Serpentine Chest

The serpentine style has a nearly fourcentury-old history, dating back to one of the most immoderate periods of French design. A traditional serpentine chest often featured ornate trim and gaudy carvings, and would look far more at home in the Palace of Versailles than a 21st-century household. The form certainly gained modesty as the years passed and it spread across the world, but many of the examples you’ll find today would still stick out like a sore (though elegant) thumb in most modern homes.

Our designer, Chris Fitch, wanted to make a serpentine chest that would fit with a variety of styles, from Craftsman to Modern. In doing so he trimmed the excesses, focused on flow, made it more efficient, cleaner, and sleeker, until he had the piece pictured here. While the figured drawer fronts and sweeping, splayed legs catch the eye, they won’t overshadow the other furniture in your home.

This project provides a meaty, though not insurmountable, challenge. For those of you who (like myself) appreciate some time at the band saw, you’ll find this piece a particular joy, as all those curves are band-sawn to shape. Between the machine-cut, half-blind dovetails and a number of roundovers, you’ll also get a hearty helping of router work in. Lastly, you’ll find the drawer fronts offer a rare opportunity to see how the figure of the grain changes with the depth. Without further ado, I’d suggest downloading this plan and get to the doing.

Product Recommendations

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