Australian Cedar Cupboard

We have recently been gifted a plain cupboard made of Australian Cedar. It was used in a school classroom and was "full" of chalk dust when it was acquired at a general auction.

I have no way of dating the piece but would guess it to be 100 - 130 years old. It is certainly not fine cabinetry but the grain in the cedar is most attractive.

I have used a commercial restorative product with 0000 steel wool to remove the gunk from the door frames and panels followed up with a commercial furniture wax of the same brand and 0000 steel wool before applying another coat of wax with a soft cloth. The result is most pleasing as the wood absorbed the wax to reveal a "golden red" shimmer.

I noted with surprise that the timber on the inside of the cupboard has not been finished with anything and is still "raw". Would this explain why most of the door panels are bowed and the doors themselves are warped?

So, the question is: should I now seal the timber? If so, what product would be recommended and what effect would this have on the timber?

All advice will be most gratefully received !!

yvan

Australian Cedar Cupboard