Mike Allen1010
12-05-2011, 5:29 PM
This probably belongs under the "Projects" forum, but since I built this using primarily hand tools and I think it's a nice project that fellow Neanaders may be interested in I'm posting it here.
This is a Greene and Greene, craftsman style blanket chest that I saw in the Taunton press "Blanket Chest" book by Peter Turner. It made a nice hand tool project because it didn't require much wood and the ebony plugs and "oversized finger joints" joinery were fun and interesting.
I recently inherited a 14 bandsaw and a 4 thick x 6 wide slab of walnut that I used to build this chest. I re-sawed the plank to 1rough thickness and aligned them in a book matched style for the chest carcass and top. Everything except re-sawing was hand tools.I used ship lapped aromatic cedar to line the bottom.
The finish is a couple coats of Watco medium-walnut oil/varnish mix, followed by their liquid satin wax rubbed out with 0000 steel wool. I put a 1 Lb. cut of blonde shellac over the Watco on the inside to seal in the finish smell and allow the cedar to come through. If I had it to do over again, I would've put a couple coats of shellac over the entire chest because I really like the depth it adds to the finish and would've rubbed it out to get to a satin sheen.
Lessons Learned
1. The figured walnut has some interlocking grain and there was more tear out then I usually see with walnut. I have a range of Japanese planes, rehabilitated Stanley/Hock blades, LV bevel up and LN planes. I bought a LN # 4 1/2 smooth plane with the 55° frog and it gave me the best results in eliminating tear out over the most difficult interlocking sections of grain.
This was the first time I've used a plane with this high of a pitch, and initially it was difficult to push through the wood. However, once the pieces were sufficiently flattened and I was able to take very thin shavings, it became much easier to use and the mass and high bevel angle left a beautiful finish.
I also used card and cabinet scrapers, but interestingly I got the best results with the most problematic sections of grain by just holding a sharp plane blade in my hand at an 85° angle to the surface and using that as a scraper.
2. For the beveling/rounding over of the exposed finger joint end grain, I initially dry assembled joints and marked the shoulders and chamfered them before assembly. If I had it to do over again, I would leave all the fingers long, assemble the case and trim finger joints with a small cross cut saw and pare the end grain chamfers with narrow chisels. I used this approach on the last case side and it was easier and faster.
3. The photos and measurements in the book show the back of the case lid overhanging the rear of the carcass by a couple inches. I originally built the case top to these dimensions and then realized this would not allow for opening the lid more than 90°.
I ended up cutting off the overhanging rear section of the lid (including the already completed ebony plugs ARG!), so I could open the chest more than 90° and reduce the risk of it falling closed inadvertently. In retrospect, it would look better with the overhanging rear lid and using chest lid hardware to prevent inadvertent closing.
I enjoy making blanket chests due to the limited time/lumber requirements (as compared to larger casework) and because I think they make nice gifts (this one is going to my oldest son will probably end up using it for tequila bottles in his college dorm room!).
There are a number of other interesting chests in Peter Turner's book, including a wide variety of different styles, and there are a couple more I plan to take a stab at.
Thanks for looking,
All the best, Mike
This is a Greene and Greene, craftsman style blanket chest that I saw in the Taunton press "Blanket Chest" book by Peter Turner. It made a nice hand tool project because it didn't require much wood and the ebony plugs and "oversized finger joints" joinery were fun and interesting.
I recently inherited a 14 bandsaw and a 4 thick x 6 wide slab of walnut that I used to build this chest. I re-sawed the plank to 1rough thickness and aligned them in a book matched style for the chest carcass and top. Everything except re-sawing was hand tools.I used ship lapped aromatic cedar to line the bottom.
The finish is a couple coats of Watco medium-walnut oil/varnish mix, followed by their liquid satin wax rubbed out with 0000 steel wool. I put a 1 Lb. cut of blonde shellac over the Watco on the inside to seal in the finish smell and allow the cedar to come through. If I had it to do over again, I would've put a couple coats of shellac over the entire chest because I really like the depth it adds to the finish and would've rubbed it out to get to a satin sheen.
Lessons Learned
1. The figured walnut has some interlocking grain and there was more tear out then I usually see with walnut. I have a range of Japanese planes, rehabilitated Stanley/Hock blades, LV bevel up and LN planes. I bought a LN # 4 1/2 smooth plane with the 55° frog and it gave me the best results in eliminating tear out over the most difficult interlocking sections of grain.
This was the first time I've used a plane with this high of a pitch, and initially it was difficult to push through the wood. However, once the pieces were sufficiently flattened and I was able to take very thin shavings, it became much easier to use and the mass and high bevel angle left a beautiful finish.
I also used card and cabinet scrapers, but interestingly I got the best results with the most problematic sections of grain by just holding a sharp plane blade in my hand at an 85° angle to the surface and using that as a scraper.
2. For the beveling/rounding over of the exposed finger joint end grain, I initially dry assembled joints and marked the shoulders and chamfered them before assembly. If I had it to do over again, I would leave all the fingers long, assemble the case and trim finger joints with a small cross cut saw and pare the end grain chamfers with narrow chisels. I used this approach on the last case side and it was easier and faster.
3. The photos and measurements in the book show the back of the case lid overhanging the rear of the carcass by a couple inches. I originally built the case top to these dimensions and then realized this would not allow for opening the lid more than 90°.
I ended up cutting off the overhanging rear section of the lid (including the already completed ebony plugs ARG!), so I could open the chest more than 90° and reduce the risk of it falling closed inadvertently. In retrospect, it would look better with the overhanging rear lid and using chest lid hardware to prevent inadvertent closing.
I enjoy making blanket chests due to the limited time/lumber requirements (as compared to larger casework) and because I think they make nice gifts (this one is going to my oldest son will probably end up using it for tequila bottles in his college dorm room!).
There are a number of other interesting chests in Peter Turner's book, including a wide variety of different styles, and there are a couple more I plan to take a stab at.
Thanks for looking,
All the best, Mike