It is with great regret that I post that my beloved father, Kenneth Bowen, Air Force, Korea, and Apollo program veteran, passed last month at the age of 92. His ashes have been laid to rest in the Houston National Cemetery. Unfortunately, I never went far enough with my woodworking projects to obtain the skill to do justice to the work required, and so I'd like to solicit ideas and proposals for a veteran's flag case to honor his memory.

 

I'd want a wooden case for a standard flag, of course, but below it I'd like to have a rectangular, glass-fronted memorabilia case large enough to hold the "Korea Veteran" ball cap which he always wore, along with some of the pins and patches for the Apollo and Shuttle programs which he worked on in civilian life.

 

I'm trying not to fall afoul of any rules here, so I'd ask that you limit this thread to discussion of ideas, concepts, and proposals only. Any prices, please share only in a private message. I hope that's acceptable.

 

God, I miss you, Daddy.

 

 

Edited February 11, 20251 yr by ehbowen
Change from .bmp to .jpg

I am very sorry for your loss, we completely enjoyed Eric for the time he was with us, he did not speak much of his service but my oh my, what a life! I assume you are his daughter? And no you are by no means breaking any rules here, and even if you were we would certainly make way for a situation like this.  

We have a couple flag case builders here, hopefully they'll come in and work with you.

Also, I tried to open your attachment and it wouldn't open. Blessings.

 

No, this is Eric; I still haven't given up on learning woodworking and I've still got my ShopSmith...but Real Life has intervened. Sigh. No, this is on behalf of my father Kenneth, who you haven't heard from before.

 

And I changed the .bmp attachment to a .jpg...same photo, just a whole lot smaller.

@Ron Dudelston

12 minutes ago, ehbowen said:

No, this is Eric; I still haven't given up on learning woodworking and I've still got my ShopSmith...but Real Life has intervened. Sigh. No, this is on behalf of my father Kenneth, who you haven't heard from before.

 

And I changed the .bmp attachment to a .jpg...same photo, just a whole lot smaller.

I am so sorry Eric, I got all confused! Please forgive.

something like this?  my dad got this, and now i have it.  did not make it though.

6 minutes ago, DAB said:

something like this?  my dad got this, and now i have it.  did not make it though.

 

Something like that, yes, but with a memorabilia box on the bottom instead of a frame for a document.

looks like you need to layout the flag case first, and then a shadow box for all the stuff that is the same width.  i'd shoot for a golden ratio for the bottom section (1.618:1), with the width the larger value.  it'll be pleasing to the eye.

Thinking about wood choices: Most of his military service was in Japan and occasionally Korea. What kinds of (pretty) woods are native to that area?

 

Most of his subsequent life was in Texas. I'm thinking about a Japanese native wood for the upper (flag) portion of the case, and then a Texas native wood such as pecan or black walnut for the memorabilia portion. What might be a good color combination and finish up attractively?

 

Edit To Add: For the top (flag case) portion, I'm thinking perhaps Japanese Cherry wood. Where might I find pictures of what various woods look like when finished?

Edited February 11, 20251 yr by ehbowen

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

Texas mesquite would be a first choice I think.

Or pecan.  Mesquite is the one your state is known for though.

 

Japan is a tough one.  Mostly cedars and pine.  I looked up this link: https://daitool.com/blogs/daitool-blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-japanese-wood

and Paulownia is the only one I didn't recognize as a cypress, cedar, or pine - but the wood database calls it "the other balsa"..... not what you want!

 

or you could go with good American woods:  strong oak?  you can finish white oak in many tones, light to very dark. 

 

the USS Constitution is still floating and made out of white oak.  military has oak leaf clusters on many awards, so the military connection to oak is well established.

 

Eric,

 

Here's the case I made for my dad's flag last year. It's good Texas mesquite. Not quite the design you're looking for, but the wood shows nicely.

 

Edited February 11, 20251 yr by Headhunter

Eric,

 I too share my condolences.  I have built several variations of flag cases and would consider it an honor to help a fellow vet especially a fellow Air Force vet.  Shoot me a message here on site and we can communicate there.

 

Sorry for not responding yet; life happens. But my sister engaged a videographer, and we received this today:

 

 

@ehbowen What a legacy of service, tribute, family and love. Thank-you for sharing with us here. My heart felt condolences to your family.

 

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7, NIV

Okay. Lots going on. Mom has had seven doctor's appointments this week, and I've had to drive her to all of them. Here is my concept of the case I'm looking for. Suggestions are welcomed:

 

And here are the items which I want to display within the case. First, the flag:

 

 

Second, his hat:

 

And finally, this commemorative collection of "Apollo 11" pins:

 

 

I'll be sending PMs to those who have indicated interest so far.

Looking at the shelf where I intend to display this:

 

 

The absolute width between the side panels is just a smidge more than 25-1/2 inches, so that's my limiting dimension. Since the shelf is well above eye level I think I'll slant the hat display shelf down by about 30 degrees.