5 Genius Tips to Get Perfect Stain Lines in Woodworking Every Time

[@m.d.e.845]

Good work! Found your video looking for techniques to stain Hickory wood. Very hard wood so not a lot of stain penetration! I love the video, and nice lines on the bags game!

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Thank you very much!

[@kimberlywebb5481]

Thank Brett for the amazing tutorial video. I know it takes a lot of time to make these videos and I just wanted to let you know it was very useful for me and I’m glad I found your channel. I’m working on a 2 tone striped table and I was thinking of coating with polyurethane first but now I’ll definitely do shellac instead. Thank you

[@BrettsWoodshop]

You’re very welcome! And welcome to the tribe!

[@kimberlywebb5481]

@@BrettsWoodshop thank you for your video. My two tone stripes came out, clean and flawless.

[@BrettsWoodshop]

That's great@@kimberlywebb5481 Glad to hear it!

[@geesaladino]

So, the shellac is the 5 genius tips? What keeps the shellac from bleeding under?

[@Justin-tw6lx]

Dang those are clean lines, appreciate the tips!

[@BrettsWoodshop]

You’re very welcome!

[@wrxified]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing

[@BrettsWoodshop]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@Xbolt1969]

Awesome work

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@midnightsightings]

Thank you for this !! Really loved the video, super helpful. I have a question if that’s OK, So I’m working on a project where I want to stain only a certain part of the word like you did in this video, and then on the part that won’t be stained I’m planning on painting a geometrical design over it using acrylic paint. From the research I’ve done online so far, some people are saying you need to sand the surface before applying paint as it might not adhere to shellac, but other sources say you don’t need to because shellac can be used as a primer in some cases. Would you have any recommendations for this? I read that acrylic paint will stick to De-waxed shellac,as it can be used as a primer. Let me know if you have any advice on this 😁

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Of course it’s okay, I love helping people with their questions. That’s why I’m on KZbin 😎 I understand what you’re asking and I appreciate the issue. I’m no expert in finishes, so take this for what it’s worth. I think the information you’ve gotten is correct. Dewaxed shellac is a good sealer/primer. I would give it a light sanding as I did in the video, clean off the dust with a vacuum or damp cloth, then paint. The acrylic should stick just fine. Then, depending on your project, I’d probably go over the top of everything with a sprayed on layer of polyurethane to protect the paint from getting scratched off.

[@markheard1971]

Brett, really enjoying your shop video on how to obtain ‘ clean lines’ as you finished your corn hole boards. Actually I’ve watched a number of times in order to catch your tips . I have two sets I’ve made for gifts and will be using your techniques to finish offoff in a stain and shellac design. My question is do you add additional sealants or poly over the whole board ? I’m not sure if anything could be applied over the shellac??? Mark

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Yes, I mentioned that at the end of the video. I added two coats of Polycrylic over the top of everything.

[@markheard1971]

Brett, finished my two sets of boards following your advice. Fist time I’ve made boards and used your methods of masking and have to say ( pat on your and my back ) they turned out better than I could have ever expected. Absolutely no bleed of the stain. So glad I came across your site and advice . Thanks !

[@BrettsWoodshop]

That is awesome! Great job! And thanks for following up. 😀

[@hooch6381]

LOOKS AWESOME!!👀😬❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️☮️

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Thanks!

[@DraculDantes]

If I wanted to have a two tone wood color with two shades of stain; should I put down the lighter stain all over first, shellac then tape off the parts of the lighter stain i want to keep light, then do the darker stain? is there another way you'd recommend? i have a 60~80 year old console table with a beautiful wood inlay; I want to preserve the two-tone aspect of it but try to make the whole thing darker. Thanks for posting.

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Oof! That’s a tricky one! I don’t think you’d be able to stain through the shellac, if that’s what you’re asking. I would ask your question on the Lumberjocks Forum. You’re bound to get a few good ideas from the veterans there.

[@spacialinstallations]

Hey Brett, loving your vids, man. Are you saying it's the shellac which allows the clean stain line or both that and the masking tape?

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Thanks for reaching out! The shellac fills in the grain to keep the stain from seeping into the clear areas. And the tape keeps the stain from getting in areas that you don’t want it to go. I was able to scrape off the little bits of stain that seeped under the tape in a couple of areas because the shellac didn’t allow the stain to go any deeper than just the surface.

[@spacialinstallations]

Thanks man. I figured that. I ask as I'm staining a guitar fretboard with leather dye and want to mask the maple side of the board......@@BrettsWoodshop

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Guitar work. Very cool! I'm contemplating making a custom case for my uke at some point.@@spacialinstallations

[@graydenbartlett7478]

Hey Brett, balling on a budget here. I already have a lot of non-gel stain and polyurethane; do you think I could achieve the same result with that, or should I invest in gel stain and shellac?

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Hey Grayden, great question! I think the shellac is clutch because it penetrates the pores in the wood. Polyurethane just kinda sits on top. I think you’d be okay with liquid stain if you treated with shellac first. Then use the poly as a topcoat. Sand some scrap of the same material to the same level as your finished project and test it out on the scrap first. Let me know how that works out!

[@harrisontaylor4531]

Hi, can you stain over the shellac ? As I’m doing up a gun stock in dark walnut and want an ebony at the front and would like it to be a straight line where the two stains meet .

[@BrettsWoodshop]

No, stain won’t penetrate through the shellac, which is a sealer. Could you do an inlay of a different tone?

[@harrisontaylor4531]

I could slice a straight line so no bridging across the two colour?

[@TheoryofEverything-oz3bt]

Press the edge of the tape down with the back of a finger nail or something similar.

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Good tip, thanks! I usually use a flexible putty knife.

[@tylermoser1356]

What type of wood are you using?

[@BrettsWoodshop]

The top is two pine shelves from the big box store and the frame is cedar.

[@Longstreet720]

Brett, what wood do you use to build the frame? I have a lot of trouble with 2x4 being warped, is there a better woof thats around the sake cost to use for the frame?

[@BrettsWoodshop]

I think I used cedar decking. It was very dry and straight. And affordable!

[@mikel2185]

Hey Brett. I assume that was a gel stain?

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Yes, it was

[@ROBERT-uf1ib]

Frog tape

[@BrettsWoodshop]

Yep. That’s what I used.