Finishing Cherry

If the nail holes are along an edge, a strip of duct tape will hide them. Looks neat and straight that way so no one will suspect they are there. If they are in the center of the board, the stick on dots from the stationary store do a good job and they come in a variety of colors.

I think Ed's nose smelled a troll and he was offering an appropriate answer. I also detect an aroma of BS from the OP.

Hillbilly designer??

Not to criticise Ed, but doesn't that seem a little chintzy? I'd use some plastic wood with matching stain mixed in or maybe a suitably coloured wax stick like the ones from Lee Valley.

Oh, possibly. That didn't occur to me. Because I've come to expect a certain level of expertise from Ed, his comment caught me off guard.

My preference has always been for flat black paint. A little Elmers® wood filler, some sanding, apply the paint, and Voila, the holes are gone.

Joe aka 10x

I think it combines both practicality and elegance. I guess it would be chintzy if you used too bold of a color; muted earth tones are best with cherry..

Criminy! It's *Spackle* all the way. Leaves a smooth surface with little white dots where the holes used to be. Classy. sincerely, the *Spackle* Kid!

Two reccomendations for hiding nails holes in any design, regardless of material.

1. Don't use nails.

1. Use nails where you can't see them.

But if you actually did use nails and are asking a serious question then... Using some samples of the same or similar wood, apply a coat or two of the finish, then use any colored wood putty of any brand and any type that you can find or make yourself from sawdust and glue or wax or crayons or plastic burn sticks or anything close in color. Best if you have several close to the wood colors to choose from and see which one matches best. Then finish finishing. Looking at the finished result to see which one looks the best to you under the final finish.

The way I learned was to (before nailing) tke an Exacto knife (or similar) and slice the wood to create a sliver - leaving it attached. Then raise the sliver and nail under it. (don't forget to set the nail) then, glue the sliver back to cover the nail. Never tried it in Charry, but it should work to hide the nail heads nicely and takes any finish the same as the rest of the piece with a little care, no one will see where you placed those nails.

And, its much cheaper than Cherry Duct tape.

Cherry colored, yes, cherry flavored, no. They use real cherry flavor so it costs more.

Flexner, Jewitt, and Dresdner have nothing on Ed!

Why do these posts always come from Google with an anonymous email?

Bondo works better than wood filer.

Why did you use nails?

I read all of the replies to this thread over the last few days. The one above WINS! Thanks for the laugh.

I was giving the original poster the benefit of the doubt and thought that he had utilized cherry that had been used prior to his project and had nail holes in it that were unavoidable. I've come across a few reclaimed walnut beams that were nail ridden but with enough good wood that I could mill away the damage. As far as finishing tips, trvinmny should pick up the latest issue of Fine Woodworking because there is a nice article on cherry finishing and how to avoid splotches.

And if he was trolling, using copper bee bees in the nail holes will look very stylish. Lead pellets of the same size will add contrast much like using walnut trim on cherry and can be sanded smooth too. Depends on your taste but the lead will be easier to apply. Marc (who does feel that wood is holy, in the religious sense)

If the nails were saved, they could be put back in, no one would see the holes then.

Ed's expertise does extend to the jokester realm.

Beware of the wiked quip now and then.