Hannah's Hope Chest

Several years ago I promised my daughter, Hannah, a hope chest for her 16th birthday. My intentions were honorable and true but somehow weeks turned to months, and years slipped by, and she will be turning 18 this fall. The only progress I made on her hope chest was some rough sketches and a bit of wood scrounging. The good news is I tend to work better under the pressure of a deadline, and the wood I bought is now fully acclimated to the shop after three years! I decided to chronicle the project and this was the impetus for starting Your Finest Work.

One might think I should be some sort of woodworking guru since I know how to make beautiful, fine tools. This is not the case. I actually have limited furniture making experience. I have done the usual home carpentry type projects and have made a few boxes and hanging cabinets but no real furniture. I would love to be able to take some classes with a true guru such as Gary Rogowski at The Northwest Woodworking Studio here in Portland. I was visiting his studio on Friday to drop off some chisels for one of his students. On display were some beautiful works from a few of his Mastery Program students. I realized I have a long way to go and almost put a halt to this blog. However, perhaps we can all learn and have fun with the process. I will start talking about the design process with my next entry