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| There was a time when a blanket
chest would be found in just about every home. In the days before built-in closets, these
chests were used to store clothing, linen and blankets. Today, even though closets are
found universally in homes, blanket chests are becoming popular again, not only because of
their practicality, but also because of their beauty. And they seem to go well with the
trend of people spending more time at home and wanting their homes to be cozy and warm. Our
cherry blanket chest features a traditional design that will fit comfortably in all but
the most contemporary of settings. It's lined with aromatic cedar, and its roomy storage
drawer is sturdily constructed with handcut dovetail corners.
As a shop project, it's appropriate for a woodworker of intermediate skill. To build
the chest, you need basic shop tools: a table saw, router, band saw or jigsaw and hand
tools. And as far as finishing is concerned, we kept things as simple as possible. We used
a basic oil finish to give the chest a warm glow and a silky feel. |
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| Building The Chest Rip and crosscut each board to
rough size and edge joint each. Then, lay out the boards for each panel and mark the
location of joining plates 6 to 8 in. between plate centers (Photo 1). |
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| 1 -- Select the boards for the panels, and
mark the joining plate slot positions at 6- to 8-in. intervals. |
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| Place the boards on a flat surface and cut the plate slots
(Photo 2). When laying out the boards for the chest front, rip and joint one board to 5
1/2 in. wide. You will cut the drawer face and the panel pieces that are at both ends of
the drawer face from this piece. Cutting these pieces from one board produces a continuous
grain pattern across the panel and the drawer. |
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| 2 -- Cut joining plate slots at each layout
mark. The tool and the workpiece must be positioned on a flat surface. |
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| Apply glue to the joining plate slots, plates and board
edges, then clamp the assembly (Photos 3 and 4). After 20 to 30 minutes, scrape off the
glue that has squeezed out. Allow the glued assembly to cure. Use a cabinet scraper to
smooth the panel surfaces. |
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| 3 -- Apply glue to the plate slots, the
plates and the board edges. Apply glue sparingly on all surfaces. |
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| 4 -- Use bar clamps to pull the joints
together. After 20 to 30 minutes, scrape off the glue that has oozed out. |
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| Rip and crosscut the panels to finished size, and cut the
rabbets and dadoes. We used a router, straight bit and edge guide to make these cuts
(Photo 5). There are two things to be aware of: First, test the router setup on some scrap
before making the cuts. Second, note that the grooves on the front and back panels that
seat the poplar shelf are stopped short of the panel ends. If the grooves extend to the
panel ends, they'll be visible after the box is assembled. |
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| 5 -- Use a router and a straight bit to cut
the rabbets and dadoes in the panels. Make test cuts before proceeding. |
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| Do a test assembly first, and sand or plane any joints that
fit too tightly. Proceed with the assembly in stages. Join the shelf and sides to the
front panel (Photo 6), apply as many clamps as needed to pull the joints tight, then let
the glue set. Remove the clamps and install the back panel. Again, use plenty of clamps to
pull the joints tight. |
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| 6 -- Glue and clamp one side to the chest
front, then follow with a second side and the shelf. Let the glue set. |
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| Next, rip and crosscut the blocking, drawer compartment side
guides and bottom runners from poplar. Invert the chest and glue the blocking in place
(Photo 7). |
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| 7 -- With the chest inverted, install the
blocking in the drawer compartment. These blocks guide the drawer. |
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| Then, install the side guides by gluing them to the blocking
and the underside of the shelf. Glue and screw the bottom runners to the side guides
(Photo 8). To apply the pieces of cedar closet lining, begin with the poplar shelf. Cut
the cedar boards to length, apply a bead of panel adhesive on each piece and slide it into
position. Proceed up each side, and rip the last board 1/16 in. wider than required. Use
spring clamps to maintain a tight joint between the cedar and the cherry on this last
piece. After the adhesive has cured, plane the cedar flush to the cherry. Next, bore the
pilot holes through the lining and into the chest for the lid support. Install the support
after the chest is finished.
Cut the panel for the chest lid to finished size, and use a 30 degree chamfer bit in
the router to cut the profile around the lid. Next, use a hacksaw to cut the piano hinge
to length. Bore 1/16-in.-dia. pilot holes for the mounting screws, then bore the pilot
holes for the lid support. You will eventually attach the hinge to the lid and the lid to
the chest, but don't actually install the hinge and lid until the chest is attached to the
base. The chest must be inverted to mount the base, and this will be easier if the hinge
and lid have not been installed. |
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| 8 -- Glue and then screw in the drawer
runners. Later, the base will be screwed to the runners through the cleats. |
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| Making The Base Rip stock for the chest base to
finished width, and crosscut it slightly overlength. Use an ogee bit (Bosch No. 85271M) in
the router table to cut the molded edge at the top of each piece (Photo 9). We recommend
using the router table for this operation, as opposed to routing freehand. Cutting the
molded edge with the router table ensures that the edge will be uniform along its length
and will match perfectly at the mitered ends. |
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| 9 -- Cut the ogee molding on the top edge of
the base pieces. Use a router table to ensure uniform results. |
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| Cut the joining plate slots for No. 20 plates in the mitered
ends of the base parts (Photo 10). Lay out and cut slots for No. 0 joining plates to form
the joints between the base sides and the cleats. The smaller plates are used here to
avoid cutting through the molded edge at the top of the base. |
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| 10 -- Tip the plate joiner's fence so the
tool can cut a slot in the mitered ends of a base piece. Worksurface must be clean. |
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| The next step is to cut the base parts to shape on the band
saw. Carefully remove the saw marks on the curved areas using rasps and sandpaper (Photos
11 and 12). |
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| 11 -- Trace the profile on each base piece,
and then cut it out with a band saw. Cut just to the waste side of the layout line. |
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| 12 -- Clamp the base piece in the bench
vise. Remove saw marks and smooth the curved areas with a rasp and sandpaper. |
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| Dry clamp the entire base assembly before using glue. Check
that the assembly is square, and make any necessary adjustments. Apply glue to the mating
edges of the front and back base pieces, the base cleats, the joining plate slots and the
plates themselves. Clamp the front and back base pieces to the base cleats (Photo 13).
After the glue has set, clamp the end base pieces to the base cleats. It may be difficult
to align the miter joints, so apply pressure with clamps from two directions if necessary.
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| 13 -- To complete the base assembly, clamp
the base ends to the front and back pieces. Apply pressure from two directions. |
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| Sand both the chest and base with 120-grit sandpaper, then
invert the chest and position the base over it. Adjust the base to provide an even
1/8-in.-wide reveal on all sides, and make a series of counterbored pilot holes through
the cleats and into the blocking next to the drawer compartment. Screw the base to the
chest (Photo 14). |
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| 14 -- Align the base over the chest so that
there's an even 1/8-in.-wide reveal on all sides. Screw the base to the chest. |
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| Drawer Construction And Finish Rip and crosscut the
drawer parts to size. Next, use a marking gauge to scribe a baseline on both ends of the
drawer side, both ends of the back and both ends of the drawer front (Photo 15). |
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| 15 -- Set the marking gauge a hair thicker
than the stock thickness. Scribe a baseline on the drawer parts. |
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| Lay out the dovetail spacing on the drawer sides using a
dovetail template or sliding bevel gauge (Photo 16). Mark the waste areas to prevent
cutting in the wrong area. |
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| 16 -- Lay out the dovetail spacing on the
drawer sides. Use a dovetail template or a sliding bevel gauge. |
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| Clamp both drawer sides together, and make the cuts with a
dovetail saw (Photo 17). You should stop the cuts at the baseline. |
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| 17 -- Next, clamp both sides of the drawer
together and cut out both sets of dove-tails at the same time. |
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| Next, clamp each side to the workbench, over a piece of
scrap, and use a sharp chisel to remove the waste between the dovetails (Photo 18).
Alternate vertical and horizontal cuts and chop only halfway through the board, then turn
over the drawer side and complete the cuts. Approach the scribed baseline in stages and
finish by placing the chisel in the scribe mark to make the final cut. |
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| 18 -- Cut halfway through from one side,
then flip over the drawer side and finish chiseling from the other side. |
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| Put the drawer back vertically in the bench vise and place a
drawer side over it. Trace the outline of the dovetails using a sharp knife. Also mark the
pin cuts on the drawer face with a knife (Photo 19). Use a square to extend the scribed
lines down the drawer face and the back of the face. Clamp the drawer back in the bench
vise, and saw down to the baseline along each angled mark. Then, chisel out the waste
between the pins. |
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| 19 -- Lay the completed sides over the front
of the drawer, then mark the drawer face using a sharp knife. |
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| Clamp the drawer face in the vise and hold the saw at a sharp
angle to start the cuts for the pins (Photo 20). |
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| 20 -- Clamp the drawer front upright in a
vise and saw along the layout lines. Finish cutting the joints with a chisel. |
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| Cut only as far as the layout lines, then use a sharp chisel
to remove the waste. Test fit each drawer joint (Photo 21). It should be snug, but able to
slide together with gentle mallet taps. Pare with a chisel to loosen tight spots. Use
the table saw and dado blade to cut the groove for the drawer bottom in the sides, front
and back. Sand the inside of the drawers with 120- and 220-grit sandpaper, but do not sand
the joint surfaces. Dust off the surfaces thoroughly.
Use a small glue brush to apply glue to the drawer joints, then join the face and back
to a side, slide in the bottom and install the other side. If the joints fit properly,
clamping should not be necessary. Check the assembly for square, and adjust as necessary.
After the glue has dried, test the drawer in its opening, then patiently sand or plane
to eliminate any tight spots. Install the drawer pulls.
Finish sand the chest with 220-grit sandpaper, and remove the dust with a tack cloth.
We used three coats of Watco Danish Oil to finish the outside of the chest. Apply the oil
with a rag or brush, let it soak in for 30 minutes, then wipe it off. After drying
overnight, repeat the process. Apply a third coat the same way, and when it has dried,
buff it with 4/0 steel wool and polish the chest with a soft cloth.
Finish the underside of the lid, the drawer compartment and the drawer with a quality
paste wax. The cedar is left unfinished. Install the lid, the lid support and the drawer
pulls. |
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| 21 -- Test fit the drawer. The parts should
require only light taps of a mallet to be driven together |
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's cache of http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/furniture/1996/1/cherry_blanket_chest/
