished the end grain?
HUH?
OK, let's try "But what if you rubbed the end grain REALLY hard with a very smooth, hard tool - like the one you use on your cabinet scrapers/ card scrapers?". THAT would smoosh the end grain almost closed. The finer the wood's grain, the closeder the end grain would get and the less "finish" it could absorb.
When you rub wood with a hard smooth tool the wood gets smoother and shinier - without ANY "finish".
Have posted an example to a.b.p.w that will show you what the "no finish finish" looks like on beech (or is it birch?).
Just an idea.
charlie b