You can make your own large wooden treasure chest box with just a few easy steps. It’s a great project for beginner woodworkers. You can also use the steps below to make your own chest bench.
Here are the tools and materials you will need:
• Table saw
• Jigsaw or fine-toothed saw
• Hammer or nailgun
• Hand plane and sandpaper or sander
• PVA wood glue
• Pencil
• Ratcheting-type tie-downs
• Cedar boards or any leftover wooden boards available or you prefer
WOODEN TREASURE CHEST BOX
Making the lid
The most difficult part of the wooden treasure chest box is the curved lid. This is the part you should start first. To make the lid, follow these easy steps.
1. Prepare 10 pieces of 10×1 boards. Rip them at a 10° angle with your table saw. This will give each board a trapezoid-shaped cross-section.
2. Trace the trapezoid-shaped board ten times on another bigger board. This will be the pattern for the ends of your lid. It should create a semi-circle shape.
3. Cut the traced shape following the inner line. Use the cut semi-circle board to trace another piece. You should have two pieces.
4. Using glue and nails (with a nailgun or a hammer), attach the 10×1 boards to the half-circle pieces. Punch the nail heads below the wood’s surface to create a smooth finish.
5. Clamp the whole lid with some tie-downs. You can also use rope by doing a trucker’s hitch knot to apply tension.
This will make sure that excess glue and air will be removed. Clamping will also make the wooden pieces hold their place while drying out the glue.
6. After 20-30 minutes, remove the clamping device you used. Use a hand plane to remove dried excess glue. You can make it as textured or as smooth as you want. You can also sand this is you prefer.
Plane off the edges as well. The lid must have a straight edge and not beveled.
Making the box
After making the lid, you can now go to the easier part of the project – the box itself.
1. Prepare 5 board pieces. The measurements will depend on your preferred box depth.
a) The (1) front, (2) back and (3) bottom pieces of your box should have the same length as the lid. The width of the front and back pieces will base on the depth you prefer. The width of the bottom piece will depend on the width of your lid.
b) The (4) left and (5) right side pieces of the box must have the same length as the width of the lid. Their width is the depth of the box.
2. Attach these pieces to create the box. Use the same glue and nail technique you used with the lid.
Finishing the treasure chest box
Once you’ve made the lid and the box parts, it’s time to join them together and finish the box.
1. Add hinges to join the two pieces together. You can attach the hinges inside for a clean look or outside for a more rustic outcome. You may also add lock hinges for security.
2. Paint the treasure chest box with any shade of wood paint you prefer. You can personalize it any way you like.
CHEST BENCH
To make a chest bench, you can follow the same steps as making a treasure chest box. However, you won’t need to make a curved lid. Instead, you’ll only need to make a flat lid so you can sit on it.
Use thicker board pieces so the chest bench can support a person’s weight. The lid’s length and width must be slightly longer and wider than the box.
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