Wednesday 15 July 2009

Home-made blanket box

This is what my husband has been working on for several weeks now, and it has cost him virtually nothing apart from £10 to have the fretwork straps on the top cut out. The wood - it's made from solid oak - came from old bed ends which had been dumped at our local auction as they wouldn't sell. I think he's done a wonderful job on it and it looks just right on our top landing.

Fixing battens to hold the base of the chest.

Here it is being sanded at an earlier stage of creation. The design for the apron along the front was traced from a similar piece of furniture we have.

The pattern for these came from half of a very old and beautiful cast iron hinge he got from a junk place and he still has that hinge to use on another project.

One of my husband's old Windsor chairs keeps it company.

7 comments:

Morning's Minion said...

That is a beautiful piece of work--such satisfaction in creating things and especially when it involves making a treasure from bits that have been discarded. I love old wood. No amount of antiqueing or "distressing" can give that surface that has been touched and "aged" over time.
Dare we hope that you have an internet connection or is that still capricious?
I've a letter in progress for you!

Bovey Belle said...

Well, put it this way, I have an internet connection at the moment, but it can go any time - winds, rain, sudden powercut, and then not come back for days which, to my mind, is not a proper WORKING connection, but BT seem to think they'v'e "fixed" it, just by bodging what was there before and NOT carrying out the scheduled work cutting back trees, replacing cable etc . . . So they will be hearing from me again . . . Snail mail VERY acceptable all the same : )

MYSUESTORIES said...

What beautiful craftsmanship! And the price just makes it all the more wonderful!

A Saucerful Of Secrets said...

So beautiful! what a clever man

Greentwinsmummy said...

My word thats stunning! GTD is seriously impressed! the hinges cost £10 to get made?wow! they are stunning,its gorgeous & how useful,good sturdy deep storage,perfect! & beautiful to boot
GTM xx xx

Jayne said...

Lovely wood Oak, my dad was a joiner and would always keep oak pieces to reuse, once had serving hatch doors made out of the next door neighbours old front door.

You should be very proud your husband has made a marvellous job, a family heirloom has been created.

Bovey Belle said...

Thank you all for your kind comments. I think my husband is clever and talented too, but then I am a tad biased! We have always "recycled" things here, long before it was ever fashionable to do so, because we hate waste. Even the little black metal "straps" on the edges of the front of the box were made by my husband out of bits of metal he had in the shed, and he cut, shaped and rubbed them smooth before spray-painting them. The "hinges" on the top were even cut from the metal door that the original (saved) cast iron hinge was attached to, so nothing went to waste.

Our son is trying to purloin this, but since he already has the big faux Medieval table and bench my husband made, we think the three of them should all draw straws for this!