I fell in love with a piece of precious Cuban mahogany in the wood room at the College of the Redwoods, and talked my instructors into letting me use it to build this cabinet to house the pipe collection I inherited from my grandfather.

One of the characteristics I loved about the mahogany is the beautiful live-edge and spalting that formed a crisp black line that evokes the Northern California coastline, where I live and study. 

The live-edge also has a practical purpose, allowing air to flow in and out of the cabinet and preventing mustiness.

I used the mahogany for the carcass, frame-and-panel doors and the shelves and drawer fronts. The back panel is curly maple, the door handles, drawer pulls and pipe racks are made from teak.

The cabinet is finished with shellac then waxed. 

The carcass is doweled, the drawers are dovetailed with Port Orford cedar sides. 

I built the piece in fall 2013 during my first semester at College of the Redwoods, and learned lots through the process with the help of my instructors.

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