Reflections
Leila Crandall-Frink
I started out the evening in conversation with my husband as we both wondered exactly what a spice box was. I expected it was something to hold spices, but I knew nothing. I left with a very good idea of what a spice box was and at least some knowledge of how to make it. I was very pleased I went to the meeting and was most impressed with the speaker for the evening.
Glen Huey of Cincinnati, Ohio spent the weekend with our Guild with his presentation at our meeting on the design and construction of an 18th Century Spice Box and the workshop on Saturday on making the inlay for the Spice Box. He brought with him two pieces of reproduction work that he made. They were spectacular. One was a box with raised panel doors. The second was a flat door with a lot of inlay in it.
Glen started woodworking as a kid and by age 14 had decided to make a Sheridan Field bed that he saw in a woodworking book, of course with his fathers help. He went to college and after graduation he started a construction business and built houses. After selling that business he started a business to build furniture. He was approached by Popular Woodworking Magazine to write an article and he said “sure”. And he said “sure” to many other projects through the years. He says that saying “sure” has pushed him to learn and do many things.
Glen talked about the history of the spice box. The boxes are pieces of grand furniture made on a small scale. They were made primarily in Pennsylvania in the 1700’s. They were used initially to lock away spices in the kitchen in well to do homes, but eventually became a way to store jewelry and silver in the parlor. As an antique a spice box commands a really impressive selling price. Glen makes reproductions of the spice box.
The making of the boxes spanned several periods of furniture making styles, from the Queen Anne period to the Chippendale period and the Federal period. Each period saw changes to the design of the door of the Spice Box. The doors were made with flat panels, then raised panels, then string inlay on a flat door and finally full inlay decorating a flat door. As the door moved from the kitchen to the parlor it became more elegant. The inlay doors became quite fancy as the maker personalized it for the customers. He would often add initials and dates in string inlay when it was a gift for a wedding. At its most ornate, the spice box became a piece of furniture itself when it was put on a frame that sat on the floor.
The woods used in making the spice box were mostly woods that were readily available in the region. Walnut was common as it grew in Pennsylvania. Other primary woods were tiger maple, cherry and mahogany. Secondary woods used for making the drawer bottoms and sides and backs of the cabinet were tulip poplar (native), pine and white cedar, oak and chestnut. Woods used to make the inlay were holly which was native, a dense wood easy to bend and it stayed white. Locust and red cedar were used for contrasting colors as well as cherry and maple.
Another interesting thing about the spice boxes was the design and construction of the drawers inside the cabinet. There was usually a center focal drawer. It was surrounded by groups of drawers of varying sizes that may span the entire width of the box or have as many as 3 to span the width. They often had secret drawers, removable backs with drawers that opened to the back only. They might have shallow interior drawers, false bottoms or removable cornices. All these features were to make it harder for anyone to steal items of value. However, the box itself was often small enough that a strong person could carry it away.
Glen also talked about the actual construction of the pieces for the inlay as he does it today. He uses modern tools and patterns. He showed pictures of the methods he uses to construct the inlay banding and his Saturday workshop will go into detail on how to do that. I was impressed with the detail of Glen’s presentation and with his ability to create beautiful furniture. I thank him for his presentation to our guild.
Raffle Column
Bill Drumel was the winner of the jig saw last month. Rockler Woodworking and Hardware is furnishing multiple prizes for the Friday October 7 raffle.
Year End Raffle Prize:
The year end raffle prize is the quiet running Jet AFS-1000B Air Filtration System with remote control. This 3-speed unit will effectively filter the air in your shop using 1 micron and 5 micron filters. Tickets will be available for $5 each at the October and November meetings as well as at the Holiday Season Party. Good Luck!
Classified
Free: 48” x 28” workbench. Nothing fancy but very heavy and very solid - in Brookfield
For Sale: Wolverine Grinding Jig V-Arm (just the arm, you will have to make a base.) $25.
Wanted to buy: Riser kit for a 14” Jet bandsaw. Must be complete with guards and be reasonably priced.
Steve Mellot
Items shown at last month's meeting
