How should I finish a red cedar bowl

Randy I assume we are talking Juniper, AKA eastern red Cedar,................... and not not Thuja plicata AKA western red Cedar The oil in Juniper plays havoc with the oils you put on it, I wouldn't use any oil on it, and it being a soft kind of wood, a not easily fixed finish would be a pain if/when the soft wood would be dented and the finish damaged. I think either no finish or shellac would be your best bet,, you could try a beeswax finish, yes soft but easily renewed. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

You didn't say if this bowl is functional or purely decorative. I think cedar (juniper) is too soft for functional bowls, but if that is what you are up to, any penetrating oil is your best bet. It won't get shiny, but you generally don't want surface build on functional pieces, anyway. For decorative pieces I have had consistent good results by sealing the wood with a few coats of shellac. You can put pretty much whatever you want on top of that for your final finish. My personal favorite on juniper is spray can satin Deft. -mike paulson, fort collins, co

I've read quite a few times not to use satin or flat finishes because the flatting agents can block the look of the grain. It's recommended to use gloss and then steel wool it to the desired appearance. I use gloss for most of my projects so I don't know how the two methods compare. Can anyone comment?

My understanding is that glossy coatings has nothing in the finishing material, and so makes for being able to look through the finish, even scratching the surface doesn't take that away. A satin finish has stuff in the finishing material so it looks dull, this prevent you from looking through the finish and your ability to see through the finish is taken away by the stuff in the finishing material, clear as mud ;-))

Don't knock it until you've tried it. Satin lacquer (Deft) is a wonderful finish. I have used probably 100 cans of the stuff on turnings alone. It's durable, non-yellowing, easy to apply, quick drying, and easy to repair if that is ever needed. It doesn't hide the grain that I can tell, it's just not as shiny as a gloss finish. A gloss finish dulled by abrading it with steel wool, sandpaper, or whatever, is a delicate finish that can become blotchy when the micro-abrasions become clogged with skin oil from handling, and wax will just make the piece more shiny all over. You can control the degree of gloss/satin effect by applying clear undercoats of gloss lacquer or shellac if you wish, and you can apply wax to the final finish without altering the satin appearance. I rarely see the need for waxing a lacquer finish on the kind of turnings I do, but other kinds of things - guitars, etc. - often get waxed. A finish should be appropriate to the style of the turning, and not everything should be glossy. Natural, rustic, or organic styled turnings seem to me to be more appropriately finished somewhere in the range of a dull to a satin sheen, and satin lacquer is a great option to have in your repertoire of finishing techniques. I like it a lot. -mike paulson, fort collins, co

I work almost exclusively now with Juniper for both small carvings and an a ssortment of wood turning projects. After getting a lot of conflicting info rmation on finishing I did some experiments on both green and seasoned Juni per and here is what I find works best for me. I tried several oils and whi le boiled linseed oil brings the colour out the best, mineral oil is a clos e 2nd place. So I simply brush on a coat of oil and then wipe it down and l eave for 24 hours. Then do a 2nd coat the same way and leave for 24 hours. Then I apply 3 coats of water base gloss varathane and inspect for any roug hness that may need re sanding. Then wipe clean after sanding touch ups and apply 3 more coats and inspect again. Then apply 2 more finish coats and I have a product with very rich natural colour, good grain definition, and a nice smooth finish. The varathane seals the oil and there is no after odou r from even the linseed oil. If any of the turning projects have bark or v oids on them after shaping, I stay with mineral oil. Sounds like a lot of w ork, but each coat takes less than 2 minutes to apply with a brush.

Why don't you post a picture on alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking?