1944 and 1945 Lane Waterfall Cedar Chests

1945 Cedar Chest Before

1945 Cedar Chest After

I got an unexpected customer, a woman who lives in Kalamazoo (one of my favorite places!) who was in town visiting her parents who lived in St. Clair Shores. She had a cedar chest she wanted stripped, so her daughter could use it for a coffee table. She brought the chest over that same evening. It was a 1945 Lane Cedar chest. She had asked for a darker stain, so after I stripped and sanded it down, I applied walnut, which brought out the dark wood. I then added two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane and made some minor repairs.

The chest turned out spectacular! I delivered this week to her parent's house and they fell in love with it all over again. Turns out it was purchased in 1945, the year they got married. Now the family is trying to figure out who keeps the chest! I told them that will have to be their decision as my job was done.

1944 Cedar Chest Before

1944 Cedar Chest After

This cedar chest belonged to me. I had acquired it at an estate sale in my neighborhood. I was curious on how old it was, so I researched Lane Cedar chests online and found out that the serial number, located on the bottom outside of the chest, was the date it was made if you read it backward, thus, my cedar chest was made on September 6, 1944. After inspecting the cedar chest above and using the same technique, I discovered it was made in January, 1945. It's always nice to have a little bit of additional information when restoring an old piece of furniture. People love to hear how old their possessions are.

It needed very little in the way of exterior work, however the interior shelf had been broken and needed a new bottom. I replaced the broken shelf and lined it with green felt. Otherwise the interior was immaculate. The exterior had a large on the top and a lot of burn marks, likely from cigarettes. I carefully stripped and sanded it, then applied pecan stain and several coats of polyurethane for additional protection. The result was a very nice looking, functional cedar chest, perfect for blankets.