Pennsylvania Spice Box
tiger maple, poplar and koa
tiger maple, poplar and koa
This spice box was made for India out of one remarkable curly maple board. The spice box was a colonial american cabinet. It held spices that were expensive and it held valuables. This form is unique to colonial America, In the US they were peculiar to Pennsylvania and more specifically to Chester county. A feature of most spice boxes was a secret compartment where valuables were kept. There were number a different approaches to the secret compartments. This particlar spice box incorporates every known secret compartment and one that is unique to this chest. There are 5 secret compartments of which India has found 4. The fifth has a letter from me and a five dollar gold piece. Someday she will find it.
The particular challenges for this piece were the door, the feet and the secret compartments. The doors for this kind of chest were often "tombstone" doors, a floating panel encased by a frame which allows the wood to expand without cracking. This type of frame and panel door is called a tombstone because of the curved shape at the top. This door is a double tombstone which causes it to have some fairly tight curves. The feet are a style called ogee bracket which I had never made before. The secret compartments are secret.