I didn’t make this dresser, I rescued it.

My wife and I inherited a farm that has been in her family for 160 years. I had known this piece was in the attic for a long time but had never bothered to look it over. After moving our bedroom to the newly-remodeled upstairs last month and finding we needed more drawer space, I remembered this thing and decided to pull it out. Turns out it belonged to my wife’s great, great uncle (who built the house around 1880) and has probably not seen the light of day (literally) for close to 60 years. And I found the mirror in another part of the attic. They are back together and back in service.

As you might imagine, the finish is hurting. It’s like the thing has been in the kiln for 60 years. I have treated everything with Waterlox Original and probably have several more applications to go.

The older I get, these types of things mean more and more to me. I thought if anyone might understand, it would be you guys.

This box was created as a gift to a dear friend in Hawaii. This project brought me nothing but joy.

The black walnut was taken from our homestead when the original farmhouse was built by my wife’s ancestors in 1880 and was used as trim throughout the house. During a 1975 remodel, my father-in-law salvaged the trim and stored it in the hay loft where I discovered it a couple of years ago. Scars from the original spikes used in 1880 can still be seen.

The trim is spalted sugar maple taken from a property just a couple of miles away. The inlay on the lid as well as the tab are Hawaiian koa given to me as a gift during a recent visit to the islands.

Boiled linseed oil then wipe-on Minwax clear satin poly.

This was a wedding present for my son, Kyle, and his bride, Kelly. It is the biggest project I have undertaken so far, and it taught me a lot. I have already started another trunk and am trying to not repeat the mistakes I made on this one.

Red oak with 200-year old, black walnut “straps.” Rockler hardware kit.

Three coats of clear polyacrylic, semi-gloss.