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Blanket Chest Beginner
Strength
I am building my first. No pattern, just some pictures. It is rail and style which I built using my router bits, without any mortise and tenon construction. Because it is three panel on the sides and one panel on the ends, I am hoping that the cross members will yield sufficient strength. I debated adding loose tenons, but because it will be reinforced with an inner skeleton of cedar [3/8″] I went without them. I plan on using multiple biscuits to join the sides and ends, with a decorative apron around the bottom which I will glue and screw to the frame bottom and to a plywood base inside the chest, effectively uniting them. I am also thinking of putting some biscuits between the plywood base and the carcase, but this may be overkill. Would love your thoughts on this.
Hinges
My real question is on the piano hinge I will use for the top. I can easily rip the top rail on the hinge side between the styles to recess the hinge, but I am wondering if there is any disadvantage to doubling the width of the cut so the hinge will lie flush with the top of the chest and the top will seat flat against it and the top of the chest. I don’t know why, but for some reason I figured that both surfaces needed to have a mortise for the hinge, as all doors in my house meet the casing that way. It would sure be easier to just rip a recess in the top rail wide enough for both leaves of the hinge and be done with it before glue up, but I know shortcuts frequently mean a lot of backtracking later. Have you any advice? If I go with this plan, I guess I have to open the hinge slightly and use the measurement with the leaves parallel, not just double the leaf thickness which would not account for the thickness of the hinge. Am I asking for trouble, or am I on the right track?
Wood Movement
I plan on lining all six sides with aromatic cedar, and to cope with wood movement, I will leave about 3/16″ on each side of the cedar bottom, and cover it with the side and end slats. I figured to glue the center six inches and either let the sides float, or use construction glue which might allow a little movement. I don’t know how much movement to expect, but I suspect even in this 17″ wide chest, I cannot just glue the cedar to the plywood base. I am still thinking about the sides and ends, but I think I will glue up a panel from the cedar strips and glue the bottom six inches. The sides can hold in the ends, but I don’t know how to anchor the top 9″ of the 15″ sidewalls, unless I use construction glue. Here again, I would love some good ideas.
Safety
Finally, I will not be putting any lock or latch on the chest, but even without any such device, I am worried a child might let himself get closed in and not have the strength to raise the lid. I can picture a safety device, perhaps spring loaded, that drops down whenever the door is opened, and prevents closure making the chest airtight unless the device is “reset”. Does such a device exist?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Cliff Steele
Replies
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Cliff,
Ref. your question on mounting the piano hinge: if I understand correctly, you are intending to increase the depth of the hinge mortise so you can accomodate the thickness of the hinge by recessing it in only one member, instead of cutting mortises in both members (lid and upper edge of back). This will work OK, I have done it in several chests and boxes I have made using piano hinges and also regular 3" butt hinges. If you are using the flathead countersunk screws that come with the piano hinge, you only have to double the width of one hinge leaf for your mortise, not the whole thickness of the hinge barrel. But, I would put the mortise in the top edge of the chest back, NOT the underside of the chest top. Otherwise, unless you are using thicker wood than 4/4 (3/4"), the tips of the screws may penetrate the top.
Ref the cedar lining inside: I have always used the cedar closet lining kits, in which the thin cedar strips are ripped to narrow tongue and grooved widths. I wouldn't glue it to the bottom, just use brads and nail to the bottom thru the tongues. The groove in the next adjacent strip covers the nails, and the softness of cedar plus the slight flexibility of the brads will accomodate any wood movement. Don't jam the strips in tight to one another, just enough to cover the nails.
I'm not aware of any safety device like you mentioned that prevents closing, but several woodworking catalogs carry a springed device that requires a positive force to close the lids, preventing them from slamming down on fingers accidentally. I think they are marketed as toy box lid supports. Hope this helps. GP
*Hi I have just finished a cedar chest and I used the friction lid support from Rockler. It worked very well. If you are planning to use a decorative skirt around the chest why not use wood screws into the plywood these would be covered by the skirt.
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