Quote:
Originally Posted by DonVoigt
Good points, all.
The original boxes are "finished" on the outside; stained and oil; but the inside is left in the white and rough-as cut.
Perhaps the cuts relieve enough internal stress that warping is reduced- almost like a honeycomb sturcture???
Thanks for the tip on the Formby's.
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The cuts do prevent warping, and if it had been an insert you could also have added more relief cuts from the bottom. It is a honeycomb structure in a way, the difference is that you relieve stress instead of absorbing it.
I would suggest that you try some thin penetrating oil on a piece of scrap wood and see how it turns out. It really helps preserving the wood and prevent moisture damage, and chances are that the appearance will be just like untreated wood. A thin oil like pure tung oil will soak right into the wood and virtually disappear, so once you have wiped off the excess and left it for a day or two it won't show on the surface. You will probably see the color changing to a slightly deeper tone, but it won't really look "finished".