Blanket Chest – Viewer Project
This week’s project comes from Keith in Virginia. Let’s check it out:
“Hey Marc! I wanted to show you a few pictures of my first completed piece of what I guess you’d call “casework”. I made this blanket chest as a gift for my brother-in-law and his soon-to-be bride. It’s made out of rift sawn and quartersawn white oak. The dimensions are 42″L x 21″W x 20″D. This project was a first for me using many different techniques. It’s the first breadboard lid I’ve made, as well as the first time I’ve attempted a frame-and-panel case. I used aromatic red cedar planks, purchased from Home Depot as “closet liner”, to line the box. These were applied with 3/4″ brads.”
“I started the finishing process by applying a liberal coat of Transtint’s Dark Mission Brown, mixed in distilled water. After a light 320 grit sanding, I applied a coat of dewaxed shellac. From there, I wiped on a thick coat of General Finishes walnut gel stain. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, then wiped it off with a clean cloth. After another light sanding, I applied three coats of General’s Satin High Performance topcoat, rubbed with 0000 steel wool between coats. A couple of coats of paste wax later, and this is where it’s at.”
“My wife loves it and has mentioned a couple of times already that her brother will never know that they didn’t get their “original” gift. :-) I guess I’ll be making another one of these soon. Thanks for looking!”
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A very handsome chest.
Your stain/finish procedure came out beautifully. The color is just right for oak.
DD
Keith,
Sweeeet!
Like it,
Thats a mighty fine shine you got there.
Very nice work Keith. The fleck pattern on the front panel are great… finish and workmanship too! Thanks for showing us.
Beautiful chest. The wives really love them. I made one last summer out of solid cedar. Great job!
Very nice finish. The aromatic cedar lining is an extra nice touch.
Thanks, everyone! I appreciate the kind remarks. It was a lot of fun to build. I’ll be starting another one very soon!
- Keith
Looks great!
Always curious about joinery, it looks like you used mortise and stub tenon for the frames. How are the sides joined to the front?
Thanks, Jim! The sides are joined to the front using M/T as well. Once it was all glued up, it was very sturdy.
- Keith
A beautiful job Keith.
I am gearing up to make one for my duaghter and you just made my decision as to style harder :-)
A general question as I am learning too.
With the breadboard ends do you need the braces? I hadn’t planned on them and I don’t want to miss something
“With the breadboard ends do you need the braces? I hadn’t planned on them and I don’t want to miss something”
I don’t think that I needed them, but I liked the way they looked on an example I saw a while back. They were really easy to shape. I like the way it came out.
Thanks for the compliments!
- Keith
Sweet box. I’m making one as well – a little different style though. My wife wants dovetails. Question: What was the reason for switching grain direction on the side panels? The finish looks superb! I’ve got to write this one down.
Uhh…..I was hoping nobody would catch that. LOL!
The change in grain direction on the sides was simply a lack of attention on my part. I just didn’t pay enough attention to that detail. While I don’t think it detracts at all, I know it’s there and it bugs me!
Thanks!
- Keith
Very nice project.
The blanket chest is awesome. I love the finish, beautiful work Keith. :)