All the wood was cured on Maui and air dried over five years rather than kiln dried, thus allowing the wood to normalize. This kind of slow curing process lets the wood pass through successive seasons of summer and winter, dry and wet, contracting and expanding, allowing the wood to come to its own sense of balance by relieving internal stresses and thereby minimizing any tendencies to warp, which will help ensure the chest a long life as a prized piece of custom furniture. Like our bodies, wood is happiest when allowed to breathe by itself, effortlessly.
The chest uses traditional hand cut and chiseled dovetail joints for maximum strength, assuring a piece that could be passed down through generations, and giving it the traditional look and feel associated with timeless craftsmanship.
The main structure of the piece is Monkey Pod. I chose the base of the tree, where it had divided into two massive trunks, because it can lead to highly figured lumber and in this case it did. Waves of light and dark grain ripple through the wood, and like the watery island it comes from, give this Monkey Pod its one of a kind characteristic.
The wood was polished and then four coats of my custom oil finish were hand rubbed into the wood and several layers of Carnauba wax applied, which gave the chest its strong, durable and attractive appearance. Deceptively light in weight for its size (82 pounds at 4 ft long, 2 ft high, 2 ft wide), where simple meets elegant and traditional dances with contemporary.