Object Focus: Shaker Bentwood Box

 

Shaker Boxes Vintage Private Collection, Hiram Ferguson, photographer Mount Lebanon, NY, ca 1875

 

History of Shaker Bentwood Box

Before modern kitchen and household storage systems, there were "bentwood" boxes. The name " bentwood'' refers to the wood making technique of wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns.

The Shaker communities of the early 1800s elevated box making to a whole new level fashioning oval, painted utilitarian storage containers: the boxes are evidence of a time when quality and function were synonymous.

 

 

Shaker Design. Oval boxes, ca. 1830-50. Canterbury or Mount Lebanon. Made for the Community or the World. Wood, Stain, Metal. Benjamin Rose Collection. Source SFO Musuem.

 

In addition to their various physical attributes, these boxes served a variety of uses: in the kitchen and pantry they held dry foos such as salt, flour, baking soda, sugar, herbs, and spices. In the ladies' workrooms, sewing items were kept and stored well in the boxes, while in the gents' workrooms, daily hardwares such as nails, screws, dry paint pigments are stored safely and neatly. 

Loop handles were added to some varieties to make it easier to carry lighter items like eggs and sewing thread. The boxes with handles were also used to carry items to and from the market.

Many of the oval boxes used by the Shakers are also inscribed with the names of those users as well as names of the makers, dates, and descriptions of how they were used.

 

Shaker Pantry Boxes production workshop by Doug Coldwell, 2009

Process of Making Shaker Bentwood Box

The wood, normally oak, maple or cherry wood,  is cut to size and the “fingers” are shaped. The wooden bands that will form the walls are bathed in hot water until they are pliable enough to bend. Once bent, they are tacked with copper tacks produced on century-old machinery. Then, after hours of drying, they are individually fitted with covers and bases that are pegged in place with tiny dowels.

John Wilson October 2016 #227 Projects Shaker Furniture Woodworking Gifts Popular Woodworking

 

Shaker Box Today

Today, the bentwood box is a beautifully fashioned and finished keepsake box ranging in size from small ring boxes to ones that can be used as coffee tables. 

The bentwood shapes of Shaker boxes have been the storage box for dry goods and household items and their descending sizes making them easy to store when not in use. 

Shaker oval boxes are appreciated today for the patience and skill involved in making them. Modern collectors of Shaker boxes appreciate the Shaker’s creed of “beauty is utility,” with the emphasis on practicality and aesthetic.

 

Homestead Japan's shaker boxes are influenced by the original shaker boxes, but are designed with sizes and specifications that are easy to use in Japanese homes. Find out more of our Homestead Japan brand Shaker Oval Boxes, Carrier Tray and Handle Tray. Available for Pre Order.