Birch Fowler stain

[smallpatch]

Having never worked with Birch, (at least that is what I think it is), should it be treated the same as maple as far as stain and finish?

[alacran]

I made two tables out of birch, and did not like the way it took stain. I used aniline dyes. At the time I did not try ferric nitrate or tannic acid on it . Hopefully you have some scrap to practice on. I liked working with the wood.

[smart dog]

Hi Dane,
The birch burl on the left was stained with ferric nitrate same as maple.

dave

[LilysDad]

Birch takes oil stain badly, same as pine. A sealer would help.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Dave those look fantastic!

I've used both yellow birch (which I assume is the wood used in Dave's burl, as Vermont is loaded with it) and black birch.  Yellow birch took acid stain just like maple, while black birch goes a bit darker as I'm thinking it might be a bit higher in tannic acid content, more like cherry.

[smart dog]

Hi Eric,
Thanks for the compliment about the lamps.  They are the work of my late wife, Gail.  The wood is white birch from northern Minnesota.  The finish was pure tung oil mixed with polyurethane varnish and thinner.  Here is more of her work.  Within a year after she died in 2012, all of her work exhibited at galleries in Seattle, Ketchikan, and Juneau sold out. For a few years after, I still got inquiries from folks asking if I had any more of her work on hand.  Her shades were the best ever.

[Craig Wilcox]

A very talented artist, to be sure.  The shades appear to be parchment, and look lovely.  Thanks for showing us your late wife's very artistic works.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Dave those are absolutely phenomenal!  I had no idea but I have to say I'm pretty awestruck!  Both the woodwork and the shades as well.  The shades are particularly lovely and strike me as being subtle but exactingly detailed.  Just fantastic.

So I have to ask:  how on earth did she get the ac line up through some of those twisted pieces?  I can think of a couple of different ways of attempting it but those look just totally perfect and I don't think my attempts would!!!

[smart dog]

Hi Eric,
Gail was a great designer and artist in wood and paper.  She used a Foredom pendant drive and burrs to rout tiny channels for the cords on the back sides of the twisty lamps.  She very slightly undercut the sides of the channels so the lamp cord would snap in place and be locked down.   She chose lamp cord close to the color of the wood.  It was a real challenge for her large hanging chandeliers.

dave

[ed lundquist]

Beautiful, you must be so proud of her. Inspiring work.