Puffin Up the Chest?

Here's a little bit of history carried through Wood Talkin's shop door. This mid-1940's era cedar chest (upper) belongs to a neighbor of the Fairmount area near Golden, CO. Oh boy does it ever have some stories to tell.

Aside from the fun details our customer is able to provide us, we'll be doing some researching on our own. We'll fill-in some of the details in one of our future posts. But one of the questions we want to answer: "Is this one of the chests made by (click there-->) John Lane and his son Ed? (At that time this father-son team may have still been calling their manufacturing venture The Standard Red Cedar Chest Company of Altavista, Virginia).

My initial careful inspection of this chest leads me suspect it's Lane. Its hinges, joints, and overall quality look Lane, but the serial numbers don't. Of the two chests pictured, the chest pictured (bottom, bright sunlight) is a genuine Lane from that same period; the other chest (top, in shop light) is our chest in question. I know Lane changed its serial number configuration various times over the years...so we'll see. I will contact Lane and keep you updated.

In the meantime we're going to address some of its minor structural issues--some water damage contributing to minor warping of the skirt, some mold and discoloration, and the general fading and deterioration of its finish over time.

OK. That's today's Wood Talkin...till next time.

Dick