If you lost your self-respect you were not looked upon in a respectful and proper manner. So in order to maintain my self-respect I put on a dinner jacket and dressed for dinner and I said to my servants, who were quite likely to get a bit slack just looking after a man by himself in the middle of the jungle, “Now this is a dinner party and you will serve me my dinner as though there are other people at the dinner table.”
— Kenneth Warren, a British officer serving in a tea garden in Assam from 1906-1913
Hello Chris,been following the blog and seeing the work on the campaign furniture and I must say you are an inspiration to me with your work,thank you frank
Stunning. I’m eager to see it with the finished gallery in place.
And now I feel as though I must dress for dinner this e’en.
lovely jubbly !!
Anyone for tea? – to this day I head to the woodshop with a steaming cuppa.
http://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/35484/Spielman.doc?sequence=1
That’s sexier than socks on a rooster.
The finish looks nice. And man, that is some pretty mahogany. Maybe we can lure you to period furniture after all.
And I like seeing the marks inside the case. Try to get readers back to using chalk, will you? I wonder what eighteenth century chalk was like.
On a tea wagon beside me is a tray which seems simple until you look closely at the inlay work and laminations of dark and light wood. The tray was made by my grand father a British army officer. On the tray is a letter he wrote to my Grandmother in Canada from Bagdad in 1917. In the letter he tells that his commanding officer ordered him to publish a newspaper as they were British and there should darn well be an English language paper in Bagdad. Under the letter on the tray is a copy of the “Bagdad Times” 1917 with an article by Grandfather on the Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which still existed in those days. As a boy in my Grandmother’s basement was a campaign chest, much smaller than yours, and I assume it served with Grandfather in Bagdad. Unfortunately the chest is long gone but I remember it well, perhaps an upcoming project.
John,
My grandparents collected this stuff. And my grandfather built several pieces of it during his life. So I understand how these projects can be a touchstone to the past. I know that once I put Johnson’s wax on this piece, it will smell like my grandfather’s pieces, and the effect will be complete (for me).
If you need any help digging up visual resources for smaller scale campaign chests, drop me a line. I have a decent collection.
Thanks for sharing the story.
By the early 20th Century, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon had been gone for two millenia (if they ever existed at all–there is some doubt).
-Steve
It looks great Chris!
Jonathan
Chris,
What type of finish did you use? I really like the color of the mahogany with the brass hardware.
The stain is General Finishes Gel Stain, Java. Followed by a coat of garnet shellac (Tiger Flakes from Tools for Working Wood – awesome stuff). Then a coat of M.L. Campbell precat, sheen 15, to reduce the sheen of the shellac.
Thanks!
Marvelous, simply Marvelous my dear Christopher. Really a great project Chris, your craftsmanship is shining through. You are a great inspirition to us all. By the way, what do you do in your spare time?
Dang, looking good Chris!
“If you lost your self-respect you were not looked upon in a respectful and proper manner. So in order to maintain my self-respect I put on a dinner jacket and dressed for dinner and I said to my servants, who were quite likely to get a bit slack just looking after a man by himself in the middle of the jungle, “Now this is a dinner party and you will serve me my dinner as though there are other people at the dinner table.”
Chris, how utterly pukka sahib of you to include this wonderful quotation!
I’m ashamed to admit that I’m sick with jealousy when I look at your absolutely stunning campaign chest. Why does your furniture look so good while mine look so amateurish? (Sigh).
I really like that piece. I liked it even better before you stained it.
Your campaign secretary is an incredible, beautiful, classic, work-for-the-ages. It’s hard to believe it was done by someone who doesn’t seem to know that all wood planes must always be bench-laid to rest on their sides, rather than on their blades. Even Saint Roy Underhill doesn’t seem to know that. Nevertheless, you have somehow produced a masterpiece in spite of it. Well done! I can’t even detect the dutchman, but it’s a great pleasure to know it’s there!
Don’t forget a Rudyard Kipling anthology as the first book on that shelf.
My Grandfather’s writings say that in Iraq there was a group of ruins with gardens growing which was accepted as being the location of the Gardens of Babylon to British travelers of the day.
Albeit dining alone, I’m certain he would have used the butter knife.
Nice job on the chest!
Bravo on the finish Chris. The chest looks great. And a coat of Johnson’s wax to boot. I use it on furniture, but also tools to protect against rust (it’s silicone free, I asked).