finishing splintery wood

[brocpuffs]

Hey ppl,

I'm almost ready for final assembly and finishing of a cabinet about

52" high.

It's made mostly of maple and has four purpleheart legs roughly 1.5" square.

I have gotten more skin damage from purpleheart splinters than anything I've worked with before. Just this afternoon I ripped a choice piece of thick skin off my left index finger when I caught it on a crack that ended in a sharp splintery point.

I need to be sure the person who receives this, doesn't get splinters in her dainty white hands.

Will finish sanding and some rubbing, plus applied finish (clear shellac) be enough to avoid splinters on the long exposed edges?

Any better suggestions? Afraid bevelling is asking for trouble with this material. Hate to round off the edges, but if that's the only sure way, I'll do it

TIA!

James [e-mail]

[Preston Andreas]

Even if you want the look of a sharp corner, you should at least "break" the edge. I do this by taking a piece of 320 grit and hand sanding the corners. It doesn't take a lot, just enough until the corner has a slight radius. Any finish, other than hand-rubbed oil, needs this radius for integrity of the finish. Also, the finish will help stop splintering.

[FOW]