Tough Finish for Cedar

I bought some cedar (I think it was labelled Western Cedar) at Bunnings yesterday to cap my chambered LP with. The grain is beautiful, but I get the feeling it will get damaged fairly easily. What is a good finish to keep the lovely look of it, but that will toughen it up and protect it from scratches, gouges and dings when playing and storing?

I have a Tele style build made out of cypress. I think cypress is similar to western red cedar.

I finished it with deft lacquer and it is really soft. Chips and scratches pretty easily so this is definitely not the answer. I'll be curious to see what anyone else can recommend to you on this too.

I bought some cedar (I think it was labelled Western Cedar) at Bunnings yesterday to cap my chambered LP with. The grain is beautiful, but I get the feeling it will get damaged fairly easily. What is a good finish to keep the lovely look of it, but that will toughen it up and protect it from scratches, gouges and dings when playing and storing?

Shellac is famous for its ability to seal resinous woods. For your top coat, oil-based polyurethane bonds well to shellac. You might give that combination a try. If you find that you can't quite fill the cedar to your satisfaction with shellac alone, cyanoacrylate will fill the pits and grooves.

Shellac has been used for flooring softwoods, and protecting spruce and cedar for a long, long time. I'd certainly recommend that route.