How I make The Woodcarver's Cabin Keepsake Chest
Finger joints are used in this project. They are
square interlocking fingers that join the corners at a right angle. The top, bottom and sides of the chest are of basswood.
The sides are joined and the bottom glued in. Then the carving in the top is completed.
It takes a lot of hand sanding.
Next a geometric design is chip carved in the front of the chest.
In the photo below I am resawing some airomatic cedar
into thin strips which I will use to line the inside of the chest. This will give the chest a nice aroma.
Below the lining is clamped into place.
Below I am measuring in preparation for adding the hardware.
All the hardware has been added in the photo below.
This view shows
the nice look of the finger joints in the end of the chest.
Some final touches to the finish.
And the chest is now complete.
All done!
"The Leavenworth"
The steam
locomotive depicted in this carving is a reproduction of the first engine, the
Leavenworth, that was delivered to the newly formed, Kanas Central Railroad. The
railroad was based in Leavenworth, Kansas. The locomotive was 35 feet, 4 inches
long, including the tender and weighed 12.5 tons. Built by Baldwin in
Philadelphia, the 2-4-0 type locomotive was said to be capable of pulling 12
passenger cars, with 400 passengers at a speed of 40 mph.
The Kansas
Central was one of the earliest narrow gauge railroads built in the United
States. It originated in the plans of business leaders in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Construction of the railroad began in October, 1871 and on December 20th of that
year the first engine, the “Leavenworth”, was delivered.
On February 21,
1872 a large crowd gathered near the center of the city to witness the first
demonstration run. The results were reported to be highly satisfactory.
Mike Lawrence
This article posted on February 24,
2008
