Potato and onion box (rustic style of course!)

**dan_tom** · 25th March 2006, 02:58 PM

Hi everyone

Here's a potato and onion box that we made out of Western Red Cedar, with two drawers (top one for onions, with a divider for red onions! and next drawer down for potatoes), old oven door (that swings open for pumpkins) and shelf down the bottom (I dunno, maybe if we get some really long sweet potatoes that don't fit in the drawers perhaps!). The legs are old oven legs and the entire unit is made from WRC. Had our first crack at dovetails for the drawers, (hope the pic doesn't show up the dodgy bits!).

Finished with danish oil and about to be waxed. I got it as far as the back balcony and Tom will finish it with the wax (as my hands swell up!). It smells really nice, haven't worked much with WRC before. It's surprisingly soft, maybe that's because we mainly work with Aussie hardwoods and are used to that.

Rustic style of course and a little eclectic! Or eccentric, however you want to put it. But I do like the old style design of wood burning stoves (hence the three that we have in our house that I restored...).

Cheers
Danielle and Tom

**Auld Bassoon** · 25th March 2006, 05:43 PM

Very Nice Danielle & Tom,

I like the style - and the eccentricity

The WRC and iron live well together.

One small point; it's customary to have a half pin at the top and bottom of each side of a dovetailed drawer.

**BobR** · 25th March 2006, 08:06 PM

Looks great. The WRC has come up a treat. Is it going to live in the kitchen?

**Harry72** · 25th March 2006, 09:38 PM

You guys always make nice piece's, well done!

**bitingmidge** · 25th March 2006, 09:48 PM

I actually gave you guys a thought today while poking round among some.... well some furniture that could have been an early version of what you guys create!! Not a patch on the real thing I have to say!

Were the dovetails done with the home made jig made from the Stotts?

Cheers,

P (and well done again BTW!)

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 25th March 2006, 09:51 PM

Your pics don't show it, but do you have any ventilaition holes in the back of the spud drawer? We've a similar box, although only two drawers; the bottom with vents and the top without. We've also noticed that spuds last longer in the bottom than they do in the top... who would've thought they'd be claustrophobic?

I'd rather look at your box than mine, though. Nicely done!

**Wongo** · 25th March 2006, 10:37 PM

Wow you two just continue to produce good work. It looks fantastic, I love the cedar and the colour veryasians, no I mean variations.

The dufftales look great.

Keep up the good work.

**Jill** · 25th March 2006, 11:05 PM

Hi Danielle! Great to see you two are still producing more of your fantastic work!

Cheers,

Jill

**Waldo** · 26th March 2006, 12:15 AM

G'day Dan_Tom,

As I scroll down to my ususal haunts of Tools and Machinery I kept scrolling past "Potato & Onion Box" and kep wondering what is what, so I come in to have a poke - very nice!

And now you've gone and made me homesick.

**Andy Mac** · 26th March 2006, 08:52 AM

Hi Dan and Tom,
Good stuff, as usual! Your dovetails have come up really well, how was the the WRC to chisel through?
I'm sure your 'taters and onions will be very happy in their new home.

Cheers,

**dai sensei** · 26th March 2006, 09:21 AM

Nice job Dan & Tom, as usual.

As Skew mentioned, ventilation is very important for all the vege's. Once they go, if it soaks into that lovely timber, you'll never get it out. I use lots of newspaper in my drawers and check regularly, as I still lose the odd one.

Cheers

**Wood Butcher** · 26th March 2006, 09:34 AM

Awesome Work Guys. Especially the use of the cast iron base. Suits the WRC beautifully!

**Gajm** · 26th March 2006, 01:12 PM

Bugger! I read the title and thought "now this sounds like a project I could do" open it up and its a work of art!! Beautiful work but I am getting a bit disheartened on here, Is there a wood hackers forum anywhere?

**RufflyRustic** · 27th March 2006, 11:38 AM

Great Job Dan and Tom!

As usual, yes, another piece of art - useable too - even better

How did you find the WRC dust?

Cheers
Wendy

**dan_tom** · 28th March 2006, 08:59 AM

Thanks everyone. Well it is now installed in the kitchen and has spuds and onions in it!

Peter, the dovetails were cheated, they were done using the Stotts jig. We had to cut off the bottom pin for some reason or other, or no, I remember. I think it was because I measured it up dodgy and needed to cut it down. The old measure twice cut once thing went out the window apparently! The dovetails didn't work so well, as this timber tended to split and fracture when you least expected it too, so not nice and neat like the hardwood dovetails we have done with the Stotts jig.

Wendy, the WRC was a little irritating to work with, a really fine dust - I have to say I prefer hardwoods! I used my respirator thing, which is annoying as anything, but persisted. Had a few coughs and away we went again! Got heaps leftover if you want to make a box or something else like that. Drop on over! It's nice to try something new once in a while and see how the timber works.

Skew ChiDAMN, we're going to see what the lifespan of the potatoes is like without cutting ventilation holes in the drawers. I actually don't want to ruin the continuity of the timber variations! If the potatoes don't like it, then we'll get the drill out... Maybe ones at the back, rather than both sides like the predecessor we had there.

Cheers
Dan

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