Project Information
Here is my version of the southern style sugar chest. I built this after watching Charles Neil's Sugar Chest DVD's and they were really helpful and like all of Charles' other videos go into great detail explaining every part of the process and when you go to do it you have an idea of how to do every aspect of the chest. my chest was a miniature because i didn't have the time or money to get out a full sized one as this is a present for my history teacher and school is almost over.
the box on top its just a regular box. dovetailed on my new Leigh dovetail jig, and the hinges are just regular mortised for.
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then there is the bottom. this was all constructed with mortise and tenons which was hard because i had to use a drill press and it wasn't the best one so the quill kept deflecting giving me slightly different mortises after i cleaned them up. just a little tweaking though with sandpaper and a chisel did the trick and they all fit nice and tight. i forgot to take a picture of just the bottom but you can see it alright in this picture of the whole thing
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then i have both a drawer which was also dovetailed for and a workstation with a breadboard end. these were really fun to make and i have the runners which are all attached with tongue and grooves. the material for the drawer bottom is hardboard because since the drawer is so small the hardboard was easier to do and thats what i had on hand.
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then the legs have a simple taper down to a 3/8" foot
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this is pine so for the finish i did 2 coats of Zar walnut stain followed by a coat of dewaxed shellac to seal it in, and last a few coats of arm-r-seal. so this is my first sugar chest and it was a great project to do and i have the feeling that i will do this one again and again.
the box on top its just a regular box. dovetailed on my new Leigh dovetail jig, and the hinges are just regular mortised for.
then there is the bottom. this was all constructed with mortise and tenons which was hard because i had to use a drill press and it wasn't the best one so the quill kept deflecting giving me slightly different mortises after i cleaned them up. just a little tweaking though with sandpaper and a chisel did the trick and they all fit nice and tight. i forgot to take a picture of just the bottom but you can see it alright in this picture of the whole thing
then i have both a drawer which was also dovetailed for and a workstation with a breadboard end. these were really fun to make and i have the runners which are all attached with tongue and grooves. the material for the drawer bottom is hardboard because since the drawer is so small the hardboard was easier to do and thats what i had on hand.
then the legs have a simple taper down to a 3/8" foot
this is pine so for the finish i did 2 coats of Zar walnut stain followed by a coat of dewaxed shellac to seal it in, and last a few coats of arm-r-seal. so this is my first sugar chest and it was a great project to do and i have the feeling that i will do this one again and again.
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