Plans for a "Card Chest" ???

Al Launier

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Bedford, NH
My wife has saved all the Anniversary/Valentine/Birthday cards I've given her over the past 47 years. Talk about saving memories!

Needless to say, these have really accumulated and their storage has become a bit of a problem. Since I have been upgrading my shop this year, and have been asking her what she would like me to build for her, she has finally decided on something besides a bird house.
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She would like a chest of some sort to store these cards.

So, I've been searching the Internet for possible designs for about a week & haven't found one she likes, so I thought perhaps some of you might have a Go-To source for woodworking plans. What she has in mind, as best as I can describe it, would be a mini hope chest with drawers, one that doesn't take up too much room.

My thought would be something that would require the use of the tools I've picked up over the year (including this coming Christmas) to allow me to learn how to use these tools. This might give me a chance to log the progress of the project & present it on FWW for critique. I'd like to make my first quality, furniture grade piece that incorporates the following features:


· Elegant appearance,
· Compatible with Country French design,
· Accent hardware,
· It would be painted white to carry the color of this design, so wood grain would not be a consideration,
· Panels for accent,
· Contour detail,
· Drawer for each category of cards (3) plus one extra just in case (?).
· Lid for a top compartment (?),
· Dovetail joinery,
· Some scroll work, i.e. to spell out each category to place on drawer face (?).
· My guess is that it might be approximately 18" Wide x ~12"Deep x ~12" High.

I previously purchased "SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers" from Dave Richards, but have not begun to learn how to use it. Using this software to develop a design with working drawings might be an alternative, but my limited attempts so far have found my patience lacking. Frankly, I found it boring. So, if I can find a suitable design with detailed plans that would save a lot of time & most likely avoid design errors if I were to attempt this myself.

Any Go-To sources for woodworking projects?
 
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Perhaps not exactly what you want, but last year the Woodsmith TV series did a pretty nice veneered tool box with multiple drawers and a lift-up top that might meet your needs. You can always modify it and change the size/number of drawers, etc. You could also build it from 'good' woods, and not veneer it.

Anyway, it's the best thing I could come up with. Hope it helps.
 
Thanks Jim, appreciate your input. As time goes on, my wife is "starting" to get an idea of what she would like. It's like pulling teeth. And, it's developing (perhaps) along the lines of something similar to what you suggested, although a smaller table-top concept with drawers.
 
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