The
components and walls of the armoire were made with flowthrough
paneling. The grain of the wood was matched and extended through
the entire length of each panel. This can be seen in every case,
including the back section. The grain of the wood starting from
the bottom and flowing through to the top. There were no compromises.
Also it goes without saying, every part of the armoire is genuine
wood and in no instance was there veneering of any kind.
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Original
- St. Louis Museum
First built as a tribute to Pierre Chouteau Sr. founder of St. Louis,
Missouri. Circa 1765. It is said to have been built from a log taken
from the fort of Pierre Chouteau.
Replication
built by Jim Koudounis
It is so difficult to make that it is probably the only one other
than the original. A search on the Internet indicates no others
are available for sale.
For
its construction, several instruments were made and two large machines
had to be designed and built so that the body of the armoire could
be carved in the serpentine design. Both sides and front are gently
bowed.
Click
the Thumbnails below for a Full View
 
Height
93", Width 64", Depth 25"
Delivery time approximately 6 months |
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make this possible, lumber had to be cut in appropriate dimensions
to accommodate the length of the pieces and also the sweep of the
curves. Due to the waste however, a large tree was required for
selective milling.
Great
care was taken to engineer strong and invisible joints. The entire
floor area was uniquely flush mortised. The legs, floor and front
skirt were incorporated using a compound mortise locking technique.
Yet, the components remain invisible to the eye. Even the hardware
and hinges were hand made. All of these procedures required large
blocks of time for tooling and setup. The result is something very
special indeed.
The
initial armoire and the development of the machinery took three
and a half years to design and build. Any subsequent creations have
an estimated time of six months to complete.
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