LumberJocks

Steamer Trunk

Project by gbear posted 634 days ago 609 views 3 times favorited 15 comments Add to Favorites
Steamer Trunk Steamer Trunk Steamer Trunk Click the pictures to enlarge them

This steamer trunk was a Christmas gift for my son Shawn. It was made mostly of salvaged materials. My son was working for a construction company on some apartment which were being converted to condos. The company putting in the new cabinets had a lot of cabinet grade plywood that they used to separte and stack the cabinets during shipping. After their arrival to the job site, the plywood was discarded. My son told me about the wood and I was able to obtain it. The oaks slats on this pience were left over pieces of white oak hardwood flooring which I had installed in my house last year. The hardware came from Rockler.

-- gbear, Carmichael, CA


15 comments so far

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3057 posts in 855 days


posted 634 days ago

pretty darn cool!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View Bill's profile

Bill

2524 posts in 702 days


posted 634 days ago

A great job and a nice way to re-use materials. Bet that construction company never thought something this nice would come out of their tossed materials.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

View Karson's profile

Karson

14327 posts in 941 days


posted 634 days ago

Nice looking Trunk

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

12284 posts in 701 days


posted 634 days ago

1. this is stunning and definitely an heirloom for future generations
2. this is amazing how you collected the “scraps” and put them together to create this beauty. How did you “see” this in the wood??
3. this is gorgeous… had to comment on the beauty twice because it is so, well, beautiful.

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

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

4505 posts in 787 days


posted 634 days ago

Nice trunk, good use of discarded material. Very nice worK jockmike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

View scottb's profile

scottb

3064 posts in 867 days


posted 634 days ago

I can’t believe that was considered junk wood. That is exactly the sort of chest I’d like to make someday. Fantastic!

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

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

5399 posts in 840 days


posted 634 days ago

Very nice piece of craftsmanship. I think found wood is an extra bonus, & it makes you feel better after completion.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Don's profile

Don

2586 posts in 717 days


posted 634 days ago

Super job, gbear. Yes to recycled ‘junk wood’. How about more info on the construction and finish?

It looks like panel frame construction. Is the frame joinery mortise and tenon? What about the way you joined the front and back panels to the sides? How was this done?

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

View BassBully's profile

BassBully

224 posts in 637 days


posted 634 days ago

Great job on the trunk. I especially like the color of stain and the wood decor you used on the top of the lid.

-- There are three types of people in the world, those who can count and those who can't!

View oscorner's profile

oscorner

4573 posts in 851 days


posted 634 days ago

Amazingly beautiful work. Don’t let the construction company know where the materials came from. If they find out, you’ll never get another piece.

-- Jesus is Lord!

View tooljunky's profile

tooljunky

34 posts in 651 days


posted 633 days ago

Great trunk, very nice work, Did you do the trunk from a plan or is is something that you thought up on your own.

-- vlee2@ford.com

View gbear's profile

gbear

52 posts in 639 days


posted 632 days ago

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments. The basic box is constructed with tongue and groove joints and the outer slats use rabbit joints. I stained the project with a medium oak stain and finished it with 3 coats of polyurathane, sanding with 1500 wet and dry between coats. I didn’t have a plan for this project only the pictures of trunks I had seen in catalogs. I must admit, planning is my weakness. I often just have a rought idea of what I want and start building, planning as I go. Not a real good idea.

-- gbear, Carmichael, CA

View BassBully's profile

BassBully

224 posts in 637 days


posted 631 days ago

How did you construct the top? Did you use veneer so that it would bend?

-- There are three types of people in the world, those who can count and those who can't!

View gbear's profile

gbear

52 posts in 639 days


posted 631 days ago

BassBully- Yes. I used 1/8” oak veneer plywood. I bent it over the struts and glued it to the lid. I then added the knubby trim with glue and brads. The struts in the lid which form the curve are close enough to each other that they provide plenty of support for the plywood even if someone sits on it! It’s somewhat like the hull of a boat.

-- gbear, Carmichael, CA

View Shopsmithtom's profile

Shopsmithtom

259 posts in 735 days


posted 315 days ago

I truly love it when anyone can make something out of reclaimed materials, and you not only made something…you made something really outstanding!!! When I think about my woodworking skills, and begin to think I’m pretty good at stuff, I see a project like this and realize that I’m an elementary school student in the company of doctoral candidates.
Way to go, Doctor!
-SST

-- Accuracy is not in your power tool, it's in you

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