Yes you can compost/age your pine bark but I'm not sure about using the big pb nuggets for this. I recall reading similar posts after I bought some bags of fresh but wet pb recently. I asked if they would break down over the winter. The answer was pb stored in a garage would not begin to compost. To make the compost process happen I would store the pb outside all fall/winter so that moisture and microorganisms could start breaking down the bark. With the small pb I'm sure this would work but those big 2 or 3" pieces would take a very long time to break down. I have garden beds full of chunky pb and they remain in big pieces for many years. TYG

Thank you both for the nice comments :-) Linda, Not sure Ill ever understand what possessed the person to "update" the chest in such a manner. I'm just glad I was able to get it back to some semblance of what it was originally. As for its origins- I guessed southern because of the wood used- cherry and tulip poplar. Also, I found it in Louisville Ky. What makes you think northeastern? Unfortunately the lock mechanisms are no longer with the chest. 6 of the holes for the old pulls are visible and the other half are covered by the knobs. While refinishing I made the decision to leave some of the smaller alterations and blemishes present so as to not make it look completely new- to let people know that its seen a few things over the years. I'm interested that you think this could be early 1800s or before- Do you know of any ways I could distinguish between mid 19th and late 18th century work?

My DH has this. He is no longer able to drive. He is diabetic and went through a period of denial - quit taking his meds, etc. He neglected his eyes and this is the result of that. Had they caught it sooner, he would be able to see better. For now, he gets injections in his eyes and laser eye surgery. He has had several of each since the first of last year. He uses magnifying glasses all the time. We just keep them laying around everywhere. His eyes are both better than when he was first diagnosed. They aren't promising anything, but as long as he keeps having small improvements and they continue the treatment, we are thankful. Bad thing is that we were planning to retire early, but now we can't. I have to continue to work to get health insurance until I am 65. I have a heart condition and he has diabetes and the eye problem. We are both uninsurable for all practical purposes. That is what hurts both of us. We worked so hard saving to retire and having enough to do a lot of traveling. Now - who knows. But, you caught yours early, so you should be in good shape. Just be sure you go to the doctor often to have them checked.

I know nothing about your dresser - it's lovely to my eye, though. However I just had to say I love your name addendum and might have to steal er, borrow it to tag onto mine! This whole combining of Houzz and Gardenweb is a fiasco.