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

Glue up the front and back. Plane down the top rails so they’re even with the legs (Photo 14). Cut the double-deep mortises for the hinges on the back rail (Fig. D). Set in the dowel pins and cut them off flush (Photo 15). Plane, scrape or sand all the joints flush.

Glue up the entire case (Photo 16). Plane the top of the side rails even with the legs. To install the hinges, lay the case on its back supported by boards that are the same thickness as the top. Butt the top up to the back rail and mark the positions of the hinges (Photo 17). Install the top and add spring-loaded lid supports (see Sources, below) to prevent the top from squashing a kid’s fingers as it closes.

Cherry naturally darkens with age, especially under a thin finish. Patience, rather than stain, will yield the best results. If you oil your chest it will turn a beautiful deep color in a year or two. You can leave the interior of your chest unfinished, or use shellac or wax to avoid unpleasant odors.

PLANE THE TOP RAIL flush with the leg after you glue up the chest’s front and the back. This beats planing down the end of a leg to meet a rail!

CUT OFF THE DOWEL PINS that lock the joints with a Japanese-style flush-cutting saw (see Sources, below). Its teeth have no set, so they won’t cut into the wood around the pins. Glue the pins in the front and back assemblies and saw them flush before you glue up the entire case.

SLIP IN THE BOTTOM BOARDS during the final glue up. They fit in a groove that goes all the way around the inside of the chest. Tongue and groove joints hold the boards together so you don’t have to glue them to each other.

POSITION THE HINGES on the top and mark the screw holes with an awl. Each hinge sits snugly in a mortise that’s as deep as the thickness of a doubled-over hinge, so there’s no need to mortise the top.

DETAIL OF HINGE MORTISE
The mortise is as deep as a closed hinge.

Previous 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