# Six Board Chest



## DTR (20 Oct 2017)

Been a while since I posted a WIP, especially since the Photobucket scandal......

We needed a new chest to go in the hallway, for storing backpacks and the like. I decided to build a so-called six board chest, very much based on one of the versions built by Chris Schwarz in _The Anarchist's Design Book_. The wood is Tulip as it's easy to work and will be painted (eventually).

Preparing the boards:









Marking the notches in the end boards. I kept the boards clamped together throughout so that they would match:





The notches were cut with a ripsaw and cleaned up with a chisel and blockplane.

Using a sector and dividers to find the mid-point of the boards:





Laying out the cyma reversa profile for the feet using a compass and a straightedge:





Part 2 coming up....


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## DTR (20 Oct 2017)

Roughed out the foot profile with a coping saw (bandsaw would have been a better idea :roll: ), then finished with a rasp and sandpaper:





Finished end board. At some point I chopped some housings to receive the bottom board, but in my senility I must have forgotten to take any photos:





Sticking a cross-grain rebate on the end of the front (or back?) board. I did the first one with a Record 778 rebate plane, but I did the other three with a woody skew rebate. For some reason I find the skew rebate easier and more consistent to use than the 778:





Sticking bead on the lower edge of the front and back boards with a Record 050:


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## DTR (20 Oct 2017)

Backboard nailed on to the ends. I've left the back board slightly too long and wide so that the excess can be trimmed to fit:





Bottom board slid into the housings and glued in place:





Front board nailed on:





Planing down the front and back boards until they're flush with the ends:





The body of the chest finished (_sans_ paint):






Now I just need to make a lid..... and find some hinges........ and paint it.......

Thanks for reading!


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## sunnybob (21 Oct 2017)

I've been woodworking for only 3 years since retiring, but that is the very first time I have seen nails used on this site.

Presumably that was a deliberate fashion statement?
Wont they rust through the paint?


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## ColeyS1 (21 Oct 2017)

Great project ! Nice to see all the hand tools being used. I really like the feet detail. The blue toolbox on the floor looks quite tidy aswell  
Cheers
Coley

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## AndyT (21 Oct 2017)

I really like the look of that and the way you've made it.


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## pitch pine (21 Oct 2017)

I like that. Clean simple lines and curves. I also spotted the blue toolbox. Thanks for posting.


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## DTR (21 Oct 2017)

Thanks chaps 

The blue tool box was made a few years ago and keeps everything in one place. Before that my tools were scattered all over the shed. 



sunnybob":2ji7mw3i said:


> I've been woodworking for only 3 years since retiring, but that is the very first time I have seen nails used on this site.
> 
> Presumably that was a deliberate fashion statement?
> Wont they rust through the paint?



The grain of the end boards runs vertical but the front and back are horizontal, so seasonal movement could be a problem. The idea is that unlike a glue joint the nails will allow for some movement. The bottom can be glued in as the grain direction is in favour on all four sides. 

It's not clear in the photos, but the nails are roseheads which are a little bit prettier than a standard clout nail. As for the rust, I have no idea....


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## custard (21 Oct 2017)

Superb!

Simple traditional design, impeccably executed. And it really is impeccable, the quality of that workmanship looks absolutely first rate.

=D>


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## DTR (21 Oct 2017)

Thank you Custard, you're far too kind. In my experience the key to impeccable workmanship is poor lighting and a rubbish camera


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## sundaytrucker (21 Oct 2017)

DTR":24eoxqk6 said:


> Thank you Custard, you're far too kind. In my experience the key to impeccable workmanship is poor lighting and a rubbish camera



Don't do a disservice to yourself, it looks excellent and I look forward to seeing it completed.


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## custard (21 Oct 2017)

sundaytrucker":dpkbdo6h said:


> Don't do a disservice to yourself.



+1

Look at that foot profile; dead square, perfectly clean transition form one curve to another, zero dubbing over of the arrises, and a nice deep cleft. 

That's not an easy trick to pull off.


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## cowfoot (21 Oct 2017)

Nice work.
I keep meaning to have another go at a Chris Schwarz project. I get the impression that his writing is a bit Marmite, but his designs are sound and he gives historical background and reasons for all his techniques (including nails!).


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## DTR (22 Oct 2017)

Thanks chaps, much appreciated


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## DTR (23 Oct 2017)

Sticking a moulding on the lid using a crusty old moulding plane. As I'm going across the grain, I've clamped a sacrificial piece on the end to prevent the grain from breaking out:









After moulding the two ends, I moulded the long edge at the front:





And finally, an artist's impression of what the chest might look like with a lid on:





(I photoshopped some shoes in for added realism  )

Now I need to find some hinges that I actually like, which is proving to be a bit of a struggle.......


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## MusicMan (23 Oct 2017)

Nice job!

Rosehead nails are indeed attractive. I bought a pack for restoration work on a Georgian bureau, where they were originally used quite a bit behind-the-scenes: the back, the drawer runners (attached with a single nail at the rear end with a sliding joint at the front. the backs of the drawer bottoms, etc.

One thing I noticed was how darn good the original maker was at nailing. He could put a nail accurately in a 1" board near the edge at a slight skew and have it accurately centre in a 1/4" wide rebate on the other side! I didn't dare attempt that!

Keith


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## AndyT (23 Oct 2017)

You can't buy nice hinges ready made.
What you need is to find a craftsman who works skilfully in metal as well as in wood. I think there's one in Essex who's pretty handy! 

Go on, you know you want to have a go...:wink:


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## DTR (10 Nov 2017)

Found some hinges...... and some paint.......


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## sunnybob (10 Nov 2017)

Those chest lids frighten me. if there are any kids around, fit a soft closer on it, 'cos A&E trips with squashed fingers will ruin your day.


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## DTR (10 Nov 2017)

No kids, just me, Doris and a feline lodger


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## pitch pine (10 Nov 2017)

Looks great painted, I bet you are pleased with the result. Just needs a bit of patina now...


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## bourbon (10 Nov 2017)

Originally a chest for holding flour, The legs hold the contents off the floor. Our groups carpender has made a couple. Your project looks really good and well proportioned. Where did you source the hinges from?


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## n0legs (11 Nov 2017)

Fair play Dave that's bloody lovely =D> 
More please


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## Farmer Giles (11 Nov 2017)

Top job their Dave. That would look good in the porch the missus wants next year....


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## DTR (13 Nov 2017)

Thanks chaps 



bourbon":2g9cc7y3 said:


> Originally a chest for holding flour, The legs hold the contents off the floor. Our groups carpender has made a couple. Your project looks really good and well proportioned. Where did you source the hinges from?



Interesting to know, thanks. The hinges came from ebay.


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## Gerard Scanlan (13 Nov 2017)

Thank you for sharing your WIP. Like it.


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## bourbon (13 Nov 2017)

DTR":8om0mts3 said:


> Thanks chaps
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If I may be so bold. Have you got a link to the seller. Our group has a Blacksmith who can make Hinges (and does) but I feel guilty when he won't accept any money for them when he could sell them to someone else. ( weird I know)


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## MarkDennehy (13 Nov 2017)

That's got a lovely deceptive simplicity to it Dave (deceptive because when something is that "simple" it's not really "simple", it's "fundamental" and if everything isn't perfect there's nowhere to hide mistakes...).
Not sure about the paint, but I'm an awkward git at the best of times


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## nabs (14 Nov 2017)

looks great - I like the nails too!


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## DTR (14 Nov 2017)

bourbon":3qv7v4sa said:


> If I may be so bold.



You may 

https://m.ebay.co.uk/seller?sid=logoconrad



MarkDennehy":3qv7v4sa said:


> Not sure about the paint, but I'm an awkward git at the best of times



Thanks  I thought the paint would be a bit divisive, I'm surprised there hasn't been more comments. The wood is tulip so it was never going to look great on its own. 



nabs":3qv7v4sa said:


> looks great - I like the nails too!



Thanks


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## MarkDennehy (14 Nov 2017)

Oh, I don't mind paint itself, it was just the colour  
I figure if you're going to paint furniture, never paint it white, you'll be dusting for the rest of your natural life because it shows up *everything*  
I've got some nice red milk paint I've been dying to use for a while that I have planned to use on a small box or something similar for "testing" 
Mind you, I think poplar looks nice enough with some BLO, but then, I'm a little odd sometimes


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## DTR (14 Nov 2017)

Oh I see :lol: White fits with the rest of the decor? *shrug*. Some of the poplar I used looked great, but some had that green tinge. If you do make a box, I look forward to seeing it!


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## MarkDennehy (14 Nov 2017)

I had a small project in mind allright


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## bourbon (14 Nov 2017)

Sorry but the link didn't lead to a specific seller. It's your box , It's your choice to paint it.


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## DTR (2 Jul 2018)

A sequel, sort of.....

Here's another, smaller six-board chest. No WIP photos I'm afraid but the method is the just the same as my first one. This one's made from tulip like the first, and to maintain my sanity I used some simple cheap butt hinges. 

I also made some little trays / tills to sit in the top. 






















(Please excuse the dusty fingerprints)

While I like the form of a six-board chest, I'm not 100% convinced with the argument that these are quicker and easier to make than, say, a dovetailed box. The bulk of the work in either case is stock prep, and the boarded chest introduces its own peculiarities like cross-grain working.


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## bourbon (2 Jul 2018)

Very nice work there. Like the blue. and the nail detail is a good touch


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