Comments

1. 
   Thumphr | Dec 21, 2010 03:06pm | #1

   My Daughters after me to build here a cedar chest. Would this plan work out if I built it all in cedar?

   -THumphr

2. 
   PORC | Dec 21, 2010 09:24pm | #2

   Thanks for the post!

   EVERYBODY makes mistakes, and showing how to fix them is very important.

   Keep up the good work.
   Cheers.

3. 
   epirnik | Dec 22, 2010 02:37pm | #3

   Hi Thumphr,

   I would suggest building the chest as-is out of cherry and then lining the interior of the blanket trough with some 1/4-in. - 3/8-in cedar. I wouldn't glue the cedar in, as this would cause movement problems but rather, make it a friction fit - much like is done with humidors when lining them with Spanish cedar. Also, after a couple of years, that nice cedar aroma might diminish. This can be remedied by giving the cedar a quick light sanding with some 220-grit sandpaper to release some more of those aromatic oils.
   Good luck!
   Ed Pirnik
   Web Producer

4. 
   saschafer | Dec 22, 2010 03:29pm | #4

   @THumphr:

   Another important safety tip: No part of the inside of the chest (anything that will be exposed to the volatile cedar fumes) should have a finish on it. This includes the underside of the lid. The reason is that the chemicals released by the cedar will react with the finish, turning it into a sticky mess. You _might_ be able to get away with shellac, but any other oil, varnish or lacquer finish is likely to be damaged by the cedar.

   -Steve

5. 
   woodenbob | Jan 08, 2011 06:22pm | #5

   I made a chest and made some mistakes on the way and its wonderful knowing how to fix the mistakes

   http://www.WoodworingEdge.com

6. 
   Daddyjackl | Dec 22, 2011 03:29pm | #6

   I was wondering if anyone has ever tried the "cedar oil" that is available to enhance the cedar smell? I have found it in spray bottles but I haven't found anyone who has actually used it. Great article, thanks, Jack

7. 
   Tod_Jervey | Jun 16, 2013 09:10am | #7

   I made this from the full size plans. Great project, but a minor error between the article text and the plans: the trim around the top has different dimensions.

   Thumphr: this would work fine in another wood. Shakers generally used pine and painted their boxes.

8. 
   user-2888066 | Feb 08, 2014 01:44pm | #8

   I just finished building this chest entirely from western red cedar. It worked great. The cedar is soft so I will have to live with dings and dents, some of which I accidentally put there myself during assembly. I oil finished mine, but it could be painted.

   I decided to use cedar for the first one since it is easy to work with and finish. The cedar I have has been air dried, kiln dried may be more brittle and tougher to deal with. Now I'm going to build one of oak.

9. 
   user-7793482 | Jul 28, 2022 11:47am | #9

   I built a chest in red oak from these excellent plans. I highly recommend these plans. I did make one alteration, using finger joints instead of dovetails, because my skill level isn't there yet. For guidance on making a chest like this with finger joints, search for the Christopher Schwarz version of the Shaker blanket chest.