LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

Last month I decided to get going on my daughters blanket chest. After bringing her home, I was amazed at how many actual blankets we received as gifts for her and some very nice ones at that. That being said, might as well make a chest to store them!

The design is pretty straight forward - I wanted it to match the dresser I had built her before she was born so materials are hard maple and black walnut for the lid. I did use breadboards again which I really like the look and functionality. This time I was able to get a cleaner, tighter joint along the breadboards by taking a few short passes with my hand plane to truly create a draw. Finish is the same, white stain and top coat is sprayed lacquer. I finished the bottom with some aromatic cedar which created a nice scent, but also dressed it up inside.

Hinges are the Rockler Lid Stay hinges. Pretty neat set up and super simple to install. Just weigh your lid, take a dimension on depth and place into calculator to get the set up you need. They are very expensive in my opinion, I think close to $93 I paid for these. In the end, I would pay that over again to ensure a 16lb lid doesn't come close to crushing any little fingers. As for functionality, so far so good, lid stays in any position you'd like. It is a bit tight, but I suppose that's the trade-off. I will say to anyone interested in using them, they create a rather heavy gap which I'm not thrilled with. I debated mortising in the hinges, but was concerned that down the road years from now if the hinges failed I'm somewhat stuck if they no longer offer them. So I instead used some rubber bumps to make the gap even all around.

Any feedback or questions, let me know.

Thanks for checking it out and Merry Christmas!

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
12,450 Posts
Fine looking pieces Friday. I used the same hinges on my grandsons toy box/blanket chest on the advise of a couple of ER nurses. They talked about the lids hitting toddlers heads and the injuries that followed. They are not so expensive after all!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,309 Posts
Great design match with your prior dresser. The picture of your daughter is adorable - has to be very rewarding to build these for her.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
99 Posts
Thanks guys - good point on the ER, one deductible and that's a win!

It's definitely a great feeling making her these things that she'll be able to have around longer than me. Hope is that she enjoys that in the future.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
Very nice.
Caught her with a great smile to. Excellent photography skills.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2 Posts
Great job. I really like the look.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
99 Posts
Thank you all for the kind words and feedback - Merry Christmas!
 

· Banned
Joined
·
5,339 Posts
a very nice combination they look nice together ….you can be glad you used to quality hinges….GREAT JOB :<))
 
Top