Mahogany Mule Chest

Finished Mule Chest

My favorite customer has commissioned a big 11-drawer Mule Chest to match her African Mahogany bed I made 5 years ago. From Veneer Supplies, I have purchased some beautiful curly Mahogany veneer for the end panels. There are 18 pieces in the bundle. Each is about 7 in x 82 in., so I'll have plenty for a couple of projects. Since my panels are going to require only two or three strips, I'll have plenty for the drawers if we go that route. The cost was about $170.00 delivered, so that pencils out to $2.50 per sq ft,


Chest dimensions will be about 5.5 ft wide and about 45 in high. Maybe should add handles for the poor guy who has to move it!


The carcass is now glued up. I used some beautiful curly mahogany veneer for the end panels with a substrate of 1/2 MDF. the 2 1/4 in. legs are mortised for all the panels, rails and drawer dividers. Through tenons on the bottom and a dovetail on the top rail holds every thing tight--even if there were no glue.

























































Drawer boxes all done in 1/2 in. 11-ply Baltic Birch

Will pick up 30 board feet of Mahogany for the fronts and we'll be ready to stain. Getting ready for Jody's happy dance when I haul it upstairs.






Attached the drawer fronts, and decided I don't like them this way. Going to redo the guides and resize the fronts to make a flush drawer. Unfortunately, since the drawers will be an inch deeper now, I will have to cut that inch off each drawer back and reglue.

This looks nice, but just not Arts and Crafts style.

It is June 18, I got the drawers rebuilt and ready to stain. I decided against the bronze pulls at 15 dollars apiece. Will have to wait for a while on those. My wife is anxious to finally have this unit in the bedroom -- she's been postponed enough with other paying jobs and a move. I started this back last Fall!