My daughter-in-law asked me to make a memory box for our grandson Zachary. I looked at a few different designs and liked what I saw in FWW’s book “In the Craftsman Style”. The original design was for a blanket chest by John McAlevey. What intrigued me was the use of legs and frame and panel construction. I scaled the box down, using cardboard to get an idea of size. Once I had a size that worked for me, I built a prototype out of poplar (something I do for many of my projects). Once satisfied, I chose bird’s eye maple for the panels and padauk for the legs and rails. I added aromatic cedar to the bottom of the inside for the final touch. I was very pleased with the end result and so was my daughter-in-law. I’m in the process right now of building another one, but with different wood.

Launch Gallery