First things first. Cherry is known to blotch when applying oils such as boiled linseed oil. Some people don't mind it (I don't mind it unless it's really bad) and some people do, so to avoid any blotching, apply a thinned coat of sealcoat shellac (de-waxed shellac). I like to use Zinsser Bulls Eye' SealCoat for this task. Most say it comes as a 2 pound cut, so thin it down to a 1 pound cut (50/50 thinned with denatured alcohol) and apply it with a either with a cloth or a brush. 

After the SealCoat dries (usually around 30 - 45 minutes), I apply a coat of boiled linseed oil using either a cotton cloth or a cheap chip brush.

Boiled linseed oil is pretty thick so I thinned it down by adding 20% mineral spirits. This helps it flow a little better and makes it easier to apply.

You can pretty much use anything to apply the BLO(boiled linseed oil). I used a cotton cloth in this video but actually prefer just using a chip brush.

Give the BLO 20 or so minutes to soak in and take a clean rag or paper towel and wipe off the excess. Shouldn't be too much since the majority of it soaked into the wood, but you don't want the excess to dry in puddles or it will be a sticky mess!

You will want to keep an eye on the surface every couple of hours for the rest of the day. It will continue to puddle on the surface until the surface is completely dry. I wait 24 - 48 hours after applying the BLO before applying the shellac in the next step.

To make the 1.5 pound cut of shellac I mixed 8 ounces of denatured alcohol to 1.5 ounces of de-waxed shellac flakes. The flakes I used were de-waxed garnet "tiger flakes" shellac from Tools For Working Wood. After adding the flakes to the alcohol, you will want to shake the jar throughout the day to keep the flakes from settling to the bottom and forming a big glob of shellac. If you need to, open the can and stir it, but keep it moving. The flakes should dissolve within 24 hours or so. 

Pour the shellac through a paint strainer to remove any dirt particles that may be in the finish. I picked up these cheap strainers from Harbor Freight.

Pour only what you need and keep the rest in the can.

There are several ways to apply shellac and in this video I "padded" it on with a cotton cloth. In my Nakashima inspired wall shelf video I applied shellac with an ox hair brush and actually prefer the brush on larger areas than padding though using a brush brings its own learning curve. To pad it on, just simply wipe it on the surface and don't play with the finish too much. Keep it thin and wipe with the grain. 

I applied a coat every 1-2 hours, for a total of 3 coats in 1 day(depending on your temperature and humidity).

24 hours after applying the 3rd coat I sanded everything with 320 grit sandpaper. It's not uncommon for your sandpaper to gum up when sanding shellac. Keep rotating the sandpaper to avoid sanding with the gummy piece. Sanding the shellac with the gummed up paper may actually scratch the finish.

Wipe away the dust using a clean paper towel.

After sanding I applied 3 more coats of shellac, giving me a total of 6 coats. On parts like a table base, you won't need 6 coats of shellac but on a table top I think 6 coats is a good number.