Completed Project ***Pics***

[chaddhamilton]

Just finished this blanket chest. Wood is spanish cedar finished with spar varnish. Panels are angled 11 degrees inward(reverse hopper).

[Pete Lamberty]

Hi Chadd, Really nice job. I like the sort of exotic look to it. The ring handles, etc. Is it a sort of spanish design? I like it. Pete

[Delano Mireles]

Just finished this blanket chest. Wood is spanish cedar finished with spar varnish. Panels are angled 11 degrees inward(reverse hopper).

Chadd,

that is one beautiful chest. How did you handle the dovetails w/that angle? Excuse the ignorance but were they done by hand?


Delano

[Jim Becker]

Now, that's really pretty! It's amazing how that little angle gives a subtle effect to the piece that's very attractive. Nice job.

[chaddhamilton]

Thanks for the compliments. The design is something I came up with after browsing the Moser website and the book "Treasure Chests".

We're expecting our first child and we're going with a nautical theme of sorts for his/her room. The rings, scavanged from an old hammock, were an added touch that I thought would make this chest look a bit more "salty".

Delano, the dovetails were cut by hand follwing instructions I found and purchased on the internet: http://www.handcutdovetails.com/angled-dovetails.asp They were not terribly difficult, but they did take some planning and alot of concentration.

Next is a chest of drawers following the same lines as the chest, and a bed frame. I'll post pics of the whole set when I finish them.

[Bob Lasley]

Very nice piece Chadd! Great design and execution. The spanish cedar makes a beautiful chest. It's a shame that spanish cedar usually only shows up in humidors.

Bob

[Eric Apple - Central IN]

Very nice job. I am also impressed by the look of the spanish ceder. That's one wood I never thought of using to complete a project.

[chaddhamilton]

Yeah, Bob. Spanish Cedar looks alot like mahogany and it's about $4 a bf cheaper where I buy my lumber....and did I mention the smell?? :D I guess the only downside is that it is a little soft and can be hard to plane without a little tearout.

[Mike Schwing]

Wow Chad, that is beautiful! I aspire to your skill level!

[Tom Sweeney]

You did a fine job on the chest - the wood, the angle, the finish & especially those dovetails. You ought to be proud!

Congrats on the coming baby also :cool:

[Carl Eyman]

I've used spanish cedar a lot for boat building. It is readily available in South LA because of the amount of boat building and repair. I'd never thought of it for fine furniture. I'll have to rethink. Great looking piece.

[Von Bickley]

Chadd,
Great looking chest. I went through your part of the country this past Saturday. We were in Charleston at the market in the morning, ate lunch at Hyman's and then rode over to Isle of Palms to get our feet wet.
Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Delano Mireles]

Delano, the dovetails were cut by hand follwing instructions I found and purchased on the internet: http://www.handcutdovetails.com/angled-dovetails.asp They were not terribly difficult, but they did take some planning and alot of concentration.

Next is a chest of drawers following the same lines as the chest, and a bed frame. I'll post pics of the whole set when I finish them.

Thanks, Chadd. Did you purchase the whole book of lessons or just the one on angled DT's? Looks like a good product. Did you spend a lot on tools? I've been wanting to try my hand at DT's but not sure what's involved.

Thanks again,

Delano

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Very, Very nice work Chadd. I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said. Everything about it is OUTSTANDING! Thanks a bunch for sharing the pictures with us! :D

[Bruce Page]

Chadd, Two thumbs up! Your chest is gorgeous. I love the 11˚ “reverse hopper”, and the wood / color is awesome

[David Rose]

Beautiful chest and nice job! I'm curious as to the reason for using spar varnish. Those rings did the job too.

David

[Lars Thomas]

Well done. Spanish Cedar looks geat. Nice job on the hand-cut DT's. Lars

[chaddhamilton]

Delano. I only puchased the angled dovetail lesson, but I would imagine that the basic dovetail instruction he offers is pretty good as well. Of course, there are several sites online offering instruction for free: http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/htmlfile/dt1-e.html

As for tools, I keep it simple. I use a Record chisle set, a 9" SharkSaw pullsaw, a marking guage(a pencil and straight-edge works too), a bevel gauge, and a wood mallet. Keep your chisels sharp, that's the key.

David, I used spar varnish because it kind of goes with the nautical brightwork theme, plus I had a quart on hand.

Thanks guys for the compliments.

[Todd Burch]

Chadd, very nice job. I like your design a lot. The strong angle on your dovetails really sets them off too. The grain patterns you chose for your glued-up panels really shows off the wood.

GOOD JOB!