Project Information
Hey, Everyone! I finally have some time to post my latest project. I call it a Campaign Chest, modeled after a Civil War era chest on display at the Wilson's Creek Battlefield museum here in SW MO. It's not an exact duplicate, as I took some liberties in the construction. It was commissioned as a "going away" present for a Marine Lieutenant Colonel that was transferring to a new unit. The photos were taken by the client, as my previous laptop had self-destructed when my house got hit by lighting a few weeks ago. Lesson learned: use a surge protector. Duh.
Anyway, the chest itself is made of book-matched walnut, the lid is book-matched walnut with sycamore trim and decorative walnut plugs. The chest is dovetailed and I sawed the lid off on my table saw as I wanted continuous grain all the way around the chest. The bottom is 1/4 cedar closet lining I had laying around. The tray is walnut, cut from the same board for continous grain all the way around, and finger jointed.
The finish took about a week. Five coats of tung oil, wet-sanding (mineral spirits and 320g wet-dry paper) in between each coat. Then, three coats of a mix I came up with: tung oil, varnish, and bee's wax I got from one of meighbor's hives. Well, I didn't, she did. I just got the wax. Each coat of the mix was allowed to dry for a day, then rubbed out with a lint free cloth.
The challenge coins are inset into the top. I had to make routing templates to get as close to each coin's diameter as possible. Of course, not one coin was the same dimension. They're fixed in place with five minute epoxy.
Anyway, the chest itself is made of book-matched walnut, the lid is book-matched walnut with sycamore trim and decorative walnut plugs. The chest is dovetailed and I sawed the lid off on my table saw as I wanted continuous grain all the way around the chest. The bottom is 1/4 cedar closet lining I had laying around. The tray is walnut, cut from the same board for continous grain all the way around, and finger jointed.
The finish took about a week. Five coats of tung oil, wet-sanding (mineral spirits and 320g wet-dry paper) in between each coat. Then, three coats of a mix I came up with: tung oil, varnish, and bee's wax I got from one of meighbor's hives. Well, I didn't, she did. I just got the wax. Each coat of the mix was allowed to dry for a day, then rubbed out with a lint free cloth.
The challenge coins are inset into the top. I had to make routing templates to get as close to each coin's diameter as possible. Of course, not one coin was the same dimension. They're fixed in place with five minute epoxy.