06/12/2026
I was humbled and slightly intimidated to be asked to make this. A friend, co-worker, shipmate, and fellow Midwesterner, asked if I would make his retirement Sea Chest.
The history of the sea chest runs deep. Every Sailor used to only have a single chest to keep all their belongings in while onboard. The addition of the drop-in shadow box adds to the theme. It's bad luck as a Sailor that when you leave the ship for the last time if your shadow touches the land before you. To counter this Sailors would put all of the items that held meaning to them during their career to act as their "shadow". A metaphorical shadow of their history in the Navy. This would stay onboard the ship while they departed and brought down later by a friend. This ensures the departing Sailor had good luck in his new life on land. I had the honor and privilege to design and build this for ETC. His 20yrs of service is appreciated by many beyond measure. The chest is built out of Solid Cherry wood and the panels are mdf core cherry plywood. It is put together with joinery and glue. No structural modern fasteners were used. The cherry wood will age to a deep red/orange and the steamer trunk design ensures that the wood will not move or split over time. The base and Cover box are cedar lined to protect his cover and uniforms that will be stored for generations. This was an absolute mind-numbing challenge and a complete joy to build. I was able to use some very fine hand tools that were donated to me at an art festival by a generous family. Happy to have been able to give those a second life. Looking forward to more amazing projects like this!
