Ed Wooten learned how to make Shaker boxes from John Wilson at the Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, KY. It was one of his last classes at that location.
Ed uses John Wilson’s Shaker oval box specifications. Each set of Wooten’s Shaker oval boxes comes with 4 nested boxes. Ed uses copper nails and wooden pegs to hold the boxes together. The smallest is a “1” and the largest is a “4.” Some of our pictures show a size “0” box that is no longer available. Below are the measurements:
- 1 – height: 1 1/2" | width: 2 9/16" | length: 4 9/16"
- 2 – height: 2" | width: 3 1/2" | length: 5 3/4"
- 3 – height: 2 1/2" | width: 4 1/2" | length: 7"
- 4 – height: 3 1/16" | width: 5 1/2" | length: 8 1/4"
Ed uses a Sapele veneer for the tops of these nesting Shaker oval boxes and Maple for the sides. You can see a closer look at the grain of the Sapele top above.
I met Ed Wooten for the first time at Tom Fuhrman’s glass studio on Short Mountain. Ed had come over to help Tom turn over a large stained glass window Tom was working on for a local church. It wasn’t until later I discovered Ed also made fused glass and Shaker oval boxes.
At age 73, Ed and his wife Janet have retired to Short Mountain in Cannon County, a place Ed describes as painted a spectrum of color between Spring and Fall. Ed serves on the board of the Arts Center of Cannon County and proudly displays the works of local artists in his home.
- Read more about craftsman Ed Wooten.
- Browse more boxes by Wooten.