The lid on our antique cedar chest split in two this evening when I took it off to sand it. My great uncle built it after he got back from the war around 1918-19, so I was heartbroken. When I searched RUclips to try and learn something about hand crafted chests your video was at the top of the list. I really appreciate your step by step easy to follow instructions. I don’t know anything about woodworking so thought the lid was one piece because I’d never seen any board lines but when I saw how you made yours I thought of course any box made around WWI would be out of boards - they didn’t have 4’ x 4’ sheets at the local lumbar yard. : / After I watched your video I looked closely at the end of the lid and it has various widths of boards with tiny dovetails. The break was in the middle of one of the wider boards. Now I see a crack in the bottom of the chest. Would it even be worth having it all repaired or is it just going to keep breaking? Thank you and my apologies for the lengthy comment.
Very impressive! Lots of professional planers and such. I hope the Amish from last century would have used planers and hand tools. Sure they would have loved using a shop like this.
Great video . My question is ,when you finished it (sorry , didn't catch the product name) with a clear coat , does that cut down on the aroma of the cedar ? Can you still smell it ?
Matthew, Thanks for the feedback! Yes, we do a lot of sanding before assembly but also finish sand the chest, both inside and out, after it is assembled. We always make sure the finish sanding is the last step before applying a finish to the chest. - Josh
Stacie, you are very welcome! This total length of this chest is 36", this includes a 3/4" overhang on three sides of the lid and bottom. So here are the sizes for each panel... - Front & Back sides: 34 1/2" X 15 1/2" (two of these) - Left & Right sides: 16 3/4" x 15 1/2" (two of these) - Lid & Bottom Pieces: 36" x 17 1/2" (two of these) Hope this helps! - Josh
If you line all walls with cedar do you run the risk of the side walls "bleeding" and oozing sap like liquid into the chest? I was talking with some furniture makers in Amish country in Holmes County Ohio recently and they recommended only lining the bottom with cedar but I wanted to ask you for your opinion. Thanks.
Sorry for the late reply to this! This particular chest is made from solid cedar so it naturally has cedar on all of the side walls of the chest. However, with chests made from other types of wood that have cedar lining on the inside this can be a concern. We do lots of cedar lining on our chests but it is important to make sure the lid has a trim piece around the edges. That will separate the cedar lining from the stained and finish areas on the outside of the chest and prevent any negative reaction that can occur when the cedar lining comes in contact with the finish.
Wow, beautiful craftsmanship! How much would a chest like this typically cost?
Thanks Andrew! The chest that we show in this video would sell for $490
The lid on our antique cedar chest split in two this evening when I took it off to sand it. My great uncle built it after he got back from the war around 1918-19, so I was heartbroken. When I searched RUclips to try and learn something about hand crafted chests your video was at the top of the list. I really appreciate your step by step easy to follow instructions. I don’t know anything about woodworking so thought the lid was one piece because I’d never seen any board lines but when I saw how you made yours I thought of course any box made around WWI would be out of boards - they didn’t have 4’ x 4’ sheets at the local lumbar yard. : / After I watched your video I looked closely at the end of the lid and it has various widths of boards with tiny dovetails. The break was in the middle of one of the wider boards. Now I see a crack in the bottom of the chest. Would it even be worth having it all repaired or is it just going to keep breaking? Thank you and my apologies for the lengthy comment.
Looks awesome!! Thank you for the valuable content! 🏆
Thank you!
Very impressive! Lots of professional planers and such. I hope the Amish from last century would have used planers and hand tools. Sure they would have loved using a shop like this.
Beautiful - thank you.
Great video . My question is ,when you finished it (sorry , didn't catch the product name) with a clear coat , does that cut down on the aroma of the cedar ? Can you still smell it ?
PSF plans would be great, added note: sanding interior before assembly likely best option I would think
Matthew, Thanks for the feedback! Yes, we do a lot of sanding before assembly but also finish sand the chest, both inside and out, after it is assembled. We always make sure the finish sanding is the last step before applying a finish to the chest. - Josh
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing the thickness…what are the lengths for each section?
Stacie, you are very welcome! This total length of this chest is 36", this includes a 3/4" overhang on three sides of the lid and bottom. So here are the sizes for each panel...
- Front & Back sides: 34 1/2" X 15 1/2" (two of these)
- Left & Right sides: 16 3/4" x 15 1/2" (two of these)
- Lid & Bottom Pieces: 36" x 17 1/2" (two of these)
Hope this helps! - Josh
Beautiful chest-wish there had been more detail in the "instructions".
If you line all walls with cedar do you run the risk of the side walls "bleeding" and oozing sap like liquid into the chest? I was talking with some furniture makers in Amish country in Holmes County Ohio recently and they recommended only lining the bottom with cedar but I wanted to ask you for your opinion. Thanks.
Sorry for the late reply to this! This particular chest is made from solid cedar so it naturally has cedar on all of the side walls of the chest. However, with chests made from other types of wood that have cedar lining on the inside this can be a concern. We do lots of cedar lining on our chests but it is important to make sure the lid has a trim piece around the edges. That will separate the cedar lining from the stained and finish areas on the outside of the chest and prevent any negative reaction that can occur when the cedar lining comes in contact with the finish.
@@amishhandcrafted2755 thanks
BTW-that's a rabbit joint not a dado
Douglas, Yes, thanks for that clarification. You are correct, that is a rabbet joint. My mistake there! - Josh