What to do with a Shaker box: Part 6

Perhaps the original design intent answering the question of what one might store in a Shaker box is that they’re great for storing… other Shaker boxes. Because Shakers were first and foremost practical people, who avoided flourish and fanciness in favor of function (did you find that four-fold alliteration fantastic?) Shaker boxes were never intended to be objects of attention or admiration. They were the Tupperware of the day, meant to serve a practical function of keeping a home organized, and when in not in use they were nested one inside the other for more compact storage until needed again.

Of course, in today’s world, handmade wooden objects are much more rare than they were in the 1800s, and I find people are particularly fascinated by the idea of bending wood in general. Then there’s the elegant swallowtail design, and how these boxes are both delicate looking and very sturdy. For me, I’m fascinated by the many ways these boxes defy woodworking wisdom - more than once I’ve thought “so much about this design shouldn’t work.” Yet, the many surviving examples that are 100+ years old beg to differ.

So Shaker boxes offer a rare set of combinations - practical while elegant, strong while delicate, simple while beautiful. Good for holding everything from dry beans to my son’s 2nd grade snowflake Christmas ornament to… other Shaker boxes.

Speaking of which, I hear my steam box calling. Gotta go steam some #6 bands that want to be boxes.