I photographed the two boxes I’ve worked on lately. These are made from quartersawn red oak, with white pine bottoms. There’s a couple things about my boxes that are different from most seventeenth-century boxes. I’ve seen a few period boxes with pegged corners instead of nailed. Mine are almost always glued & pegged. The bottoms are nailed on with handmade nails. Similarly, a few period boxes are carved on the ends, but most have plain ends and carved fronts. Mine almost always are carved on the ends too. I tend to use a wooden hinge on most of mine, another feature sometimes seen on seventeenth-century boxes. I sometimes use iron hinges, which is more typical of period work.
November box #1 – SOLD
H: 8 5/8″ W: 23 1/4″ D: 13 7/8″
$1,000 includes shipping in US.
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Nov. box #2 SOLD
H: 7 5/8″ W: 23 1/2″ D: 14 3/4″
$1,000 includes shipping in US.
The second box actually came first. The carvings on these boxes are based on work from Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts. This one has a zig-zag design with what I guess are tulip shapes.
The paint is iron oxide (red) and lampblack mixed in linseed oil.
If you’d like either of these boxes, leave a comment or send an email. Payment by check or paypal – if paypal the invoice will be $1.030. Shipping in US included.
I take orders as well, so if there’s a box (or other joiner’s work) you see here & miss, send a note. I’ll be home all winter making stuff…
PETER FOLLANSBEE: JOINER’S NOTES 
Beautiful!!!
These are beautiful. Can you tell me what the historical use is for this type of box? Or point me to a blog post?
I don’t remember if I ever wrote about their use. Papers, books, textiles in particular – but really whatever you could fit in them. Victor Chinnery, author of Oak Furniture:the British Tradition – said “everyday clutter”.
My clutter would look great in this box ;) Love the till compartment in particular.
One more question: why is the bottom asymmetrical (no overhang on the back)?
The back is plain – often not even finished to some degree. The bottom is flush back there presumably because the box is shoved with its back toward the wall.
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Peter,
Awesome work! What is the historic significance of the color choices?
beauties–
Peter, remember the class very fondly that you instructed a few summers ago at the Lie-Nielsen facility in Warren, Maine starting with a fresh white oak log, one of my most memorable classes and i cherish that box much the way yours looks.