Building a gun case, HELP!

[Royce Meritt]

Hi everyone! Every year I make something to donate to our local Ducks Unlimited chapter for our banquet. This year I will be making a hard sided gun case. It will be basic cube construction. You know, construct the sides, ends, top & bottom then saw apart to make the box bottom and lid. Inside will be to convoluted (egg crate) foam. Two latches and handle on front. Piano hinge on the back. The "box" will be of 1/2" walnut with an inlaid, lazer engraved insert in a contrasting wood on the top. Also, there will be the brass "corners" on the 8 corners of the box. Hope that makes sense!

Here's my question...I plan to use finger joints for the joint between the sides and ends. What do you recommend for a joint to attach the top and bottom to the sides? Do I need to allow for some wood movement across the width of the top and bottom? If so, how? If not will a simple "butt" joint" be OK? Thanks.

Hope my crude sketch helps! I think you will have to click on the link to see the sketch. Thanks again!

[Daniel Fisher]

Royce,
Looks like a neat project. My suggestion would be frame and panel construction. I think it would look best if the panels were flat and flush with the sides with a minimum of clearance between the sides and the panels. If you go this way, the panel tongue would be flush with the bottom of the panel.

[Per Swenson]

Hi Royce,

Love your stuff,

This might call for the ye old rabbet joint, rabbit.

Clicky here, fast n' easy. http://www.woodnbits.com/index_000013.html


Per

[Mike Cutler]

Rabbeted Miter. lots of strength due to glue area and a miter to hide the joint.
Of course a standard rabbet on long grain with a 3/8" roundover would look nice also, and prevent future dings.
Have the Rabbet on the end overlap the sides.

[Lee DeRaud]

Hi everyone! Every year I make something to donate to our local Ducks Unlimited chapter for our banquet. This year I will be making a hard sided gun case. It will be basic cube construction. You know, construct the sides, ends, top & bottom then saw apart to make the box bottom and lid. Inside will be to convoluted (egg crate) foam. Two latches and handle on front. Piano hinge on the back. The "box" will be of 1/2" walnut with an inlaid, lazer engraved insert in a contrasting wood on the top. Also, there will be the brass "corners" on the 8 corners of the box. Hope that makes sense!You were doing fine until you got to "convoluted (egg crate) foam": this is a pretty nice piece you're building and deserves something better for the interior, like felt-lined dividers fitted to the specific gun. Is the case going to be auctioned off? Might want to just apply the same finish to the inside as the outside, and do the interior later once you know what it's going to hold.