Toy chest for a girl

[Mike OMelia]

A friend wants me to build her a toychest for her beautiful almost 2 year old girl. She wants hinges that keep the top from falling. Maybe the top can be a place to sit with cushions, rails? So, anybody have some interesting designs?

Mike

[Bill Davis]

This one doesn't have hinges that stop the top from falling since it has a sliding top along with two drawers.
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[frank shic]

rockler sells a brace that prevents the lid from falling on those little fingers. i used it on the toychest i built for my girls.

[Ronald Blue]

Woodworkers Supply also has hinges that are designed to keep lids from free falling and smashing fingers. You order them based upon the weight of the lid.

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Mike,

Here's one I just completed for my new nephew. As you can see, his dad is a HUGE Green Bay Packers fan, so I'm sure my new nephew will be too. The "geen" paint is actually darker than what in these photos, but the flash caused the "lightening" of it a bit.
Anyways, to prevent "little fingers" from being caught, I recessed the front panet about an inch or so (under the front lip of the seat). Also, I added two hinges to each side of the seat (inside) that prevents the seat from falling when raised. There are screws that you can tighten or loosen so the seat operates correctly. I got them at Home Depot. Just make sure that if you get two of them to get both the "left and right" side brackets.

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[Robert Chapman]

+1 on the Rockler hinges. I have them on a chest top and they work really well. They are called Lid-Stay Torsion Hinge Lid Supports. Not cheap but they protect those little fingers.

[Jim Rimmer]

+1 on the Rockler hinges. I have them on a chest top and they work really well. They are called Lid-Stay Torsion Hinge Lid Supports. Not cheap but they protect those little fingers.

I have used these and they are great!

[Prashun Patel]

I made 2 chests this past summer with the Rockler Lid-stay torsion hinges. They're good, but I'd use better screws than the ones provided. HALF of them snapped when I drove them; and I wasn't torquing too hard.

I also think you should cut a relief in the front panel like the 'Packers' chest below. The hinges are 'drop' proof but not 'sit-or-jump-on-the-lid-while-little-brother-has-fingers-underneath' proof.

[Wayne Cannon]

My daughter and all of her friends loved the circus wagon toy chest I made for her years ago. She is now 37 and I have no pictures or plans.

It was nothing fancy from a woodworking techniques perspective, but I think I can describe it and why they loved it. Because it had so many openings, its 2"x2" frame required sturdy joints to keep it square.


About 4' x 2' x 2'
Tilt up lid with scalloped edges around circumference, like a circus wagon's, split like a dutch door laying flat
Double-doors on one end
Drop-down (ramp) door on the other end
Solid walls with painted bars and lion swishing tail through the bars
10" diameter functional wheels
Top was held open by friction supports, but there are better solutions today

Her toy box was a source of play as well as toy storage. They loved the ability to empty the box and crawl through from end to end, and its substantial size held lots of toys and stuffed animals. Her friends all loved the lively painted circus wagon motif.

There are numerous similar toy boxes, mostly significantly smaller in size, in a Google search (http://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=%22circus+wagon%22+%22toy+chest%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8). This one (http://dealnay.com/733437/circus-toy-chest-woodworking-plan.html) is probably the closest in form, albeit with somewhat cartoonish artwork. The artwork on this one (http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/store/Circus_Wagon_Toy_Box_Woodworking_Plan.html) is similar, but it has more ornate edges and top.