Peter Turner Makes Custom Blanket Chests and Publishes a Book!

Our guest contributor is CustomMade artisan and author Peter Turner of Peter S. Turner Furnituremaker.

CustomMade.com maker Peter Turner just co-wrote this book with Scott Gibson, published by the Taunton Press

Blanket Chests, the book that Scott Gibson and I wrote for The Taunton Press, has been out now for a couple months. The initial chapter lays out a variety of techniques that one might use in building a chest. The remaining 30 shorter chapters offer examples of chests provided by an assortment of makers from around the world.

Boxseat by Peter Turner available on CustomMade.com

I call this piece boxseat. Its painted, poplar box and its frame and panel bottom were originally made as props for photographs that served as illustrations in the book. When making the props, I sized them with a future piece in mind, not a specific piece but I knew that something would come up.

Peter's Boxseat sketches - see how he goes from idea to final product

From all my sketches, this was one of my favorites. It looks like 2 chairs with a box in between. My prop box was a little too long for this arrangement because I wanted the finished piece to fit at the foot of a queen sized bed. I opted to have my box on a bench with a seat to one side.

Peter decides to take on weaving the seat himself!!!

With every commission I try to include something that I haven’t done before; a new form, new technique, new material, new to me. This is my version of on the job training. It keeps me learning and helps to keep my work alive. Online, I found instructions with good photos that showed me how weave 3mm braided hemp cord into a durable seat.

Revisiting the original design to perfect it for a furniture exhibition

I was invited to provide a piece for “The Next Wave”, a furniture exhibition to be held at the Windsor Art Center in Windsor, CT, from July 9 – August 20.

This gave me the opportunity to revisit the design I had sketched earlier. I planned to upholster the 2 slip seats myself.

The final piece, "Vanchocstraw," hand upholstered and ready in time for the show! Peter Turner at CustomMade.com.