American Woodworker: Project of the Month: Frame and Panel Hope Chest

You should have some experience milling rough lumber straight and square before tackling this project. You’ll need a jointer and a planer to prepare the wood, a carbide-tipped stack dado set to cut grooves and tenons and a miter gauge you can trust to make square cuts. I prefer a mortising machine for its speed and accuracy, but you can use a plunge router or a drill press to cut mortises.

You’ll need three different thicknesses of rough hardwood. I used Pennsylvania cherry, which is easy to work and available in both rift and plain sawn boards (see Sources). The legs are made of 8/4 stock and require about 10 board feet of lumber. The rails and stiles come from 5/4 stock and you’ll need about 30 board feet. I used the straight grain of rift-sawn wood in the legs, rails and stiles to offset the plain-sawn top and panels, which required about 20 board feet of 4/4 wood. I used about 12 board feet of white pine for the bottom boards and back panels partially for economy, but mainly because I like the smell. Using rift-sawn wood, the total lumber cost is about $400.

Begin by milling all the legs and rails to thickness, width and length (see Cutting List). Be sure to cut the rails to their overall length, which includes both tenons. Mill the stiles to thickness and width, too, but leave them a bit long for now. Make a few extra short rails to use as test pieces down the road.

5 ways to soup up your Mortiser
These machines can cut accurate mortises incredibly fast. Here are some tips to make a good machine even better for any project:

Install a wider and longer support table.

Fasten the machine to your workbench.

Add a homemade riser block to the machine to accommodate wide legs and rails.

Lock the work in place with a quick-action clamp.

Blow out the chips with compressed air.

Cutting List

Part

Qty.

Name

Material

Dimensions

Comments

A

1

TOP

4/4 Cherry

13/16 x 19 x 48

B

4

LEGS

8/4 Cherry

1¾ x 3¾ x 25¾

C

2

TOP LONG RAILS

5/4 Cherry

1 x 3¾ x 40-7/8

Tenon Length 1-1/8" Between Shoulder 38-5/8"

D

2

BOTTOM LONG RAILS

5/4 Cherry

1 x 4½ x 40-7/8

Tenon Length 1-1/8" Between Shoulder 38-5/8"

E

2

TOP SHORT RAILS

5/4 Cherry

1 x 3¾ x 16¾

Tenon Length 1-1/8" Between Shoulder 14½"

F

2

BOTTOM SHORT RAILS

5/4 Cherry

1 x 4½ x 16¾

Tenon Length 1-1/8" Between Shoulder 14½"

G

4

STILES

5/4 Cherry

1 x 3¾ x 14½

Tenon Length ¾" Between Shoulder 13"

H

3

FRONT PANELS

4/4 Cherry

5/8 x 11-1/16 x 13-11/16

OPENING IS 10-3/8"W 13"L

J

3

BACK PANELS

4/4 Pine

5/8 x 11-1/16 x 13-11/16

K

2

SIDE PANELS

4/4 Cherry

5/8 x 15-3/16 x 13-11/16

OPENING IS 14½"W 13"L

L

1

BOTTOM

4/4 Pine

¾ x 6 x 44-13/16

OVERALL WIDTH OF BOTTOM IS 16-11/16"W, TONGUE AND GROOVE IS 3/8" DEEP

M

1

BOTTOM

4/4 Pine

¾ x 5-11/16 x 44-13/16

N

1

BOTTOM

4/4 Pine

¾ x 5-5/8 x 44-13/16

HARDWARE

2

HINGES

BRASS

2"H x 1½" OPEN WIDTH

1

DOWEL ROD

CHERRY

3/8"DIA. 24"L

2

LID SUPPORTS

LUMBER:
Pennsylvania cherry: Groff and Groff Lumber, (717) 284-0001

Cherry dowel rod, #50B02; $1.50:
Woodcraft Supply, (800) 225-1153

Router bits, 1/2-in. shank size:
3/4-in. dia. Round-nose, #747; $17
Round-over, #655; $17
Tongue and groove, #7844; $40:
MLCS, (800) 533-9298

HARDWARE:
Hinges: 01B01.07; $22/pr.
Lid Support: 03K20.06; $4:
Lee Valley, (800) 871-8158
(Be sure to ask for installation instructions.)

Tools:
Flush-cutting saw, #126296; $16:
Woodcraft Supply, (800) 225-1153

Previous Page Next Page

Hope Chest • Tools, Materials, & Sources • Exploded View of Hope Chest
The Grooves & Mortices • The Tenons • The Tenons (Continued)
The Stiles & Panels and The Top & Bottom • Assembly