After a refreshing weekend at the coast, I got back this afternoon and went out to the shop with a mission: get my sister’s wedding present done. It’s only been since March 2006, so what’s the hurry, right?
There wasn’t much left to do - finish mortising for the lid’s brass hinges, a final sanding, and the first coat of oil. My sister and her husband Jeff live in Boston, right around the corner from the North Bennett Street Woodworking School, and in the general vicinity of one of the great woodworking traditions of America: Shaker furniture. I decided to do something more Shaker-inspired for the two of them, something that felt a little more Boston, and a little less west coast contemporary. Here it is.
It’s a little smaller than the traditional Shaker chest, but not much, a nod to the small-ness of their current apartment. In case you were wondering, apartments in Boston are really, really expensive.
The chest is all made of cherry, although the bottom trim seems to be quite a bit lighter in color than the rest of the chest. I think it will even out in time, as cherry gets darker with exposure to sunlight, but I may try some artificial means of evening it up and/or adding some age (stain) to some of the recesses for contrast. Post a comment if you have any ideas; the base coat is General Finishes Seal-A-Cell Clear.
I’m also thinking about lining the sides with aromatic cedar inside after I get the oil finish complete.
Gabe Says:
November 19th, 2007 at 5:13 pmVisit Gabe
It looks beautiful. Nice simple design. The color difference between the two pieces of cherry doesn’t bother me, in fact, I kind of like the contrast. I agree it will be interesting to see how the wood ages.
Phil Says:
November 30th, 2007 at 4:31 pmVisit Phil
(this may be a little late). if you are concerned about the contrast, i would add some stain to the base. however, don’t try to go as dark as the the sides of the chest. the reason being, that cherry is pretty prone to tanning in sunlight, even with stain and finish. a little contrast isn’t bad, depending on exposure it all should blend with time. do you know if all the lumber came from the same region?
Descending Ashtray » Totem Study Complete! Says:
December 9th, 2007 at 6:03 pmVisit Descending Ashtray » Totem Study Complete!
[…] today, I completed a sculpture I started over a year ago, my Totem Study, shown here in front of a wedding chest I made for my sister. I just put a coat of oil on both of them, which is why they look a little […]