NYW Blanket Chest Complete

[Eric Roberge]

Hello everyone!

I've been away from SMC for a while. (Starting your own company takes time away from the fun stuff)

I finished my blanket chest and wanted to share the final pic with everyone. I made a few adjustments like adding turned feet, T&G inserts and a shop made molding to the skirt. I used a Onyx stain and 3 coats of poly to match our black nightstands.
Far from perfect, but the joints are tight and the wife is happy

Have a good one!

[Prashun Patel]

nice job. I'm about to start a similar project. How'd you like the onyx stain? What kind of joints did you use?

[Michael Sobik]

Looking really good. I wasn't sure about the black, but looking at the larger picture it actually really accents the piece. Nice work!

[John Thompson]

Nice job Eric. I am also curious about the stain and the type of wood used. Looks very nice.

[Ed Nelson978]

Hey Eric. Great looking chest! Where in Concord are you? I work in Concord, but live in S. Charlotte.

[Eric Roberge]

nice job. I'm about to start a similar project. How'd you like the onyx stain? What kind of joints did you use?

Thanks everyone!
I used select pine with the T&G joints called for on the original. The joints are tight thanks to a good blade and the Incra gauge. My (store bought) nightstands are painted black so I wanted to get close in color, but hated to to use paint. Then I remembered a project that I did with my son; trying to duplicate shelves from a Pottery Barn magazine (pic attached). I wanted to get a dark color to infuse into his room, but also wanted to see the grain of the wood.
Knowing how pine can take stain, I used wood conditioner first and then just kept applying coats until I achieved the desired color. The first pass with the Onyx produced a Grey looking color, but overall it was easy to work with as far as adjusting the darkness coat by coat. (The picture is a close up of the shelf; you can still see grain)


Shawn / John... Not sure if I answered your question or not… with regard to the stain that is.

E-

[Prashun Patel]

I was curious because the pigment stains can block the grain.

I just refinished some handplane knobs and totes using (don't laugh) old liquid printer ink! I diluted it with ethanol, and put it in an old hairspray bottle with a pump actuator. It worked like a charm.

I also tried vinegar and steel wool. I thought it only worked on oak, but I splashed some by accident on some surrounding soft maple, hard maple, and even cherry, and it turned them all varying shades of grey/black.

There's a lot of ways to skin the ebonizing cat, it seems!