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Thanks again BH for the info.

I put two coats of walnut stain on the box, you can still somewhat see the grain through it, but it’s dark.
 
I think there needs to be a distinction between a chest built by skilled hands and a field expedient box.
I’ve seen examples of field desks and furniture that was just amazing to look at and skilled construction and I’ve seen pictures of a field desk made from a repurposed army bread box
I guess the question is, what are you trying to copy?
 
I'm going to hazard a guess that most mountain men and homesteaders weren't skilled craftsmen, and the stuff they made for themselves looked "rustic" to begin with.

I'm going to disagree with that somewhat. It was the age of skilled craftsmen. If one didn't posses a skill he probably didn't possess the tools for that skill either, so he couldn't have made it himself. Instead he bartered or traded with what he had for what he wanted. Competition among craftsmen was fierce, their quality was their reputation and livelihood.
 
Would stains such a walnut not have been more commonly used?

Stains don’t tend too chip as paints do, however I don’t think
milk painted surfaces are as prone too chipping as modern paints are..

Traditional stains don't seal the wood grain from absorbing moisture and all that implies. Paint provides a measure of protection for the wood by sealing it, and if desired, decorative. Wax will seal wood and additional layers of wax can be applied, although once waxed, getting paint to stick on a waxed surface is not easily done.
 
I would have thought maybe they would have applied wax after staining... idk

A wax finish on a wood surface is not very durable. When the temps are warm, wax rubs off and leaves the surface unprotected. Waxed surfaces, without a shellac, varnish or paint layer underneath aren't a problem indoors. For outdoor use, wax is not very good.
 
On wood I use a drying oil like linseed or Tung instead of wax. I'm sure other's have opinions too. Linseed oil is the base for many period paints.
 
During the Georgian era, particular wood species were chose for specific purposes. Chair legs were chosen for strength (frequently oak, chestnut or even hickory), seats for how easily they could be carved (pine, poplar and similar softwoods), and if there were bent and steamed backs, woods needing the ability to be steamed and bent, etc.

Except for finer furniture with entire exteriors made from mahogany, or entirely from oak, the items were meant to be painted. Although most people think milk-paints were used for most painting projects, that is a misconception. During the colonial era, flax was grown everywhere in order to make linen cloth. A by product of linen production are the flax seed, sometimes called "flax seed" which could be pressed to produce flax oil/flax seed oil (they are for all intents and purposes, the same). That oil is better known as "linseed oil." Linseed oil is one of the components used to make traditional oil based paints.

Linseed oil rubbed onto a milk painted surface will penetrate the painted layer and begins to produce a hard shell, and resists wear and abrasion better than an untreated surface. BOTH milkpaints and linseed home made enamel paints were used during the 18th century, and they can appear to be similar but are not the same.

We are both correct. I tend to think in terms of the frontiersman who is carving a home for his family out of the forest. He uses whatever woods are available and fashions his belongings with a minimum of tools. Craftsmen in the towns and cities would be more skilled and have access to a larger selection of both woods and tools. Roy Underhill has written a great deal on this subject.
 
We are both correct. I tend to think in terms of the frontiersman who is carving a home for his family out of the forest. He uses whatever woods are available and fashions his belongings with a minimum of tools. Craftsmen in the towns and cities would be more skilled and have access to a larger selection of both woods and tools. Roy Underhill has written a great deal on this subject.
Regardless, each would built to the best of their ability - things would not have been left rough and neither should we leave things rough when emulating period craftsmen. Whenever I look at a period piece, whether simple or complex, the craftmanship is obvious (oftentime putting modern craftsmanship to shame) - lumber was planed, joints were tight, miters were cut properly and many other details stand out indicating pride in the finished product.

Do it right or don't do it at all. If you don't have the skills/tools to do it right, find someone who does and pay them. Pretending these period craftsmen were amateurs, used crappy materials and left things unfinished or rough is absurd - existing pieces SHOW this was not the case...
 
On the off chance that there's anyone here who hasn't seen his show (it's on PBS, after all), https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI3AdlB5pDXXtPe_fZAYgn7xj4EaJZcBb
With Roy, what he shows are primarily mid/late 19th-century tools, techniques & technology and occasionally reaches back even further. What he does demonstrate is that very simple/complex and functional items were made with pride and didn't look like they were hacked out of a tree with a butterknife. It doesn't take complex tools to achieve a fine finish - it does however take EFFORT, something that many today are unwilling to put forth. The "crude = period" movement is a modern idea based upon the a lack of knowledge & understanding of history. Frankly, I'd rather have a house full of furnishings made in the 1700 and 1800's instead of the manure available today - not for the value, but for the craftsmanship and durability.

The "crude = period" mentality that extends to clothing and accouterments is even more infuriating...
 
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Just a note. While they built to as high quality as they could and some one some where could have made a crude box from whatever was at hand, right box should not be primitive. That said we have lots of pallet makers here in the ozark, and they do a lot of good wood in the form of red and white oak. Should you get some pallet wood and you are willing to work for it you can do some fine stuff from cheap wood compared to comparable wood froma lumber yard
 
Related to craftsmanship in the 18th and 19th centuries, my guess is we have the same continuum of skills and attention to detail then as we do now. I am not a good carpenter. I can build functional stuff, but don't have the "touch". I know people who have the combination of skill and temperament to make beautiful things from everything such as pallets to fine lumber. If they were building it, it would look good. Me, not so much. Now I don't use that as an excuse and I try to do a good job. I just know my limitations.
 
Back in the day the fancy stuff in the captains and ward rooms cabins were turned out by ships carpenters. On warships even functional post and beams were carved to look like turned pillars. The beam used to swing the anchor was called a cat head, and often was carved with the face of a cat.
Carpenter, cabinets maker ect was a learned profession. An apprentice stood a seven year indentureship and a carpenter was numbered along silversmith and masons as a guildman and master.
People then lived in a culture of fine handy work and craftsmanship. So evan a frontier cabin and simple furnishings was made well. The crude frontier craze that colored buckskinning when I stated this sport was a far cry from real life.
 
My Dad was a Carpenter, I’m not .

But I just decided on what size box I needed and had seen a couple at Rendezvous and on the Internet , and just drew it up and made it.
 
Here is a box I made from pine from the big box store. I used a scrub plane to give the wood the look I wanted and forged the hardware. Finished it with milk paint and linseed oil. Not fancy but it serves to hide my cooler. I'll do it a bit differently on the next one but am happy with the way it turned out.
 

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Here is a box I made from pine from the big box store. I used a scrub plane to give the wood the look I wanted and forged the hardware. Finished it with milk paint and linseed oil. Not fancy but it serves to hide my cooler. I'll do it a bit differently on the next one but am happy with the way it turned out.
Does the spinning wheel get used?
 
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