| Project by Mottom | posted 800 days ago | 2857 views | 6 times favorited | 12 comments |  |
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A friend recently retired from the Navy. He asked me to make him a shadow box for his retirement. He wanted the box to look as though someone had removed the lid from an old sea chest and hung it on the wall, but he wanted to look through the curved top of the chest.
The box is American Cherry and the medal mounts are made of Curly Maple. The clear piece is 1/4” heat-bent Lexan.
The story behind the shadow box is an old Navy tradition. In the days of sail, there was a superstition of doom for retiring sailors. If the sailor’s shadow hit the pier before he did, he would be foreshadowed by bad luck for his remaining days. Sailors fought the superstition by constructinbg a timber box and filling it with the departing sailor’s mementoes and treasures. The box would be held in front of the sailor as he walked down the gang-plank – catching his shadow – and keeping it from hitting the pier before he did. Hence the name “shadow-box.”
-- New to the craft and loving every minute!
12 comments so far
Buckskin
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484 posts in 886 days
posted 800 days ago
Great memorial box and a big splash with your talent into LumberJocks!
MsDebbieP
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14167 posts in 1058 days
posted 800 days ago
cool information! THanks.
and the design, follows the requirements to the “T”. It is stunning. Well done.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Paul
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607 posts in 990 days
posted 800 days ago
Thanks for the history of “shadow box.”
Congratulations on an excellent design to meet your friend’s instructions!
Exceptional!
-- Paul, Texas
TomFran
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2515 posts in 892 days
posted 800 days ago
Very attractive design. Nice looking project! I’ll bet your friend liked it.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
CharlieM1958
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7670 posts in 1116 days
posted 800 days ago
Very nice layout!
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
mot
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4903 posts in 934 days
posted 800 days ago
I think it looks fantastic! Great.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
Dadoo
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1723 posts in 888 days
posted 800 days ago
Real nice piece and a story I’ve never heard before! Welcome to LJ!
I’d like the details on how you “heat bent” the lexan piece.
-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!
Muzhik
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128 posts in 1036 days
posted 800 days ago
Well done, Mottom! I’ve seen Navy shadow boxes done in the shape of a ship’s wheel before, but I think this design is even cooler and more appropriate. It looks like your execution is top notch as well. Bravo!
Welcome aboard (to Lumberjocks)
Bob Morris
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39 posts in 1270 days
posted 797 days ago
Very well done, I will be sure to pass the URL on to my son who recently retired from the Navy.
-- Bob Morris, Ohio, http://www.bmcustomguitars.com
mtnwild
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2026 posts in 425 days
posted 421 days ago
I was in the navy and never heard that, very interesting and a beautiful job you did for your friend. he will treasure that always.
-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.
banditbailey
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1 post in 18 days
posted 18 days ago
Would you be willing to build a box for a stranger? Of course I would be willing to pay for your work. This is one of the best shadow boxes I’ve ever seen.
a1Jim
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17022 posts in 475 days
posted 18 days ago
Wonderful unique shadow box and a most interesting story behind shadow boxes.
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com