I spent this past weekend working on yet another project for the cabin. It was small in comparison to most of the cabin projects, approximately 16″ x 12″ x 5″. It’s a little tea storage box made from some leftover materials. There are a few flaws in the walnut case because I didn’t have enough material to cut it out. It still looks good.
It is pretty simple, and it didn’t take long. The walnut case has mitered corners with hickory splines in the corners. Unfortunately, the splines are barely visible. I should have used a lighter wood, maybe maple. The drawer is made of hickory and runs on thin wooden rails–waxed to reduce friction. I tried to get a really nice drawer fitting, but dang, that is hard–it works, but it is not a piston fit as I’d like. I used some thin oak lumber I had to make the dividers on the inside. I was seeing how creative I could be without using any new lumber.
If I were to build it again (which I did several times for customers), I would do a few things differently. I would resaw the case sides to about 5/8″ or 1/2″ thick instead of the heavy 3/4″. I just feel like the profile is too large for its purpose. It should be a bit daintier–not a word I often want to associate with my woodworking. I would use a more contrasting wood for the splines so they would show up better. I might even make the splines a little thicker, although I like the thin splines — goes with the “dainty.” I would also make the drawer a little thinner. Finally, I’d take more time to get a good fit for the drawer. I got impatient with planning the hard hickory. Overall, I was pleased with the quick project, and it will serve its purpose of organizing way too much tea.
