Cherry Nantucket Bench Project:

The plan for this bench came from Woodsmith Magazine and I really liked the looks of it.  I decided to use cherry instead of the painted look in the magazine - heck I have plenty of cherry!  The project was interesting in that I learned a lot about pattern routing and I made my first through tennons.  Once I had all the material for the top cut I realized that what I cut was not enough to make the top.  I figured it was an ideal time to make a contrasting stripe in the top and I chose walnut.

For a finish I used several coats of Watco Natural Danish Oil with a wax topcoat.  I set the bench in the sun for a few days to darken the cherry before finishing.  I like the looks of this but it is not really a durable finish for a bench.  I will clean the wax off with mineral spirits this summer and recoat with some more Watco.  After that cures I will put a couple of coats of gel urethane on it.  that should retain the natural look but provide a lot more protection.