Blanket Chest / Seat

Blanket Chest for the wife. She asked for it months ago and I decided it would be my first style and rail build. Bought a Jet bench top mortise machine, practiced… and got to work. Had trouble finding pine boards wide enough for the front and back panels.. so I used poplar. I am at peace with the color. The goal was to let this be a teaching piece as we saw a coffee table at Hawks Cay in the Fl Keys with this style round feet. She wants it, so this was the learning piece. The coffee table will be similar, shorter with draws, but same feet and style and rail.

The styles and rails are of 5/4 pine and the front and back panels are of poplar. I was concerned with the greenish tint to the poplar wood, but I used 1 part minwax chestnut mixed with 5 parts minwax natural and then added that mixture to an equal part of BLO/mineral spirsts 50/50. (Boiled Linseed Oil) Finish is 3 coats of poly and sanding with 1000g and waxed with Johnsons paste.

While building it I got the carving bug from Mary May, see my blog in your interested and decided to add the beach theme my wife asked for in carving. Long story short, she is happy, I am happy and now we have a one/of/one blanket chest.

-- David, Norwood Mass, [email protected]