Just a quick update before the weekend. I finished (literally and figuratively) the joined low bench (which is what I’m calling it now). Two coats of Jacobean stain and some dark paste wax. No film finish.
It still stinks (both the stain and the wax smell the same to me) but it’s getting better and feels dry to the touch. I’ll give it a few days to cure before I sit on the thing, just in case.
All in all, I remember why I stopped staining projects. Natural wood color is nice and a wipe of Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil is just so much more convenient (and less messy) than staining things. But sometimes you don’t have the wood you want on hand and have to make due. Or, sometimes, the wood you want just isn’t going to match the rest of the furniture.
I think I stained the thing so that I wouldn’t just turn this into a low workbench. I now can’t glue any blocking to the underside for holdfast holes or a twin screw vise on the side. And it’s better that way.
Not everything needs workholding.
JPG
The Apartment Woodworker 
Jacobean was one of the first stains (Minwax I assume) I used in the 70’s. Never cared for it.
I have to reconsider now. That really looks good.
Some waxes use mineral spirits as a solvent so the stain and wax will smell the same. It will go away.
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I liked the red mahogany they used to have but they don’t make it anymore. Jacobean is basically dark walnut but with less gold.
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