Well…I finished my 9 year old daughter’s Christmas gift and gave it to her today. This is a small jewelry chest with three drawers made from bubinga. I gave it to her with a sheet describing the origin of the wood and its connection to Cameroon (the source of the wood). She’s very enthusiastic about wild animals and the environment. I think it was more fun for her to have a perspective on how this chest is a connection to west africa, the age of the tree, various animals that might have spent time under it, etc. I was fortunate to have some help from online woodworkers who put me in touch with sources for pictures of bubinga trees, Cameroon, etc.
This project was designed in sketchup (my second design that way). The chest is bubinga (a first for me) and the drawers are a combination of bubinga and maple with half-blind dovetails (another first). The dovetails, alas, were made with a router jig but perhaps I’ll try hand cut for the next series. The chest has small turned feet (first #3). The drawers are lined with velvet and the two top drawers have custom made half-lap dividers to separate jewelry (a different pattern for each drawer; first #4). I thought about flocking the drawers but ran out of time. The chest is finished with General Finishes Armor Seal, Shellac (for the inside parts) and wax. I also hid an inscription to my daughter under a drawer that should be a surprise someday.
This was a really fun project and I learned a lot in the process. Its great to try new things even if they often crash and burn. I loved using this wood which is dense, has a great story and holds detail well. Not the easiest to hand plane, though.
At any rate, happy holidays everyone.
Rick
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