How to Make a 16th Century Tudor Wooden Chest

Design a chest decorated in the Tudor style. Tudor era furniture was typically massive and heavy. Because floors in the Tudor era were often covered with rushes and very dirty, chests meant as permanent furniture usually had legs. Traveling chests, however, were legless to allow for easier transport.

Buy wood for your Tudor-style chest. Tudor furniture was often made of oak. If buying enough oak for an entire chest is out of your budget, you might use oak only for the exterior surfaces and decoration. Select discreet hinges strong enough to support the weight of the chest's lid.

Construct the basic chest. If you plan to stay true to Tudor worksmanship as well as style, avoid wood glue. While chests early in the Tudor period might be made of six boards held together by nails or dowels, later chests were made with a panel and frame technique, with panels secured in grooves in the frame, and frames secured with mortise and tenon joinery. Either style of chest is appropriate when creating a 16th century chest.

Decorate the chest. Tudor chests were typically decorated with carving. Geometrical patterns and roundels are all appropriate for Tudor styling. After 1500, patterns included linenfold, and Renaissance-style heads within medallions. Chests might also be decorated in a panel, or mock-panel style. Two, three and four panels with identical carving might be lined in a row across the front of the chest.

Stain the wood of the chest. Tudor-style chests were often dark in color, so selecting a dark-colored stain will help create an authentic Tudor look.