William
Leffingwell,
Cabinet Maker
Real
furniture for real American Homes
Larger Furniture
This case of drawers closely follows the design of a piece made at Union Village (Ohio) circa 1840. The original was made from Cherry and had drawer locks. I've chosen Butternut for the primary wood as it was used by The Shakers at this location and is a truly beautiful wood. The locks were eliminated which gives the case a cleaner look and is more typical of Shaker construction.
Examination of the original, now located at Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire, revealed problems with the base, breakage and the possibility of cracking due to construction techniques. Since Butternut is softer and weaker than Cherry, I redesigned the base to reduce the possibility of future difficulties. The visual impact is very similar. It requires close examination to see the differences from the original.
Construction techniques follow the original closely. The drawers have 132 hand cut dovetails. Mortises and tenons are used in the case construction. The finish is Danish Oil and wax which enhances the beauty of the wood and is a renewable finish.
This piece was a labor of love and a learning experience taking over 300 hours to construct.
This piece can be considered an investment particularly in light of the Butternut Canker Disease which is killing Butternut trees and threatening the same fate as that which destroyed the American Chestnut in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
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