Hope Chest, I Hope

Hey Jockmike2: nice! I’m sure your daughter will surely love having your handiwork in her home. Make sure you sign the bottom of it and put something real mushy written in your own hand about how much you love her and how you made this specially for her birthday. Dad’s don’t always say what they feel you know. She will love it, and your grandkids, and great-grandkids and on… will surely appreciate being able to rub their fingers over the inscription written by you and think about your impact on this earth and in their lives, even if they never got to meet you. Makes me all mushy thinking about your family’s respect for the Hope Chest you created for them.

When I build something for the family, I use a sharp pointed Sharpee Marker to write on the bottom. Family projects are too special for my standard glued on business card. Thanks for sharing. Now we all know what you have been up to building the past three months. Good work.
your bud,
Mark

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

Hi Mike,
Well, now we all know at what you’ve been keeping your hands busy at!

Nice work you’ve been doing and I’m thinking your daughter is going to be quite impressed by the labor of love you have shown here. A Hope Chest can be very special to a daughter and then this ‘special’ is passed on to all the children of future generations, while thoughts of Dad is kept alive. I am always in awe of the fact that what we create, creates a living respect in the lives of the many, futher on down the road. And then when that object of love is sitting right in front of you, WOW, ....brings back memories of, “gather round children, I have a story to tell”.

As one who has timber framed and still humps those logs in my woods I know well about ‘heavy bugger’, so I was laughing with you. My wife is always saying, that I constantly am building things that are either, ‘too large’ or ‘too heavy’. Old habits die hard I guess and so I am out cleaning up one of my wood lots this morning and moving the wood around, since they say—-there may be snow on the way.

Once again, great work of art and I’m glad you shared this with us.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

Thanks guys, like I said I can’t work fast but I can make sure it’s right on that way. Yes my daughter is my honey, she’s had me wrapped around her little finger since I first laid eyes on her on her moms belly. Things were different back then, they did’nt let us dad’s in the OR. Us dads had a special room to smoke and drink strong black coffee in and walk in circles and worry. Then they would come and get you and take you to them when it was “all over”. There she lay, left index finger stuck in her mouth, and I just fell in love…. and its been that way to this day. In fact she snuck online here calling herself wormy with all these praises for my work, at first I had no idea who it was, until the second time she told me it was my daughter. After reading the blogs again it was pretty evident it was her, but I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box, sometimes, and I missed it at first. Yes Mark you are right my whole family is close but with your daughter, I don’t know it’s just a different kind of special relationship you have them. Man, I’m welling up just talking about it. But thanks to you both for the kind word they mean a lot to me. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

Beautiful work, Mike. Thanks for sharing this with us. I really like the brass sunburst and the corners against the purpleheart. I was looking for inspiration for a new hunk of Purpleheart I got through Dan Walters eBay lumber source, and thanks to you I have some new ideas.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

if your daughter’s hope is to always have her daddy around then you have success!! Every time she needs your lovin’ all she has to do is look at the beautiful storage box you built her (and read the inscription if you add it).

You did a gorgeous job and I can feel the love that surrounds it and fills it.

Big hugs to you. You always make my heart smile.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

It’s beautiful, Mike!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Mike a beautiful Box. Your daughter should be very proud of you.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Deb, dammit you always get me all mushy and bleary eyed, thanks , thanks Doug and Tom it means a lot, Karson you know it means a lot coming from you old friend. She is proud of me. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

I’m discovering all manner of wonderful back-numbers including this one. A great thing about family projects is the ability to keep an eye on them as the years go by – make sure they’re being regularly waxed etc!

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

I am a sucker for Oriental influence,and thats why this chest caught my eye.Nice work Mike.I am sure your daughter loves it.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY

thanks Mr. Stewart and Andy. It mean so much coming from friends and talented people such as yourselves. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

Mike I really like the cherry and purpleheart makes for a good color combination , Looks like a good place to put your hopes .
Very well Done

-- Rj's Woodworks,San Jose & Weed Ca,