Is There A Best Wood Chest?

Yes there is a best Wood Chest for your daily use in life. I want to give you a perspective on this outside of the cutesy home decor copy and paste blogs. To understand their benefit you first need a solid chest.

If you shop around it will not take long to find a plethora of various chests from many brands. I would dare say that near 90 percent of them are garbage. There are some qualifications that must be met.

Needed Qualities Of A Wood Chest

Above all other qualifications for a wood chest it must be made of wood. So much of the mess out there you find is made of prefab junk. Get away from this fast.

Another problem is that the wood often used is scrap or poor reclaimed lumber. This is not preferable. The wood needs to be of quality and if reclaimed it must be in good condition.

The construction of a chest needs to be solid. In other words it needs to support your weight if you stand on it. Why? Ultimately people will use it at some point for at least sitting if not as a stool.

Solid hardware should be used in its construction. Get away from the cheap garbage and get a real clasp or locking mechanism.

These qualifications are simple and easy but far too many on the market fail at each of the above. So why is this so important?

A Wood Chest Is The Ultimate Home Piece

You are looking at the first toolbox ever designed. It was the first closet for storing clothing. It served to keep the family valuables and memories safe. It still today serves many of these same purposes.

In ages past some Wood Chests would have secret compartments to hide special things. They also doubled as furniture. It was an item that the family could not live without. These properties can be brought back to life with great effect and with better aesthetics than before.

Why Chests Are Better For Long Term Storage

A solid Wood Chest is far better for long term storage than cardboard boxes or a pine made wannabe. Mice and rats get through the cardboard all too easily not to mention insects. One may be thinking that the same could be said of hardwood yet this is not true depending on species of wood.

A chest will hold together over time while cardboard and pine deteriorates far faster. Moisture will eat away at the cardboard and insects devour the pine leaving little behind to protect valuables. Hardwood though protects what is inside as the exterior portions of the chest take the brunt of the elements.

While we may not use a Wood Chest for all storage options there is no doubt select items would fare better in them. This is especially true for things like clothing which gets placed into attics, garages, or storage buildings.

For general home use there is no better toy box that can be had. There also is no better tool box for some tools. Nicer chests can serve in storing dishes or other fine pieces that simply do not store well anywhere else.

With this being said one also needs to understand that not all are equal and the species of wood will play a major role. It is in fact the species of wood which will make some storage of items a success or a complete failure.

If you are interested in knowing which species of wood is best for having art carved into your wood chest the linked article will help you.

Cedar Wood Chest

Clothing is and has always been one of the more common items for storing in wood chests. Yet to keep things like moths out or other nasty crawling things there is a species of wood to use in helping you.

Cedar has amazing qualities if it is left raw and not sealed with a finish on the inside. The oils in the wood over time will cure out and with enough age the scent will diminish. Yet it will retain enough of its oil to continue protecting your clothing.

These oils aid as a natural repellent against things like moths. Hunters have used cedar for ages in removing scent from clothing. When they would go into the woods the cedar infused scent on the clothing would mask them from the preys nose.

Yet these chests are not ideal for all conditions. Cedar itself is more porous and is susceptible to moisture than other hardwood. It also is not as dense as other species such as Oak thus it lacks the same durability for purposes such as tool storage.

Oak Wood Chest

An Oak Chest is a great option for an environment that expects to see some abuse. As Oak is common in flooring one can imagine the benefits found for a chest. Serving double duty as a chair or stool would be done with ease.

The greatest benefit comes from its density. When compared to Cedar which rates at 490 – 570kg/m3, Oak is much denser rating commonly between 740 to 770kg/m3. Here Oak is comparable to Zebrawood and is only beaten by other species such as Teak or Lignum Vitae.

An Oak Chest is great for tool storage and can hold up to more abuse from elements. While all wood has porous traits in that it will always absorb moisture Oak is more resistant than many other options.

If one wanted to use it for a decorative piece it is in my opinion not the most aesthetic of woods. Nevertheless it could work to this end. I have always seen Oak more as a work horse for durability rather than its beauty.

One additional benefit to Oak is that it can do well in an outside environment yet I would keep it out of direct rain or water. As Oak is more dense than others it is resistant to insects which bore into wood. Keep in mind the keyword there is resistant not insect proof.

If you wanted something more dependable at stopping worms or boring bees then look into getting Lignum Vitae. Often enough the insect decides the attempt to get in is more trouble than it is worth.

Poplar And Maple Wood Chest

Poplar is a great wood for strong grain lines to add aesthetic qualities in beauty. While not as dense as Oak it still offers great protection. It also is sturdy while being able to be used within a home as an accent piece.

One could consider its use in places like bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms or similar. If carved with art it begins to stand out as a unique piece that can be appreciated.

Personally I prefer Maple over poplar on one condition. If you can acquire Ambrosia Maple then you have a truly beautiful piece of lumber that will make an amazing Wood Chest. Indeed all things are subjective yet I use a lot of Ambrosia in my wood art as standard Maple is too plain.

The major benefit to using this version of Maple is that it allows for excellent wood carving in art. The grain lines are not so strong that they wash out the carving and allow for stain accent colors to shine through with ease. In other words the art stands out rather than becoming obscured by the wood.

The items you would store in these chests would be more common household items that are not susceptible to insects like moths. I always have considered them to be general storage for keeping things tidy. Dishes, books, old movies, or things of this nature would do well especially if kept indoors.

Cherry Wood The Best Of Both Worlds

A Cherry Chest will not be as strong as Oak but it has more potential natural beauty than Poplar or Maple. The one difficult aspect behind Cherry is that it can be hard to get complex art carvings to stand out due to the natural colors of the wood.

In terms of its storage ability I would consider it much the same as Poplar or Maple. I would keep it indoors and use as a decorative accent piece. General storage would be its role for household items that are not in danger from insects.

Whether or not to choose Cherry as compared to Poplar or Maple really comes down to the colors within the wood. If you wish to have a darker colored Wood Chest then Cherry would be a great option. Alternatively if one desired dark colors Walnut would be a great option.

Wood To Avoid For Chests!!!

Stay away from Pine. Guess what a lot of the cheap chests you find online are made from? You guess correctly if you said Pine. Douglas Fir is another common one to find and at times Spruce. These are horrible.

What makes them so bad? They are insect magnets. This is especially true for things like termites, bees, and other bugs that bore into wood.

Knowing this you may want to rethink buying the 100 dollar chest when compared to a quality handmade one from hardwood for more money. If what you put into the chest needs to be protected then be willing to spend more.

Aside from these woods being like candy to bugs they also absorb moisture at a higher rate and are more prone to rot. They lack any real protective qualities for what is inside the chest although structurally they may be sound.

Another problem I personally find with these softer woods is that they are bland and dull in terms of wood grain and beauty. They do not work well as an accent within the home so serve little purpose for aesthetic qualities.

In terms of wood carving art into this type of wood, it is easy yet lacks the beauty which others offer. In my opinion the outcome is not worth the cost of paying someone to carve them. If you do carving yourself then it may be something you enjoy to do for that item.

Generally speaking wood chests made from species like pine are great for utilitarian outdoor purposes. Keep in mind the wood must be sealed, kept away from direct water exposure, and bugs must be kept under control. Most people today use some sort of insect repellent or preventative measures around their homes anyway.

So for storing pool noodles or the spare garden tools it can be a good option. Just do not expect to see the same mileage from these chests as compared to their hardwood counterparts.

The one benefit to these chests is that they are often much cheaper and readily available from common retailers like Amazon, Etsy, or your favorite home decor chain store. Just remember what the wood actually is and avoid paying for the branded name.

The Decorative Wood Hope Chest

Here we really step up our game. These are the collectible pieces that become heirlooms. Much like the wood art boxes that I make in my artwork these pieces are meant to be cared for and last a lifetime.

Expect to pay a steep premium for these. Often they will be made from multiple species of wood. When I have made these in the past I would use three different species of wood, sometimes four. Often I would use Ambrosia Maple, Walnut, Poplar, Cherry, and if afforded more exotic lumber.

In terms of costs the sky literally is the limit in what one can spend on a custom piece. With artwork being carved into the piece it can reach into multiple thousands of dollars.

The cool thing about these is that the construction can allow for multiple components not found in other more simple variations. The outside can be of one species while the interior has shelving or lining of cedar.

Doing this gives the natural repellent for things like bugs or moths. The outside still maximizes the beauty and the interior protects what is inside.

In terms of home decor or as an accent piece you have more than just furniture. It truly is a work of art that can become a defining piece for that space.