Travis's Steamer Trunk

One of my recent shop projects was an old-fashioned steamer trunk that I made for Travis. Here are some shots of him with it. It wasn't really meant to be a Christmas present, but I did surprise him with it when he was here for a very brief holiday. (The Denver snow storms trapped him there, and he was unable to get here until Christmas Eve and then had to return the day after Christmas.)



The chest is made of oak--some solid and some oak veneer plywood. I lined the chest with aromatic cedar, and there is lots of brass hardware, as you can see. The finish was a mix of burnt umber oil paint and linseed oil that I hand rubbed onto the chest. Two coats of polyurethane varnish completed the look. This was a fun project--one I had wanted to do ever since I first saw the plans. I was pleased that Travis was interested in having one for clothing and other storage.