G&G Blanket Chest

Marc Spagnuolo

This blanket chest takes inspiration from the original Thorsen House Blanket Chest and was designed in collaboration with Greene & Greene expert Darrell Peart. We are calling it a "blanket chest," but this piece could also be a toy chest or perhaps downsized as an elegant tool chest for the shop.

The max dimensions are roughly 43"W x 20"H x 24 3/8" D

  • 13 lessons
  • 324 min
  • $99.00

Here's what we'll cover:

  1. Virtual Tour of the Blanket Chest

    An inside look at the blanket chest project and what it takes to make it.

  2. Wood Selection, Rough Milling and Layout

    A lengthy discussion about the materials, careful layout, and rough milling our parts.

  3. Case Panels Pt. 1

    The panels come together with careful attention to grain orientation and the finger joint template is constructed.

  4. Case Panels Pt. 2

    With the case panels constructed, we can proceed with cutting the finger joints and the bottom groove.

  5. The Base & Deck

    The base comes together with the completion of the finger joints and the mitered deck!

  6. Plug Mortises & Case Assembly

    The case comes together after making some plug mortises and rounding over all of the appropriate edges.

  7. The Hidden Drawer

    When a design results in a lot of dead space, why not consider a hidden drawer?

  8. Base & Case Assembly

    The bulk of the blanket chest comes together with the assembly of the base and the case.

  9. The Lid

    The lid comes together with a panel glueup and construction of the breadboard ends!

  10. The Handles

    How to make the classic Greene & Greene arched handle!

  11. Ebony Plugs

    Preparation and installation of the ebony plugs and bars.

  12. Dye & Lacquer

    A special dye combination and a lacquer finish bring our blanket chest to life!

  13. Stuff & Things

    Feet, magnets, and hinges complete our Greene & Greene Blanket Chest!

FAQ

What Will I Receive?

  • Detailed cut list and plans including a PDF and a SketchUp file (Metric and Imperial).
  • Hours of detailed video instruction showing every step.
  • All videos and plans are digital and will be available for download upon purchase.

What Will I Learn?

  • Grain selection
  • Panel construction
  • Large finger joints with a template
  • Flush trimming operations
  • Fine tuning joinery with a chisel
  • Constructing a hidden drawer
  • Making and installing ebony plugs
  • Classic G&G Handles
  • Dye and lacquer application
  • Hinge Installation

What Will I Need?

Historical Relevance

Charles and Henry Greene designed a series of “ultimate bungalows” in the early 1900’s and filled the houses with masterfully-designed furniture. Each house has it’s own special features and furniture. The Thorsen House in Berkeley, Ca. was built in 1909 and is currently owned by the Sigma Phi fraternity. Much of the original furniture is either missing or in private collections. One piece that has yet to be reproduced is the blanket chest.

G&G expert and furniture maker Darrell Peart helped us design this chest with modern sensibilities in mind. So build yourself a piece of history by making a modern interpretation of the Thorsen House Blanket Chest. The project features numerous Greene & Greene techniques including finger joints, ebony plugs, arched handles, and breadboard ends. If you’re not a fan of the Greene & Greene style, you can simply leave the Greene & Greene details out and you’ll still have a serviceable blanket chest.

Reviews:

Marc nails the instruction on this blanket case. I could not have done it without his excellent tutorials and well put together plans. I love being able to rewatch a video to pick up important pieces of information I would have missed if I was taking a physical woodworking class. This was my first TWW Guild project but it will definitely not be my last. Thank you Marc! My son loved his toy chest.

jtwenter
Guild Member

This was a fantastic project! I completed this as my first guild project and only woodworking for about 9 months. Marc absolutely makes this entire project accessible to any level, trust me. I am so satisfied with the end goal and cannot wait for my next build!

CKalnasy
Guild Member

Awesome project.

Marc really made this easy with the great videos. It still takes some time to complete, but you are never wondering what the next step is.

RonJ103
Guild Member
Read all reviews / Leave a review

About Your Instructor:

Marc is a podcaster, video producer, woodworking enthusiast, and author of Hybrid Woodworking and Essential Joinery. He has contributed articles and video content to FineWoodworking.com, Popular Woodworking Magazine, WOOD Magazine, and Woodcraft Magazine. He is also the host of The Wood Whisperer, an instructional woodworking video series that’s been going strong since 2006. He is also one of the hosts of the Wood Talk podcast. He has taught classes at the William Ng School, Marc Adams School, Weekend with Wood, Fine Woodworking Live, as well as at various Rockler and Woodcraft stores. He also speaks periodically at woodworking events like AWFS and IWF.