Finish it Already!
I spent about an hour tonight putting the gel stain on the underside of the lid, then I gave the side bookshelf the first coat of sealer (shellac with denatured alcohol to think it out). Just the shellac looks really nice. Next up: red dye on the bookshelf! The time of commitment. Total time: 144 hours.
*UPDATE* HA! As my neighbor James pointed out, I didn’t “use denatures alcohol to THINK it out, but to THIN it out”. The alcohol part comes after I’ve been finishing for 30 hours. 