William & Mary Spice Chest

Popular Woodworking

In the early 18th century, the fashionable place to store household spices was in an attractive, lockable spice chest. These chests were status symbols, because having one indicated your household was wealthy enough to require an entire chest to store these luxuries. This chest was inspired by a circa-1720 William & Mary Philadelphia piece; I used period techniques and tools to build it. And while we no longer treat household spices as valuables, the chest provides handsome storage in my modern household.



If you build this piece the way I did, you’ll learn hammer veneering, hand dovetailing and how to cut curved shapes with straight tools. Perhaps most important, you’ll learn to be organized in your project planning. A piece this small (181⁄2″ x 257⁄8″) with so many similar parts forces you to stay organized.

(required: 10-WM 84, 1-WM 85, 1-Lock 7)