I got three orders for blanket chests in the waning days of 2008. Two of my aunts asked for chests over the holidays, and I'll be able to have some fun with them. Neither of them were particularly concerned with the details, so I'll get to flex my creative muscles as far as the design and my choice of wood. The third chest will be a very satisfying project as well, but for a different reason. Let me tell you the story:
In October of 2005, two of my good friends from the forestry school lost their home and everything in it in a fire. They were renting an old farmhouse from a professor, and faulting wiring consumed everything they had - most tragically, their two dogs were unable to find their way out. Even their cars, which were parked near the house, were destroyed. The outpouring of support from the forestry school got them back on their feet in no time, but of course their are some things that can never be replaced. One of those things was an old cedar chest that had been in one of the girls' family since the 1800s. Curiously, there happened to be an old cedar tree growing beside the house that was killed by the fire. I was able to get my hands on a small 8' log from that tree several months after the fire (Our professor had given the tree to a friend of his, and he had taken the big logs and left this little one behind). I had the log sawed into lumber with the intention of making something for my friends. Over the last couple of years, my friends finished school and went their separate ways. One of them married another good friend of mine from the forestry school. Last year, he called me up with a proposition: he wanted me to build a cedar chest to replace the one that burnt in the fire. He didn't even know I had lumber from the house fire. He was excited to find out that I did. I was excited to finally get the push I needed to use the lumber. I only saw the original chest once, but I did my best to design the new one similarly. The most curious thing was a small, secret drawer in the plinth. I got started on the chest this past weekend but unfortunately, I'll only get to work on it when I'm visiting my parents, since my shop in Clayton is still "under construction". I'll keep you updated with pictures as the project progresses :)
Here's the design I came up with:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Drawer_open%7E0.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Top_Open%7E0.jpg)
And here's the log I started with:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/small_cedar_log.jpg)
First step is to cut the boards to proper length with a jigsaw and edge them on the bandsaw. This takes a considerable amount of work to make sure I end up with everything I need, especially working with such a limited amount of lumber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Edged.jpg)
Next, I joint and plane the boards.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Jointed_and_planed.jpg)
Before gluing up the panels, I like to clamp the boards together and edge them with my jack plane. This way, my edges are perfectly straight, and any error in the angles of the edges is canceled out by folding the two boards apart like opening a book.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Jointing.jpg)
After gluing into panels, the boards need to be flattened. I never end up with a perfectly flat panel right out of the clamps. I flatten by planing across the grain with my jack plane.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Flattening.jpg)
Next, the boards need to be smoothed, as the jack plane leaves a rather rough surface. My No.4 Stanley sweetheat does an admirable job on this knotty cedar. The outside faces will be sanded before finishing, but the interior faces will retain the plane marks, just as the original did.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Smoothing.jpg)
On to dovetailing. When dovetailing small boards, I like to do the tails first, since I can clamp them together and do two at a time. With something this big, though, I find it easier to transfer the marks if I cut the pins first. I use a $20 "Bear Saw" ryoba from Lowe's. It has a crosscut side and a rip side. Use the rip side for dovetailing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Sawing.jpg)
After I remove the bulk of the waste on my bandsaw, I chisel the rest out. I have a set of Irwin "Blue Chip" chisels that I love. They're cheap and they hold an edge very well. The mallet is a carver's mallet that I made myself from winged elm.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Chiseling.jpg)
Well, that's all for now. In the next installment, I'll be cutting the tails and the groove for the bottom and hopefully gluing the case together. Who knows when that'll be? :)
That's a great story and project. I'm anxious to see it through to completion. Now, go get those tails cut. smiley_whip
Looks like a great project Dodgy. ;D Lots of work with those hand tools. ;) Your friends sure are lucky.
These things take time eh? ;)
My chisels look just like yours Dodgy, only mine are Sheffield's. Nice mallet I might add.
Marples manufactured these chisels up until recently, and their company was located in Sheffield, England. I've seen several tool tests that looked at bench chisels, and these blue chips always finished at or near the top. You can get better chisels, but you'll have to pay a lot more for them. I like a deal :). I've made several different mallets (at least seven), and this is the one that always ends up in my hands. It's the best design I've come up with as far as comfort and utility. I've always had trouble using a traditional cabinetmaker's mallet for striking chisels, but some people swear by them.
Love that red cedar! I especially like the design, too. And the millers falls jack plane ;D Keep us updated.
Hey that log is ugly enough to make some real nice boards. Ugly cedar logs are the best kind::)
I have a set of the "blue" marples chisels. They are great.
Dodgy, I have to say to all here, that you are a class act. This is a project that will enrich the people that you are building the chest for as well as enriching yourself. The only thing that would be better is if I had sawn those boards for you.
I really admire your work with the hand cut dovetails. That is real craftsmanship. I cheat and use a dovetail jig. Those pins in the pics look every bit as good as the ones I make with the jig. That is real skill.
What you are doing with this project is a real inspiration to me, and I am sure, some others here on the Forum. I take off my hat to you.
Cool 8) 8) a blanket chest with a story...there the best kind.
Great story and project DL. They are sure lucky to have you as a friend. :)
Can't wait for some pictures Dodgy ;) ;)
Nothin' better than red cedar. It's going to be great project.
I am in the process of building a desk...well me and my resident artist ;D ;D ;D
While he's burning the graphics I am going to start the drawers today. I'm gonna break out the set of Blue Marples and have at it.
I prolly need to get a lesson from you or Pigman ;) ;)
Steve, we both need to go south to Dodgy's to get a lesson on dovetails. ;) Since it is warmer down there, I think it will take me a least three months to master dovetails. :D
I like working with ERC, it is light for this old retired man to handle.
Thanks for all the kind words :). I haven't been this excited about a project in a long time, and it's killing me that I can't get out and work on it every weekend. Pigman, you and Burlkraft are welcome to come down for a lesson, but I can't promise it'll be any warmer than Kentucky. 18
o this morning, supposed to be 10
o tomorrow. Warmer than Michigan I'm sure, though ;).
Quote from: thedeeredude on January 13, 2009, 08:19:06 PM
Love that red cedar! I especially like the design, too. And the millers falls jack plane ;D Keep us updated.
The jack plane is actually a Craftsman, but they certainly have the same pedigree. Is is possible that Millers Falls made Craftsman planes the same way Stanly made Winchester planes (among other tools)?
Yes, Millers Falls, Sargent and Stanley I believe made tools for the craftsman label. That red frog is a dead giveaway that it is millers falls.
Don't dead frogs on a plane smell bad. I think I will be driving. :D :D
Nice project DL. Can't wait to see it.
I was in error as to the name of my chisels, they are Marples as well. Sheffield's have a yellow translucent handle and more expensive.
Got to work on the chest for a few hours last weekend. Here's the progress so far:
I was disappointed to find that the panels for the front and back, which I glued up a couple weeks ago, had warped badly in the meantime. They required some serious flattening before the tails could be sawn. They ended up closer to 5/8" thick than 3/4" thick, not that it really matters. The chest will just be that much lighter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Randoms_010.jpg)
I've seen some pretty fancy jiggery that people have come up with to trim the ends of large panels square on a table saw. I chose a rather simple route. First, I scribed a line on the end of the panel using a framing square. Next, I trimmed the ends of the panels very close to, but not touching the scribe line with a bandsaw.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/rough_cut.jpg)
I trimmed the rough ends down to the line with a low angle block plane. Simple and effective.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/block_plane.jpg)
To transfer the pins to the tail boards, I clamp the pin boards to the tail boards with a couple of F-clamps and scribe them with a marking knife. You can see where I wrote detailed info about the boards in this photo. Don't want to get messed up here!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/Marking_tails.jpg)
The scribe lines show up quite clearly...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/scribed_tails.jpg)
Next comes the sawing...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/sawn_tails.jpg)
And finally, the chiseling.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/chopped_tails.jpg)
The result is a tight, clean fit. Because cedar is a soft wood that compresses easily, I cut the dovetails rather tight. I had to tap them together with a mallet to force them together, but the joints are not so tight that it split the boards. Just right :).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/fitted_dovetails.jpg)
Stay tuned for the next edition ;D
A table sander (upright position) comes in handy to, if your timid with a block plane to get the edge square to the line without tearout. ;D
Looking good young feller. I mark my work pieces with details quite often as well. ;)
Now, don't you wish you air dried that cedar 3 years? Can't resist a good ribbing. :D Knowing that wood shrinkage gets progressively less with each shrink and expand cycle. ;)
Log was sawed ~Feb. 2006 (3 years ago ;)). Been sitting underneath dad's barn the whole time, out of the weather. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do :-\. I think they warped because I left them sitting flat on my benchtop, so only one side was exposed to the air. Next time, I'll allow for better air circulation. Ideally, I would have cut the pins and tails the same day, but due to time constrains, I didn't have that option.
Regarding the tearout from the block plane, that could definitely be problematic when planing end grain. I would normally plane a small chamfer on the end grain to prevent this, but I didn't rip the panels to their final width until after squaring the ends, so it was no problem. Alternatively, I could have planed toward the bottom side of the panel so any tearout would be covered by the plinth when the chest is completed. I bet I could find lots of uses for a table sander if I ever got one, but I've never used one.
How do you have the patience to cut all those DT by hand?
I've removed the cup from a large panel by placing it in the grass in the sunshine. You cannot forget about it, though because before you know it it will be cupped in the other direction. :D
Quote from: Dodgy Loner on January 29, 2009, 04:34:34 PM
Been sitting underneath dad's barn the whole time, out of the weather.
Ground moisture Dodge, put up in the loft with a window or door open for air flow in the summer heat. But still better than nothing. Usually indicates there is high enough moisture that it isn't drying inside very deep and when you plane that dryer wood off.........well. Brings another question, when was the actual lumber sliced off it? 3 years past? Confused whether it was the timber that was sawed into a log or whether the log was sawed into lumber. ;)
Coming along nicely! I read one time that you set a board cup up on a concrete floor overnight and it will take the cup out. Didn't believe it till I tried it. Now that I know more about how wood moves and that I realize it picks up the moisture from the concrete on that side.
Wow, that is looking good! When you get that big powermatic table saw ( :)), you can make a jig to cut the ends square ;D. I believe that if the craftsman of old could have had the use of a modern table saw, they would have jumped out of their skin to use it ;D.
Quote from: WDH on January 29, 2009, 11:35:00 PM
I believe that if the craftsman of old could have had the use of a modern table saw, they would have jumped out of their skin to use it.
:D :D
Well Dodgy....
Nice job on the dove tails 8) 8)
They look awesome
What about that shop?
That deseves a picture and a post. From what I saw that's a pretty nice lookin' shop too! 8) 8)
MS - Cutting the dovetails is the best part. I don't know how you have the patience to apply a finish without spraying it ;D. One of the greatest pleasures in the woodworking is tapping together a well-fitted hand cut dovetail joint for the first time. It only took about an hour per board (four hours total) to dovetail this chest. The real challenge was keeping my patience as I was flattening the panels. They weren't cupped so much as twisted. I've actually used a method similar to what y'all descibed to flatten a cupped panel. I dampened the concave side with a rag and presto, and hour later the cup was gone! I suspect the twist in my panels might be attributed to the internal stresses from such knotty wood. Wood is like a kindergartener...sometimes it misbehaves just because you're not looking ::).
SD - the log was sawed into rough-edged boards 3 years ago. If you look closely in the first picture, you can see the lines in the log from where it was sawn. It was sitting four feet above the concrete floor in our barn, so wicking moisture from the floor probably wasn't the problem.
WDH - I dunno, I prefer working wood to building jigs ;). I'm not exactly a purist, but I posted the technique I use because I find it much quicker and easier than building an accurate jig for the table saw. I guess we all find ways to make it work using the tools we have at our disposal. I bet the craftsman of old who were unemployed because their job was now accomplished by an unskilled laborer with a machine were not as thrilled as you think they were ;D.
BK - Thanks, but the shop is my dad's :-\. I'll soon be moving all of my equipment into this cubbyhole (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,33435.msg513767.html#new) at my house :).
Quote from: Dodgy Loner on January 30, 2009, 09:36:06 AM
I'm not exactly a purist,
By whose definition?? :D :D :D
By the purists' definition, of course ;) ;D
Bump ;D
Any new pics?
No new pics, but I do have some news regarding the shop. Dropped by my dad's place on the way back from South Georgia last weekend and picked up the lathe, my workbench, all my hand tools, a little lumber, and a couple half-completed projects. I moved it all into my shop last night, but unfortunately, no pictures to prove it :-\. The rest of this week I'll be helping my dad build his pole barn, but next week should see some rapid progress on the blanket chest since it'll only be a stone's throw away :)
any updates?
Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've done any meaningful work on the blanket chest. I moved all of my tools (lathe, bandsaw, table saw, plus all my hand tools) into my shop early this year, and I haven't worked on it much since then. It is a pain to try to get anything done in my new (smaller) shop because I don't have any storage cabinets yet. It's basically a cluttered mess :(. Plus, I had to leave the jointer and planer at dad's since they were his, so stock preparation gives me more of a workout than it used to. All I've gotten done in the last few months is prepare the stock for the plinth, but I still haven't started dovetailing it yet. I shouldn't be putting it off like I am, since dovetailing is my favorite part of the job. I've just been more enthusiastic about my other projects this spring. I've got 1/4 acre of garden space that I'm tending to in 3 different locations, so that takes up a lot of my time. All excuses, though, and poor ones at that, especially considering how important this chest is. I need to make time for it :-\.
smiley_whip
Nice dovetails, DL, you do good work. I've got to teach myself that one day.
I found a lot of salvage wood to make my shop cabinets with. One of these days I'll start replacing them with some better ones, but for now they will have to do.
Mark
I've been a bad, bad poster. No updates in over 10 months ::). That being said, the blanket chest will be finished on Friday and delivered on Saturday. Just in time for Christmas! 8). I will take pictures and post them when I'm done with it.
I've been thinking of your blanket chest the last few weeks, wondered what stage you was at. I know things probably got busy with tying the knot and stuff. ;D
The knot isn't tied yet, but we're both ready for it :). Actually, the main thing standing in my way was the fact that my shop was still incomplete. It still is, actually, but I finally got it in working order. I'm glad I had a deadline for this project, or the chest would still be just a few boards laying against the wall of my shop. I needed the motivation ;D.
Dodgey, dont' let that box or anything from your shop, get out without a date and signature. It is even better, especially for things made for family, to hide an envelope with some history enclosed within it somewhere. When you are a Great Gramps, you will understand.
That is a great idea, Tom. There are two secret drawers in the chest. One of them is a lot 'more secret' than the others. Maybe I should just slip a note in that drawer and not tell the future owners about it to see how long it takes them to figure it out ;). Every stick of wood in the blanket chest is special. Here is a list of the wood that makes up the chest and where it came from:
Red cedar for the chest sides and top: This, of course, came from the tree that was killed by the housefire I mentioned in the first post.
Red cedar for the plinth and breadboard ends: This came from a dead tree in Whitehall Forest, which is owned and managed by the School of Forestry at UGA, where the chest's recipient, the recipient's husband, and I all graduated.
Yellow pine for the chest bottom and drawer sides: This is from an old fencerow pine at my grandad's house.
Eastern spruce for the till and drawer runners: This was salvaged from a board in one of the kitchen cabinets that I removed when I bought my house.
It's a lot meaningful than buying the lumber at the store, that's for sure! :)
Yes, that will make for some future reminiscence, even if your not present. Since, families and friends often scatter about the country. :)
You had better not forget to take a picture for us, or we will send Guido over to pay you a little visit :).
I delivered the chest on Saturday. No worries, I got pictures. Unfortunately, they're on my fiance's camera :D
I will have to wait for her to send them to me to post them!
I finally got the pictures together! Here they are:
Body of the chest is built, but I am cutting another cedar board to make molding for the plinth.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZMolding_board.jpg)
Oiling the chest after the molding was installed. I followed the linseed oil with 3 coats of blonde shellac.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZOiling_chest.jpg)
The new owner's happy husband. This will be her Christmas present from him.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZOwner_s_husband.jpg)
Another picture of the finished chest
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZFinished_chest.jpg)
There is a secret drawer in the plinth.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZSecret_drawer.jpg)
Puzzling out and building this assembly almost doubled the amount of time to build the chest. Dovetails still work even if they're not perfect, but everything had to be just right for this drawer to work properly.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZMore_drawer.jpg)
There is also a small secret compartment beneath the till. The side of the till slides up to reveal it. This one was much easier to execute, by comparison.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZSecret_compartment.jpg)
And here is the letter that I wrote to remain with the chest as it is passed down from generation to generation (if it lasts that long! ;D). All I had on hand when I went to deliver the chest was a brown paper bag, so that's what I wrote it on ::).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/ZLetter.jpg)
What!! No tux? I'm so disillusioned. :D
But the chest is a beauty.
Norm
You did a fine job Dodgy. I know what you mean about some things having to be just right.
I have been going slow on my latest project to, always trying to think how the wood will move and all the joints and cuts that have to be considered to allow movement. I never knew a 3" wide strip of wood could take so many slot cuts and tenons to tie things together. :D
I learned that quartered ash ain't very stable near the pith. Of course that rule applies to most wood. When you build from wood you go beyond theory and put it to practice, sometimes ignoring the inevitable. :D
The brown paper bag was a good touch and will probably outlive any white paper you could have put in there. Maybe you could type the message for those of us who can't read the bag. :D
If that is written in pencil, you might think of adding one in ink. Pencil lead will fall off of the paper in time.
That's real history in the making. Good show!
8) 8)
Well done! I like the bookmatched front. Is the secret drawer on the front or back?
I think your dovetails look great. Especially having to saw and chop them in brittle cedar. That secret hiding spot in the till is clever.
Quote from: Tom on December 15, 2009, 05:09:19 PM
Maybe you could type the message for those of us who can't read the bag. :D
Tom, his hand printing is a lot more neat and legible than mine. :D :D
That's a right smart of a chest, rite there. Well Done, DL. 8) 8) 8)
QuoteTom, his hand printing is a lot more neat and legible than mine.
Yeah, but it's so faint I can't read it. I think I know what it says because he already told us what he would probably put on it. :)
The breadboards are a nice touch, and I like the yellow pine bottom. That chest will be a real treasure. I can imagine the expression on her face when she opens the package!
I started a gun cabinet out of cedar for my son-in-law, but it might not be ready before Christmas, although that is the goal. Like you said, Dodgy, nothing like a looming deadline to inspire motivation ;D.
Thanks everybody, I was real proud of the way it turned out.
Tom, here is the text of the letter. It was written in pen, so it should be around a while.
QuoteTo the owner of this chest:
This chest was built by Justin August Tyson for Jan Forrest Kent in the year 2009. Over 60 hours of work went into the chest from January 2009 to December 2009. It was completed and delivered on December 12. The cedar for the sides and top came from a tree that was killed by the housefire that consumed most of Jan's possessions on November 29, 2005. The cedar for the plinth and breadboard ends was harvested from Whitehall Forest in spring 2005. The pine for the bottom and drawer box was cut from my grandad's farm in Perry, GA in April 2008. The spruce for the till was taken from a cabinet at my house in Tiger, GA in 2009. I hope that you enjoy owning this chest as much as I enjoyed building it.
With Love,
Justin Tyson (signature)
ms: I'm happy someone noticed the bookmatched front :). You are right about the difficulty of chopping dovetails in cedar. It's a real pain in the butt! I'm ready to dovetail some walnut or cherry right now. Cedar is by far the most difficult wood I've ever tried to work with. It's soft, weak, knotty, and brittle. No wood is more frustrating to work, especially with hand tools. If it weren't so darn pretty and aromatic, I'd never touch another stick again! ::)
You did a good job arranging the boards, and like Chris said, the bookmatch is spot on. Was that pine some of the wide stock we sawed? Hopefully it was so that I can have a little role in such a noble project ;D.
Ah, yes, I meant to tell you! You helped out by sawing the pine in the chest bottom and the drawer box :). I should also mention that the recipient's husband is an employee of the Georgia Forestry Commission, so my aunt knows him quite well!
metalspinner, I didn't answer one of your questions earlier: The 'secret' drawer in the plinth is in the front, not the back. It is not noticeable when you fist glance at the chest, but if you are looking for it, it would be easy to find. It is not quite as secret as the compartment under the plinth.
Dodgy, does the husband know Gregg Jameson? I believe Gregg also works for the Georgia Forestry Commission. He was one of the two ATFS judges who visited my property last April.
BTW -that is one fine looking chest. You do good work!
I don't know. I can ask him next time I talk to him. I'm sure my aunt would know him. She works for the Georgia Forestry Commission as well. :)