Finished Celtic Blanket Chest - constructed from 1" thick pine, dovetailed, base and lid constructed from wormy maple.  Tongue and groove cedar bottom on inside.

Chest color - Lexington Green Milk Paint, Celtic knotwork color - Marigold and barn red.

Back of Celtic Blanket Chest - Freehand router carved celtic knotwork design by Kelly Kerin painted with Buttermilk color milk paint with the background color of Barn Red and Marigold border. Milk paint obtained from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint  Company.

The chest lid and base are made of wormy maple and finished with Polymerized Tung Oil. Wormy maple, also called Ambrosia maple, comes from regular soft maple trees that have been infested by the ambrosia beetle. The small beetle bores a network of tunnels and short galleries called cradles. A fungus is responsible for the black and gray streaks that accompany each tunnel and adjacent wood. The streaks add a unique look to this hardwood without affecting its structural integrity. This wood is mostly found in the central part of Eastern United States.

The original paint job after completion of the chest construction and all the router carving.  Due to time constraints the chest was painted with a distressed look.

Repainting this chest was a time consuming affair.  I worked on it over a period of six weeks.  It probably took as much time to paint as it did to build the chest and draw and carve the celtic knotwork designs.

Celtic Chest:

33 1/2" across, 21 1/2" deep and 17 1/2" high.

Chest - 1" thick pine, dovetailed joints.  Base and Lid -  3/4" thick wormy maple.

Finish:  Pained surfaces (Pine) - Old Fashioned Milk Paint. Colors used:  Lexington Green, Tavern Green, Soldier Blue, Marigold, Barn Red and Pitch Black

Wormy maple chest lid and base:  Polymerized Tung Oil.