# Blanket Chest Design



## humanfish (11 Aug 2006)

Hi all
My brother and myself have decided to make a blanket chest as a joint portfolio piece. We have alot of cherry in the workshop so we decided to make use of this.

This is the design we have come up with







http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/b ... etchUP.jpg

The initial dimensions would be 1050mm wide x 480 high x 417 deep

I was wondering what people thought of the design. I have used AB walnut for the panels as i have quite abit of veneer, do you think it it a good combination of woods? Does cherry go particulary well with a certain type of other wood?

Are there any other little touches i could add? i was thinking of using some walnut stringing in more of an interesting pattern on the top as opposed to
the square pattern on my initial sketch.

comments would great
regards
b_h


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## Adam (11 Aug 2006)

Heres a couple of pictures of one I did recently. The top has profiled edges chamfered down at 45 degress to make it look "more interesting".

Adam





















And one of the construction...






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## wizer (11 Aug 2006)

sorry to wade in on yout thread b_h (I really like your design), but question for Adam:

How did you trim the tops of the four posts?


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## Adam (11 Aug 2006)

I sawed them off using a Japanese pullsaw.

Got a piccy somewhere but can't find it currently.

Ahh got it. Only a small image, but shows what I'm doing.






Adam


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## Alf (11 Aug 2006)

Looks good to me, b_h - speaking as someone who's never made one  On the other hand I have used walnut and cherry together here. Sheer joss on my part - it was what I had - but I think they make a good combination. If it helps at all, it looks rather more like this now.

Cheers, Alf


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## wizer (11 Aug 2006)

thanks Adam, I thought it'd be as simple as that. Not sure my hand would be steady enough to do the same tho :roll:


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## tim (11 Aug 2006)

Its not a blanket chest but it looks similar when closed and its all cherry. I toyed with mixing timbers but i think it turned out better with just the cherry:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=108063#108063

Cheers

Tim


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## woodbloke (18 Aug 2006)

I'll throw in my 2p's worth. This is clearly a going to be an impressive piece and would suggest the following.
American Black Walnut and Cherry would almost certainly look good together, however I would say that from a constructional viewpoint, veneered panels would look wrong, in my view, in a piece like this. Loose framed panels were originally developed in the Middle Ages as a way of using solid timber (the only thing available) in a wide expanse, the panel moving within the frame according to relative conditions. Modern materials today, such as ply and mdf, which have negligable movement, mean that a frame/panel consruction looks a little odd with these materials - there simply is no _constructional_ reason to do it.
If a framed and panelled construction is required, then I feel its much better to do it in the solid, either all Cherry or all ABW or a combination. If tho', you like the effect of a veneered panel in a frame, then more power to your elbow....however when its finished you may look at a little bit sideways at it and think.....Hmmmmm :-k :-k


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