Campaign Chest

Very nice. I really like your choice of woods. The finish and the coins really top it off….

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

Great chest design. Beautiful wood to top it off! Great job.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

Very nice! The wood is absolutely beautiful.

I hope the good Marine Lieutenant Colonel likes it – I’m sure he will.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Love that walnut! Great job!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

the use of the grains on the walnut and the detail in the dovetail joints make this a superb project congratulations

-- el marro

I think this came out great! I like the bookmatching…nice job!

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

Beautiful wood ! I would love to see a pic of it opened up if you have one.

Pretty hard to beat a deal like this. I’ll bet that’s one happy Lt. Col.

Hey!! who’s that guy impersonating Darth Tator?????

-- Thos. Angle

Beautiful book matching and a very nice gift. Super finish, too.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Very nice – that walnut is spectacular, of course the woods beauty was only revealed to us after you applied a fantastic finish on it.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Eric,

Nice work! A quick question, it appears you’ve used nine dowels / pins as a feature on the lid. Were they shop made?

What size is the box?

t.w.

-- Bandsaw Box Plans

Thank you, everyone for your kind comments. The dimensions are 13” X 30” and 12” deep. The dimensions are of a standard issue military footlocker. The stock thickness is 1/2”, with the tray being 1/4” thick stock. Tony, I made the walnut plugs using a tapered plug cutter in my drillpress out of some scrap. The construction was relatively easy. I use rough lumber 90% of the time. That way I can control grain matching and am also able to mill lumber to the dimensions I want. The toughest part was the finish. I had never used tung oil on that scale before. Normally, I confine its use to boxes or small tables, etc. Usually, near the end of a project, I start to lose my patience with it and just want it out of the shop and into its new home. The finishing process has forced me to become more self-disciplined. I learned the hard way after rushing a couple of lacquer jobs and had to strip it all off and start from scratch.

-- Eric Olson Springfield, MO Rock Creek Designs

Beautiful work Eric. I’d really like to see the inside also if you ever get the chance. Thanks for sharing this terrific piece with us.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Beautiful, what chatoyance! I’m sure, being a military foot locker that is still looks just as great!

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

what a wonderful treasure . I’m sure it is/will be very well received

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Super nice! I like all boxes with visible joinery… This grabs your eye for sure. Pardon my ignorance but what is a challenge coin. What does it signify? Similar to a mission patch for an astronaut?

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

13×30 x 12 – Yep, that qualifies as a small wooden box, and this one is absolutely superb. I just love small wooden boxes, Eric, and this one is beautifully made. The Walnut you’ve chosen and the way you’ve book-matched the front panel makes an already well crafted box look outstanding.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

Jeff, sorry for taking so long to get back to your question. Challenge coins were, according to legend, originally developed during the Vietnam War by Special Forces guys as a way to have a unique symbol of their particular unit. The unit logo would usually be on one side and some other symbol of significance would be on the other side. The coins were normally presented to members that were departing and heading home. The idea eventually morphed into its current incarnation. Nowadays, the coins cover the gamut from military units to baseball teams to special events, etc. In military applications, they’re given out by commanding generals, sergeants major, units, etc. The “challenge” part of the coin goes something like this: You’re a soldier/sailor/airman/Marine. You go into a bar, or other like establishment, where there a members of your particular branch/unit. You pull your coin out and slap it on the bar. You have just challenged all others of your branch/unit to pull out their coins. Those without their coins must buy those with their coins a drink. And woe be to the individual without a coin that refuses to buy a round. The hoots and cat-calls have driven many a “tough guy” to exit most hastily!! Word of the individual’s transgression spreads like wild fire around the unit and he plays h**l trying to make up for it at the next gathering.

-- Eric Olson Springfield, MO Rock Creek Designs

Great campaign chest! Love the walnut bookmatch, especially that crotch figured front.

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

Great work and you are dead on with the bit about the challenge coins.

As requested, here are a couple of shots of the interior.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee107/enolson484/DSC01430.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee107/enolson484/DSC01430-1.jpg

-- Eric Olson Springfield, MO Rock Creek Designs

... and….. beautiful!!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Jammin dude

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug