I have been waiting to post the final part of this project because there wasn’t much to post about and I have been nearly finished for a week or so.
I glued and clamped the bottom shelf and put everything except for the top frame together to see how it will look.
I found that shellac is the best finish for cherry. It really brings out the rich Cherry color and accentuates the grains. I mixed 1:1 of denatured alcohol for the 1st coat, then 2 more coats of just shellac. I use a was free shellac so that I can seal it with water-based polyurethane.
You can see the 1st, 3rd, and final sealer coat really well here.
Here is the body and the drawer progression.
After the pieces were lightly sanded with 220 grit, I slid the top frame in and took it upstairs. Here it is without the rocks.
Finally, here is the final product: polished rocks and all. You might notice that I put an old reclaimed pull on the back of the top frame to make it easier to open it.
I got a chance to deliver this piece to it’s new owner over the weekend. She was very happy with it and I think it will be a great keepsake for a long time.