There is something demented and wonderful about painting over completely clear 16”-wide pine boards.
Today I finished up a board chest using some nice old pine boards from Midwest Woodworking. Like all the sugar pine, I’ve bought from Midwest, this stuff is like pine is supposed to be – stable, easy to work and clear.
There is always going to be a small voice in my head telling me that I’m a fool to paint this stuff, but the design really demands it. Once you get the chest assembled, it’s obvious that the grain distracts from the form. The moulding around the bottom of the case looks weird – especially on the ends.
So paint it is.
I was going to scratch a geometric design on the front of the chest, but my test board didn’t come out like I wanted. The geometry was easy, but the scratches didn’t show well under the paint. That aspect of these chests needs some more thought on my part.
— Christopher Schwarz
