Maple and Walnut Cabinet

In the 1700s, spice boxes were a mark of wealth. At that time, spices were a luxury that only the affluent could afford. The wealthy would commission the most talented woodworker in the community to make these beautiful storage boxes called Spice Boxes. Considered works of art - they have beautiful detailing and are often made of exotic woods. They were designed to protect spices from the help (employees), spice boxes eventually became cherished heirlooms.

Did you know that in Medieval Europe, a pound of saffron cost the same as a horse?

Produced with AAAA quilted figure maple with black walnut trim, jarrah, and poplar. This beautiful maple and walnut spice box can be used as a treasure chest or jewelry box. You'll find five secret compartments for documents, treasures, and valuables. Handmade, it is a work of art made reflecting traditional craftsmanship of the 18th Century. With handcrafted dovetails throughout, it has handmade moldings, bracket feet, and a lockable door. The lock was imported from England.

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Curly Cherry Cabinet

1780’s REPRODUCTION

This is a reproduction of a 1780’s spice box. The wood is striking - I found it stashed in the back of a lumber mill and knew that I had to have the highly figured curly cherry. You'll be able to use it to store valuables - there are five secret compartments to be used for documents and valuables.

The box features hand-cut dovetails, moldings, and bracket feet. The interior drawer faces are adorned with walnut stringing on figured pink eucalyptus. I installed an antique bubble glass panel, which makes the stringing look wavy (most spice cabinets have a solid wood panel). It fits the period of the piece and shows off the interior beautifully, don’t you think? The spice box is a lockable box (the lock is made in England by a traditional locksmith company that goes back to 1800 and is authentic to the period).

I’m proud of this project - the combination of woods, the window effect, and the fine details. I like all of the secret compartments. This cabinet (with the dividers) took about two weeks to put together and fit-out. The drawers took another week and a half weeks. Final finishing took another week to complete.

Pattern design is from Fine Woodworking Bi-Monthly publication, Steve Latta.

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9 Drawer Treasure Chest

This is an original design by Jeff Thompson. Produced with tiger walnut, maple, holly, and poplar, the custom-designed box features include:

- hand-cut dovetails
- quilted maple drawer fronts
- handmade banding in tiger maple and holly on the doors
- traditional bronze hardware

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Custom Buffet

CUSTOM BUFFET PRODUCED WITH BUBINGA

This is a serpentine buffet that I made for my wife. It’s one of my favorite pieces and I have many but this one has a lot going for it for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s not flat - by this I mean, it’s not square, it has movement. Notice the subtle rounding of the design as it moves inward on the outer drawers and outward toward the center doors. It’s very subtle and makes the piece quite striking (something you can consider when you dream of that special heirloom).

There are times when I get to do inspired to build something unique - this buffet is certainly quite unusual. It has eight drawers and a cupboard area under the center drawers. Typically drawers can be arranged in any number of ways. The extra legs that support the length of the cabinet provide a critical function of support (for the weight of your special service-ware). By adding the two center legs, one gets a sense that the buffet is uniquely stable and can withstand the test of time.

The faces of the doors and drawers make this piece extra special. They are veneered with exhibition grade bubinga - bubinga is sometimes called African Rosewood (although it’s not a true rosewood). It comes from the west coast of Africa and has a very beautiful and striking color range of reds, browns and violet undertones. The hardware I selected is a special ring pull - authentic Victorian reproductions that depict and compliment the 19th-century style design. This project took me about seven weeks to complete - I love this piece and so does my wife!