Stephen’s Flag Case

I am a 16 year old woodworker in Pittsburgh, and this is my second big project since I began woodworking. I built this flag case for a project called Freedom Flag Cases, which matches woodworkers with the family of a fallen American soldier in order to provide them with a special, handmade place to put their folded American Flags. This program was originally started by woodworker Ed Sallee several years ago, and I, Stephen Porter, am taking over the operation. As I am just getting started, it will take a while to get everything organized.

The case is made of walnut and joined at the corners by 45 degree miter joints. I was careful in the planning stage to make sure the grain would wrap continuously around the entire case.

I created a sort of rabbet for the glass in front by cutting 1/8 inch thick strips from the front of each piece, and then reattaching them about 1/4 inch inward. I cleaned up the resulting step by beveling back the edges with my hand plane, preserving the continuous grain and creating a rather distinctive element.

The original bottom of the piece was not very flat, and I also wanted to bulk it up. As I don’t have a jointer, I flattened both the bottom and the face of another board by hand, and glued them together. This created a more stable, stronger looking base.

I completed the project by making a simple rabbet in the back for the oak plywood panel. The entire project was finished with many coats of orange shellac, and then rubbed down with paste wax.

I hope the family I send this to will understand the appreciation I and all Americans have for their son’s sacrifice, and that the box will allow them to display and preserve the flag and the memory of their son.

And if you are interested in building a Flag Case, please visit my website, Freedom Flag Cases.