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by
Adrian Jones
photos: Ray Pilon
illustration: Len Churchill |
DOCK BOX (part 3) |
Bend a thin piece of wood to the curved shape shown in the plans,
then trace the shape onto your group of boards. Cut out the
arch on a bandsaw and sand down to your layout lines. With a
bearing-guided 1/2"-tall rabbeting bit in a table-mounted
router, cut a 1/4"-deep by 1/2"-wide groove in both
sides of the curved edges of the group you’re working
with. Done correctly, the two outside arches should now have
a single rabbet, while the centre piece should have a 1/4"
rib in the centre of its curved edge. Separate the lid arches,
then remove the ridge of waste material along the top of the
middle rail using a bandsaw. Clean up the edge using a flush-trimming
bit in your router table. The middle arch should now be 1/4"
shorter than the two outer arches.
Cut the front and back lid rails
to size and assemble the lid frame with the arch rabbets facing
inward. Trace the angle of the arch onto the rail end grain
and make a rip on the tablesaw to create a smooth transition
from arch to rail. Next, prepare a 3/4"-deep by 5/8"-wide
dado in the centre of each lid rail to interlock with the middle
arch before bringing the parts together. Clamp the frame without
glue, then drill pairs of counterbored pilot holes into the
ends of the arches, centred on the dado. Glue and screw the
frame together, first with the outer arch members, but leave
the middle one out for now. When everything is dry, trim and
sand the plugs flush.
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Gather
more cedar for the 1 3/4" x 47 7/8" lid slats and
cut them to shape. Use a dado blade in the tablesaw to prepare
the 1/4"-wide by 3/8"-deep rabbeted edges that create
the lap joints that connect the lid slats.
If your box will be used for life
jacket storage, cut the hanging rail now from 2x2 lumber. The
plans show how to create 1/4"-deep notches on three sides
of the rail using a 9/16"-wide dado blade in your tablesaw.
Use a router with a 3/4" roundover bit to ease all edges
and transform the square, notched strip of wood into a dowel.
Bore a 1 1/2" hole in the centre of the middle arch, 2
1/4" in from the bottom edge and insert the hanging rail.
Glue and screw the middle arch within the lid.
The hanging rail works best with
wooden curtain rings with cup hooks hanging from them. Drill
pilot holes in the rings now and install 3/4"-dia. cup
hooks before slipping the rings onto the rod. You’ll find
that up to 10 rings fit comfortably.
When all the rings are in place,
secure the ends of the hanging rod with #8 x 2 1/2" screws
driven through the outside lid arches. Counterbore the screw
holes and cover them with more tapered wooden plugs.
Now it’s time to install
the lid slats, but as you’ll find, the first and last
ones need to be a little different than the rest. Cut a pair
of these “edge slats” to 1/4" thick and two
inches wide. Dry-fit all the slats on the lid frame, starting
and ending with an edge slat that overlaps the rail by 1/4".
Apply glue to all mating surfaces and add slats until there’s
room for only one more. Rip this final edge slat to fit. Clamp
across the width of the lid, using the arch-shaped off-cuts
as curved clamping pads for the ends and middle. Let the glue
dry completely, then sand the top smooth, starting with 100-grit
through to 180-grit.
Centre the completed lid on the
box, then install a pair of stainless-steel hinges. Add a pair
of chest handles centred on the sides of the box and a couple
of heavy-duty lid stays to keep the lid from opening too far.
Cut small pieces of cedar about one inch square (face grain
down) and screw them to the bottom of the legs. These sacrificial
pads protect the legs from water that is absorbed by the end
grain, and when they deteriorate you can replace them easily.
Apply three coats of quality spar
varnish to the inside and outside faces of the box, moulding
and lid. Sand lightly between coats, then leave the box for
a few days while the finish cures. Then take the box outdoors
and enjoy the summer with dry, mould-free outdoor gear.
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| You
will need: |
| PART |
MATERIAL |
SIZE |
QTY |
| Legs |
cedar |
1
1/2" x 1 1/2" x 28" |
4 |
| Upper
front/back rails |
cedar |
1
1/2" x 1 1/2" x 45" |
2 |
| Lower
front/back rails |
cedar |
1
1/2" x 1 1/2" x 45" |
2 |
| Upper
side rails |
cedar |
1
1/2" x 1 1/2" x 45" |
2 |
| Lower
side rails |
cedar |
1
1/2" x 1 1/2" x 25" |
2 |
| Leg
filler strips |
cedar |
3/8"
x 5/8" x 2" |
8 |
| Panel
boards |
cedar |
5/8"
x 5 1/4" x 23 3/4" |
28 |
| Bottom
slats |
composite
decking
|
1"
x 5 3/8" x 25 1/2" |
7 |
| Top
face moulding |
cedar |
5/8"
x 1 7/8" x 47 3/4" |
2 |
| Top
side moulding |
cedar |
5/8"
x 1 7/8" x 27 3/4" |
2 |
| Lid
arches |
cedar |
5/8"
x 5" x 30" |
3 |
| Lid
slats |
cedar |
5/8"
x 1 3/4" x 47 7/8" |
21 |
| Lid
rails |
cedar |
1
1/2" x 1 3/4" x 47 1/8" |
2 |
| Edge
slats |
cedar |
1/4"
x 2" x 47 7/8" |
2 |
| Hanging
rail |
cedar |
1
3/8" x 1 3/8" x 47 1/8" |
1 |
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PART 1 | PART 2 | PART
3 |
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