# Custom Made Solid Cherry Sea Chest



## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

Just finished for a client on Martha's Vineyard is this custom made reproduction of a sea chest in solid cherry, with dovetailed sides and hand painted compass.The inside is lined with cedar to keep your fabrics and blankets safe from moths. The rope beckets are made by local artist Tim Whitten


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## Tommie Hockett (Aug 26, 2012)

no pics bud


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## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

Should work now. I have no idea why they don't appear on the first post
...


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## bigben (Jul 21, 2012)

Beautiful. Love the proportions of the dovetails. Do you have a closer shot of the painted compass?


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Very nice piece. Great job. :thumbsup:


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## Tommie Hockett (Aug 26, 2012)

And now that I see it I can tell It is purty dang cool. Awesome work bud:thumbsup:


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## craigwbryant (Jan 22, 2012)

Very nice.


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## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

Thanks for the kind words. Yes I do have a close up of the compass.


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## bigben (Jul 21, 2012)

Very cool, the colors look great with that rich cherry background.


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## harvest (Nov 7, 2012)

*chest*

Nice work Ken


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Very nice work Ken,
Looks great. 
Mike Hawkins


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

That's some well done workmanship right there. 
Nice work!!!


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## GROOVY (Apr 27, 2008)

Thats a keeper for sure, what did you finish it with?


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Very nice chest. (Why does it sound dirty when I say it like that...)


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## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

I think only woodworkers can say that out loud and not get slapped...

As for the finish it is the homemade version of the Maloof finish with ten coats sanding between coats and then the wax/oil finish. I like this finish for cherry very much. The hardest part of this was doing the 7 degree angled dovetails on the sides. Since I never did an angle dovetail before, I made a pine version so I could practice.

The rope beckets caused a problem since they came from someone else and having never installed any before I had glued the handle to the case and was waiting for them to be delivered.
Rope beckets need to be installed first and through an open hole in the back of the handle just in case anyone wants to know...

So those handles are the second version. I should post the first version and show how much work I had to do to get them off...


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## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

Since it is snowing (AGAIN!) and I have not posted for awhile I just added the last few projects completed and some on my second album page. I did not want to start a new thread so here is the first which is a rolling cherry TV cart for a cottage on the cape. The next is a Star Trek collectable coffee table made from oak and pine and the last is a reproduction for a client who wanted and old barbershop cabinet made for her bathroom.


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## jerbone (Jan 29, 2013)

The Sea Chest rocks!

So you say the handles are glued on? That provides enough strength to lift by those cool beckets? Just asking because I would like to attempt something like this in the future.


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## davidbard (Dec 30, 2012)

very nice chest


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## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

I would not glue them if you use traditional rope beckets. 

They have to be secured "through" the handle from the back. You need to bore a 1/2 inch hole and then cut it out from the back, so the handle can slide over the becket. Unless you want to make something that is threaded through the handle such as just a rope then you will need to be able to remove the handle to install and have it available to remove in the event you need to replace it sometime in the future. I installed four wood screws and decided not to glue the handle on just in case it needs to be removed. But since I had such a hard time removing the first handles, I just feel the strength is there with the four screws. I have included the sizes if you want them...


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## MagGeorge (Jul 5, 2012)

Fantastic sea chest! The cherry is beautiful and the compass painting added a great accent. The finish is amazing. Your other projects are beautiful too. Great job!

_______________________
-www.sawblade.com


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## Al B Cuttn Wud (Oct 14, 2007)

Very nice. I really like the dovetails and the beckets. The beckets really make for the final touch.


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## kendub (Oct 16, 2009)

Yes the rope becket makes the chest and it adds to the feeling of authenticity which is what I wanted. The rope handle on the above sea chest were made by artist Tim Whitten. He sent along a description of his work...

"Fancy rope work is sometimes referred to "marlinespike" work, but I consider myself a weaver or fiber artist as much as anything else. The term "chandlery" is a word that refers to a store, usually located in a seaport town, often paired as "ship's chandlery". Chandleries were sort of a general store that stocked ship supplies as well as goods for the local population." 

More of his work can be seen on his site if you are interested. http://www.marlinespike.com


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