I started to build this for my daughter’s graduation from high school, but actually finished it in time for her graduation from her Masters’ program at college. Not having a dedicated shop and tools set up all the time made it difficult to get a lot done in a couple of hours on weekends when I could work on it. But after 5 years of sporadic work, the project of a lifetime is finally done. I used the Eastern Shore Chest plans from Rockler for a general design but used Tommy Mac’s blanket chest design for the center panel. And then I added the cedar inside and the engraving on the lid support to personalize it a little. I found a “hinge guy” to custom craft the hinges – Iron Leaf Forge in Kentucky. The rails, stiles and lid are made of Peruvian Walnut and the panels and feet are American Walnut finished with Waterlox Satin Finish.
– Al Coffern
Lubbock, TX
See the Gallery Below:
