Chris decided to give his bride a beautiful hope chest as a wedding gift. He had some questions about finishing and I was all too happy to help. But this isn’t a chest for everyone. Chris was very generous in his use of purpleheart, since his wife loves the color purple. So while this may not be to everyone’s taste, to each his own I say! I am sure it meant the world to his wife and was a very special gift. So I find this to be a very interesting piece to analyze since its a good exercise in color combinations.
I have been constructing Stephanie’s gift, a hope chest. It is a frame and panel construction with 6/4″ purple heart as rails and stiles and a laminated raised panel with purple heart and maple checker board, line the inside with some aromatic and a curly maple lid biscuited together with purple heart bread board ends. Now where I need your experience and expertise. What the heck should I finish this thing with? I regret using the purple heart now because of the color change. I got it because Stef loves purple, so much that the name of our reception venue is the Plum Bush Inn. But i am really concerned about this thing turning brown in a couple of years.
I have everything cut and soaking up the air to get some good color. I was thinking about popping the grain a bit on the figured top I intend on building, but it probably will be a contrast between the lid and panels, right? If I use the same mix you used on the “pop goes the Maple” video, would that color dye affect the purple heart on the checker board panels? I appreciate some criticism and advise
My response:
Hey Chris, first off, congrats. Marriage can be a wonderful thing (for some people), lol. I feel bad for the ones who don’t communicate and aren’t happy. Fortunately my wife is my best friend so things work out rather nicely. And if you have the right lady in your life, marriage is the ticket to MORE tools, not less. :)
If purple is her favorite color, then you have certainly nailed it with this one buddy! You can definitely use the grain popping mix I did on the show, and the dye shouldn’t affect the purple heart much at all. Now when in doubt, I default to the wiping varnish finish. Its simple, its durable, and its beautiful. And because its oil based, you’ll have a good amount of grain pop and iridescence automatically. You may not need to do the dye mixture at all. Arm-R-Seal would be the varnish of choice.
Now I don’t normally push product on people, but this is the exact finish I cover in my Simple Varnish Finish DVD. So if you are unsure about it in any way, I would suggest picking it up. But a nice semi-gloss will make that thing look gorgeous. And the purple heart will change a bit over time, but if this piece will live in your bedroom (I assume it will), it probably won’t have a huge amount of direct sunlight. So you can expect it to be “purply” for a good long time.
Now before I go, you did mention criticism. This is something I don’t usually give until requested. Nothing worse than unsolicited criticism! But please keep in mind this is just my opinion. I will start by saying there is indeed such a thing as “too much of a good thing”. The piece you’ve created is amazing in both design and proportion. Very well executed. What I am concerned about is that it is a little too “busy”. Those checker boards are fantastic. But with a purpleheart frame and with so many panels, it can be difficult on the eyes. When selecting wood grains and colors, I like to try to balance things out. If I have a simple frame of maple, I like the idea of a busier panel. By busy, I mean something with good color or lots of figure, or possibly something like what you’ve done here with the checkerboard. And if I have a busy or colorful frame, I would lean toward simplicity in the panels using only one color wood with a little to no figure. Now you’ve already gone through all the work of creating those amazing checkerboard panels, so please feel free to throw this advice right out the window. But its something to keep in mind in the future.
My fear, and this is from personal experience of making these mistakes, is that in 5 years when the novelty of purpleheart wood wears off, this piece will start to look a little busy and might not suit your tastes as you get older. But being that this is a sentimental piece, you will always feel obligated to keep it out and in use. Don’t ask me how I know about this!
So if you are looking to lighten the piece visually, you could possibly make a few solid maple panels, and only use the checkerboards as accents. Consider putting the checkerboards only on the sides, with the solid maple in the front three. Adding a few solid maple panels will not only lighten it visually, it will tie in the top as well. And it will make those checker board panels something to really focus on, as opposed to something that you can’t avoid looking at. And if you don’t want those checkerboard panels to go to waste, cut off the edges and give them away as thank you gifts after the wedding.
A few months passed and Chris got back in touch with the finished hope chest.
Well Dude, I am happy to say that I finished the hope chest in my last days as a single and free man! I am now married and nothing changed but the number on my tax forms. You gave me such good advice towards design and finishing techniques, it would be selfish of me not to share the finish product. There are quite the number of “could of” and “should of’s” and some mistakes that I didn’t try to hide.
I was able to turn a couple of mistakes (accidentally cut off haunches, blown out hinge mortises, poor grain popping etc.etc.etc) into a “sappy” line to Stef, that connected human beings, mistakes, marriage and not having anything to hide (honesty). Pretty slick huh??? But it worked good! REALLY good! In fact, it made her like it even more!
It is pretty crazy to think, myself being so obsessed with perfection and complexity can be missing the whole essence of whats really going on cause i am so caught up with my own self manifested standards. One detail of the chest which was drawn out of complete mistake was the checker board lid. It was supposed to be just laminated maple, there were some whips in the maple when I took it out of clamps. My planer is only 13″ and not having the patience to flat the board by hand…I couldn’t wait to run it through the router table with the raised panel.. I didn’t think to take the back cutter off, so when I was running it, it mauled..(correction=I mauled) the whole piece up! My 3.25 HP Bosch ate that big box store Maple for breakfast!!
So you know those extra checkerboard panels that you suggested cutting the ends off and giving them away as presents? I cut the ends off and kinda inlayed it into the lid to get back what I lost to my hungry router. I used biscuits with no glue just to keep me aligned. So that’s it bro, Thanks again for your suggestions and replies.
Some might find this piece compelling and interesting, while others might find it difficult to look at. I believe there is a certain point in woodworking where we cross the line from “rules of good design” to simply “opinion and taste”. What do you think about that concept? Not Chris’s hope chest, so much as using wood color in general. People paint their walls all kinds of wacky colors, but if they like it, who cares? Is it the same for woodworking or should we abide by some general rules of thumb when it comes to color?
36 Responses to “Purpleheart Hope Chest – A Study in Color”
I think Chris did a wonderful job exploring color and pattern. It is not my personal taste (I think it is the unevenness of the checkerboard that was just too much for me), but I think that makes it all the better. If we are making individual pieces, not mass production they should be customized to the person they are for. I made a wine glass holder with a purpleheart wine bottle on the side because I knew the guy I was making it for would love it, let’s just hope it stays purple!
There are some things that we build for the general public and there are some things that we build for a specific person. One of the great things about woodworking is the ability to personalize a work in a way that you cannot get from the bigbox stores. I think that Chris did a great job in making something special for his wife. I also like how he worked out his oops on the top. It looks like a planned part of the chest and ties in nicely with the front checker panel.
For me, I think the rules (in most things…woodworking design, cooking, photography etc) are a guideline. For newbies I think following the rules is a good thing. You learn the craft the way it was originally meant to be. Then as you become more and more adept at your chosen craft you have a better idea about where you can branch would without siding on the side of wacky.
Personally I think small accent pieces such as cutting boards, boxes and pens are a prefect place to play.
I think over all, Chris, you did a beautiful job. I would humbly echo Marc’s suggestions as the checkerboards are a little to busy for me. In this piece if all the panels where maple, I would be able to grow old with this at the foot of my bed…. but that’s just my .02 worth (and I’m not sure its worth even that much!) Congrats on the wedding! May you have 50 years of wedding bliss!
I think an artist friend of mine said it best – “you can’t break the rules until you know the rules”.
I agree that on the first one, the panels were a little too busy. I really like the end result though. I think the checkerboard pattern on the middle panel stands out just enough to look artistic and original but not be offensive to the eye. I also think the “mistake” on the top ties in really well. Beautiful piece. Great work!
In the end it’s the client or recipient who needs to be happy. If his wife loved it then the design is successful.
I agree with Blake, cutting back and making the checkerboard more of an accent really made the piece come together.
Interestingly enough, this was a topic (Contrasting woods: Dos and don’ts) in FWW 211. Even though it says purple heart and maple is generally a don’t, I think you pulled it off well.
You know, I read that article and almost brought it up here. But I didn’t want it to seem like I was disagreeing with the author. I have seen some amazing pieces using the purpleheart/maple contrast very effectively. The article does have some good general guidelines though.
I thought the FWW article was excellent and brought up a topic that doesn’t get discussed enough – the use of multiple species. Chris’ project was clearly built with his wife’s personal preferences in mind, but a lot of woodworkers seem to habitually go overboard with loud contrasting woods. I think this happens because it’s an easy way to distinguish a hand built, solid hardwood piece from the junk we can buy at Walmart. However, I think this technique is just that, a quick and easy way to shout “I made this”. Careful design,construction, and finishing should combine to produce a piece that people just “feel” is better. Chris Schwarz did an interesting article recently about building two tables – one with hand tools and one with machine tools – and how people inherently know which is which, without being able to describe why. I think sometimes we try too hard to shout “I built this” rather than just letting our skills and experience speak for themselves with a well thought out and constructed piece. I rarely use multiple species because I don’t want to distract from the attention I paid to good tight fitting joinery, thoughtful grain selection, and the right finish.
Hmm, I fear it might be PAINFULLY obvious which one of my Shaker tables was made with hand tools, haha!
That is a lot of purple heart. Its going to stand out, quite well. I’m sure she’ll love it.
I’m envious of his skill and what he has produced. I can give no higher praise.
I like it, and my wife would love it. She really likes purple as well. I particularly like how Chris used Marc’s suggestions. The final product is more attractive than the original with three checkerboard panels. The way Chris saved the top after his hungry router ate it was great. It looks very intentional.
Marty said it best. In the end it’s the recipient who needs to be happy with it.
Concerning the last paragraph, to me no matter the color or contrast of the wood, stain etc, there is nothing wrong with having personal preference. Or maybe it just so happens to be what you have lying around to build something with ya know? I do that sometimes, I am not crazy about the wood I have but I just want to make something. I’m all about the unconventional way of woodworking, some people brush that off and stick with the norm and that’s fine too.
If we get to the same destination but a different way why does it matter? Rule of thumb or not we are all in it for the great feeling we get when the project is done, am I right? Unless someone wants you to build something and it’s not your taste then it’s your preference to take the job or not, as it’s theirs to get what they want.
In the end, to me, if I am proud of what I have done then that would be my final preference. Although I am not a big fan of using purple heart as a main material, this piece is quite stunning, and looks to be very very well made.
This chest seems wonderfully built. I really like the purple heart/maple combo. I actually chose the same for a jewelry box I’d built for my fiance. I do get distracted with the checkered pattern, but then I become hypnotized by the deep purple color of the wood. I do have a question though, purple heart is quite heavy, so how much does this thing weigh?
Thanks Marc for the post and everyone else for your opinions and time observing Stefs Hope chest.
i have yet to put it on a scale, But i can tell you that i had to call up a buddy to help carry it from my shop up three flights of stairs to our humble abode. the rails and stiles are 1-3/4″ thick if that helps size it up
In regards to the topic, (design rules vs. opinion/taste)
Some may call it the cheap way out, I try to the best of my ability to base an idea or concept around the Golden Mean and then add a personal touch. Dosen’t always work out well, but for some reason i still try while expecting different results…insanity??
Beautiful ..just beautiful work!
I’m a big fan of purpleheart .. but you have created artwork beyond anything I could imagine. I just love the contrasting woods
You should be very proud of you work
I think you did a great job Chris. The original panels did seem “busy”, looking at just the chest by itself. But I think if it was placed in room with the right surroundings it would change a lot of opinions.
I made a book case for someone a while back and she wanted me to paint it instead of staining. She wanted it to have a green case with orange shelves. I got tired of looking at those colors before the paint even dried. I went to her small jewelry shop about 3 months later and that (what I thought was butt ugly) book case actually looked great with all the other things that were on and around it and most importantly she loved it.
My point being, there is no wrong combinations of colors, species of wood etc. Only wrong surroundings. So let your imaginations fly!
I wonder how I would feel about the massiveness of it, let alone the color. I like it. I like things that other people wouldn’t like. Sometimes I think of getting some kind of crazy wood color combinations, and more wood with some crazy figure, and making something giant out of them that people won’t be able to avoid looking at. Like a front door. Seriously, though, I agree with Marc in the sense that sometimes a bit of restraint can be a good thing, in that you don’t overpower the observer-you get the effect you want by allowing the observer to “get it” on their own terms, without slapping them in the face with it. But on the other hand, you didn’t make this for us, you made it for her, and if she likes it, then that’s the way it is. All I would say is have an open mind for change, like people’s opinions. Sometimes they change. It is a very interesting piece, and I had only one actual “woodworking” question-it appears to me that you used drawbore pins (a new term to me, but one that I am trying to bring into conversations as much as possible to sound sophisticated to other woodworkers) in the rails and stiles, but in some cases it didn’t look like the tenons actually extended far enough into the mortises for that. Am I missing something here?
I believe this is one of those pieces of woodworking that is specific to one person and should not be judged by the visual content. Chris did a good job in making something for the person he loves the way he wanted to make it. The debate over ‘rules’ and ‘guidlines’ about appearance is subjective to each individual (just look at some of the art in museums). I am more interested in the technique used and the meaning of the piece. Good job Chris, congratulations on your marriage.
Dan
I hae pictures containing the joinery of the frame, but i am not to hip with adding them to this blog. I will find a way
Easiest thing to do Chris is to post the pictures in the Community and then put a link to them here. Unfortunately, the comments section doesn’t allow posting of picture directly.
I plan on building a chest for my wife soon, and reading this has been quite interesting. I look forward to my trials and tribulations while building hers.
Thanks for sharing
I think it’s great, different strokes for different folks!
http://community.thewoodwhispe.....e=activity
Here are some pictures of the build of the chest. I hope this works
Rule #1: Any project that doesn’t make the wife mad is a success.
As to the intensity, bear in mind that purpleheart is a “tease” of a wood. Like padauk, it’s wild when first machined and then mellows out within a few months.
Personally, I don’t mind the color at all. Contrasts and vivid colors are one thing that sets real woodworking apart from the depressingly conformist brown thermoplastic that passes for “real wood” in office furniture.
What does bother me are the routed profiles on the panels. The raw drama PH and maple make this a very daring and original piece; but the stock panel-raising bit just sort of sighs big box store kitchen cabinet. It’s like wearing country overalls and sleek, titanium sunglasses at the same time.
Ditto for the profiles on the frame members. You passed a profile bit around the inside of the completed frame, rather than coping the pieces as part of the joinery, right? Nothing wrong with that; but again it’s a nontraditional play that’s out of character with the wholly traditional profile that you chose.
Chris, don’t listen to anyone who says the colors are too much. Just be certain that the shape of the piece measures up to the bold palette you’ve laid out.
I like how the checkered panel in the top lines up with the front panel.
Great job! I think it’s a beautiful piece. I think the change in the checker pattern could have been left out (for some reason it makes my eyes cross), but outside of that, I really like it.
I’d like to echo Mr. Bols post. I’m just a beginner – only 30 years in and so much left to learn, but I find myself cringing when I view an overly busy piece. Too much figure, too many panels or too much inlay. Obviously, “too much” is in the eye of the beholder, but I’ve seen some truly great pieces ruined by the craftsman trying to “wow” us. We spend a great deal of time in designing an elegant piece and picking just the right grain to complement that design. Loading it up with wild colors and figure detracts from the overall affect in my opinion. I find myself filled with respect for the skill of the craftsman (or woman), but not liking the piece. But it’s all about personal taste – I personally have a ton of respect for the vocal prowess of people who sing opera, but I can’t stand listening to the music.
That said, if you like it and your wife likes it, it is a success. Thank God we don’t all have the same taste or this world would be totally boring.
It Looks Great Chris. I really like the purpleheart and Maple, I tried it on a much smaller project and I liked it there as well. I really liked the overall dimentions, and the solid feel of the piece. I really like the compromise you came up with on the panels. It looks better than the origional with three checker boards, I also liked the variable spacing of the checker board lines. It provided enough change to keep the checker board pattern from becomming overwelming.
There is an article about wood matching in the April 2010 issue of Fine Woodworking. They specifically mention purpleheart and maple as being a bad combination. What do they know?
Wow, what a nice job. I love the finish on this. After this article, I was inspired to make one myself. I went searching online to find other Hope Chest ideas. I bought mine at Sherwood Creations. The link to this site incase anyone is looking for more ideas on Hope Chests is http://sherwoodonline.com/item.....038;page=1.
I have seen some truly gaudy pieces of woodworking that make this look like a rather conservative hope chest. Blessings on your new marriage, Chris and congratulations on a beautiful piece of workmanship.
Thanks for all the compliments and criticisms. My wife loves and treasures it. I guess that’s what really matters at the end of the day.
BTW, the chest is 18 months old and the purple heart is still holding color!
just beautiful! I am a huge fan of purple heart too! Great wood to work with. Congratulations on getting married and for making a great piece of art!
I made a purple heart and padauk hope chest some time ago & lined it with the 1/4″ cedar planks. Talk about heavy duty..takes 2 men and a boy just to carry it. Beautiful wood color combo’s tho, no doubt about that. I had 6 padauk raised panels and all framing was Purple heart. 3 coats of Magnalac Precatalyzed Lacquer “satin”. Later made two matching end tables…hint, hint