# re:- South African spice cupboard...



## clogs (27 Jul 2020)

forgive me if this is in the wrong place..........
have tried without luck to find the name via search engines.......plus I don't know anyone from that part of the world anymore.....
and what little Africaans I learned has gone now.....

when I lived in South Africa (30 years ago), there was a cupboard that was used to keep condiments and spices in plus oats and rice etc etc ......
the models I saw had double doors each about 2ft wide and the piece was at least 6ft high........
mounted on casters........
this was an old design and history denotes it's ease of moving......(traveling from farm to farm).....
from memory it was pretty special interior wise, little drawers and cubby holes........
these were normally handed down thru the family and although roughly made by hand were a wonder to behold.....
we would now say exotic woods but the norm for there.....
I have need of one for myself now and would like to find some designs.....
can anyone help pleae...?


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## Droogs (27 Jul 2020)

goeiemôre, hoe gaan dit met jou? (that's all I remember unless I'm drunk)

The spice cuboard you are taking about is actually based upon a traditional Dutch style. If you search under "Traditional Dutch spice cabinet " you will find lots of examples. Very popular in the N.E. USA with their Pennsylvania Dutch styles

Tho' my Ooma had a rather nice big one on the farm when I grew up

hth


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (15 Aug 2020)

Frank, I trust you are building in Yellow Wood, trimmed with a klein bietjie Stinkhout?

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## clogs (15 Aug 2020)

Derek,
if I can find it I'll use some.....hahaha........very limited on hard wood here.....
be easier to get wood from Basil than locally.....lol....
Plan is, there is a very creamy light coloured Oak here, well it looks like Oak, medullery rays n all.....
thinking of using that for the carcase and Olive wood for the int sheving and drawers......
there is no big lumps of Olive wood to get planks from....everything will have to be laminated......
the locals seem to butcher the Olive trees every 20 years or so, nothing gets that big....
although we have a huge stumpy one on the plot that must be 500 years old at least.....
Seem to rememder the oldest local Olive tree is like 1,500 years old.....
gotta get a source of slow setting Titebond....prob have to import it....
also
have found another local hardwood that is a light red col under the bark and to the center.....doesn't seem to fade even in sunlight....plus some wild Amond.....
found the red stuff on my firewood pile.....got a local guy who may help with this.....thinking I can use it for drawer pulls
and plugs.....etc...
just gotta find a cupboard I like first.....then can modify it to suit me....want it as a family peice......
thanks for ur trouble.....lacker.....hahaha....
I loved my stay in Africa even with the troubles...4 years.....went there cos I lost my wife to Cancer and always wanted to go to Rhodesia as it was then....had a great teacher at school.....of course it's now not the place to go....
seemed like the right time at the time...but thats another story......
PERTH n CRETE is the place to be.......hahaha....


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (15 Aug 2020)

Frank, it sounds like finding wood in Crete is not straightforward at all. What do the locals furniture makers do - rely on processed boards such as ply and MDF? 

I'm an ex-Cape Tonian. Left there for Oz nearly 40 years ago. Where about in SA were you?

Regards from Perth

Derek


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