The New Yankee Workshop

Recently, Norm, who is a trustee of the Old Sturbridge Village museum, asked the curators to put a stunning Bowfront Chest they had in storage on display in one of the Village's historic homes, the Salem Towne House, to inspire his New Yankee viewers. The stunning Bowfront four-drawer chest was built by Alden Spooner working in nearby Athol, Massachusetts in 1807. Spooner, like many furniture makers of the time, was probably well aware of pattern books and high-style designs being made in Europe and America, and this chest may well have been inspired by furniture brought here from Great Britain. Norm builds his version of mahogany and is challenged to form the French feet and the dovetailed Bowfront drawers. While not a project for a beginner, the Bowfront Chest will be of great interest to serious woodworkers.