STEP-BY-STEP

1. Plane, scrape, and sand
Handplane and scrape all surfaces to remove machine marks. Sand through 220 grit, end grain up to 320.

2. Make an applicator pad
This consists of a wad of cheesecloth wrapped in muslin.

3. Mix the shellac
I thin the shellac to about a 1-1/2-lb. cut for both padding and spraying. Cut the shellac with more alcohol if it seems too thick.

4. Shellac interior dividers, drawer fronts
Remove the interior dividers and pad on shellac to the walnut strip on the front of each one. Finish the drawer fronts and top edges of the drawers in the same way. Pad on several coats. Whenever the shellac feels rough, go over the surface with a Liberon 0000 pad.

5. Mask and spray
Mask the poplar on the false top and the bottom of the case. Spray on several light coats of a 1-1/2-lb. cut of garnet shellac. Smooth with steel wool when necessary. I don’t have the skills of a professional finisher, so I’m a big believer in taking things slow and steady. When spraying shellac, I apply no more than two light coats a day

6. Finish the door panel and edges of the stiles and rails
Use the pad to apply a couple of coats of shellac to the door panel and the edges of the stiles and rails. After the door is glued up and ready to fully finish, spray on more coats of shellac. If the inlay seems to be getting too dark, change over to a dewaxed blond shellac.

7. Rub out with steel wool and wax
After the applying five or six coats of shellac, depending upon how heavy they are, let the case and all of the components sit for several days.  In my mind, the longer the better.   Rub the case out with a Liberon 0000 pad and apply a couple of coats of paste wax, buffing to nice satin sheen.