Toy Chest help

[Jim Riseborough]

Building a toy chest, and debating on how to connect everything. First pic is the general idea, a box with columns for legs, and panels for the sides. I would picture frame it out with some wood to give a recessed look.

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Im debating how to connect everything. I am looking to notch the bottom piece to fit into dado's in the legs, and then have a groove for the sides to fit into, then all glued up for strength.

The sides would be a butt joint into the bottom, or a rabbet on the bottom, and cover with a piece of wood with a radius (as shown in first pic)

See any issues with the connection at the legs?

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[Lee Schierer]

Your design for the sides should be okay. I would suggest a dado to hold the bottom in place and also make the bottom from plywood so you don't have to worry about seasonal dimension changes in the bottom.

Don't glue your panels in place unless they are also plywood.

[Robert Chapman]

Just a suggestion for a safety concern. Check out Rockler's Lid-Stay Torsion Hinges. They will prevent the top of your chest from slamming down on kids [and adults] fingers. They are not cheap but are very good quality and last forever.

[Bill Bukovec]

The last toy chest I made had one drawer at the bottom. My thought was that a little kid isn't tall enough to reach to the bottom to get a toy, especially when it is under a pile of other toys. Just a thought.

[Stan Calow]

I'm working on a chest for grandson right now. I dont know that my design is any better, but I am making it as rail/stile with panels on all sides. Legs at the corners acting as the stiles. A 1/4" groove down each leg to hold the plywood panels, with a deeper mortise within the grooves to hold the rail tenons. There will be one or two stretchers across the bottom to support the bottom along with the narrow inside edge of the bottom rails. Sorry don't have a drawing.

[Bill Dufour]

I have heard that you should add air holes in the bottom plywood in case a kid gets stuffed inside while the big kids sit on the lid. Of course then the insects or snakes and mice can get in. This also allows some airflow so damp stuff can dry a little if you have hand holes under the lid.
Bill

[Jim Riseborough]

Thanks,
I will have to rethink the gluing of the panels. They are really the main support. Its a box, the panels were not going to be free floating. Perhaps I can do a rails across the top and bottom and groove them too for the panels to sit in.

[Brian Tymchak]

I think I would be inclined to build that chest using 4 separate panels and join them at the corners with a glued butt joint. That would be probably be sufficient but the butt joint could be splined/biscuited/doweled/dominoed for additonal strength. That would give you a nice clean interior by eliminating the corners of the legs protruding into the box. I suspect that's the way the box you show in the first picture is constructed. Then, you can put the bottom in a groove in all 4 panels but I would also make the bottom from 3/4" material and add cleats under all 4 sides to add support. It's a box, and boxes can end up holding a lot of weight, like children, as someone mentioned above.

[Jim Riseborough]

I think I would be inclined to build that chest using 4 separate panels and join them at the corners with a glued butt joint. That would be probably be sufficient but the butt joint could be splined/biscuited/doweled/dominoed for additonal strength. That would give you a nice clean interior by eliminating the corners of the legs protruding into the box. Then, you can put the bottom in a groove in all 4 panels but I would also make the bottom from 3/4" material and add cleats under all 4 sides to add support. It's a box, and boxes can end up holding a lot of weight, like children, as someone mentioned above.

Isnt that the same effect on the panels as gluing them to the legs? Wont they be restrained and want to move?

I like the leg look, I might chamfer them on the inside so they are a diagonal, or maybe a rabbet to eliminate them.

[Jim Finn]

I have heard that you should add air holes in the bottom plywood in case a kid gets stuffed inside while the big kids sit on the lid. Of course then the insects or snakes and mice can get in. This also allows some airflow so damp stuff can dry a little if you have hand holes under the lid.
Bill
When I make toy chests I make a slot all along the top just under the lid for air to enter. This is a safety suggestion in case a child goes inside the box and falls asleep.

[Brian Tymchak]

Isnt that the same effect on the panels as gluing them to the legs? Wont they be restrained and want to move?


Oops. Ambiguous use of "panels" in my response. I was assuming that the 4 sides of the case are built using typical frame and panel construction, where a frame (rails and stiles) is built with grooves for the panel to sit in loosely (not glued). It is the frames of the sides that would be joined together to form the box leaving the panels all to move with seasonal changes in humidity. Hopefully that's a better explanation of what I was envisioning.


I like the leg look, I might chamfer them on the inside so they are a diagonal, or maybe a rabbet to eliminate them.


Unless you have a large leg with the panel oriented to the front of the leg leaving a lot of meat to the rear, I'm not sure how you do this without compromising the integrity of the groove that holds the panel. But, I haven't yet had my morning's full allocation of caffeine so I might not be fully understanding your intention.

[Al Launier]

Regadles of how you decide for joinery that is a very nice, clean looking chest.

[Jim Riseborough]

I ended up with a corner post and top and bottom rails with grooves. The rails are set so they are flush with the inside, so the corner post wont intrude into the box.

For the panels, they will be floating. Do you folks usually apply a finish to them before you assemble, or afterwards? I am thinking before, incase they move a bit, and expose any unfinished edges.

I will get some pics posted when assembly starts.

Thanks

[glenn bradley]

Good advice here on panels of that size needing to float. the strength comes from the frames and the frames can mount to the posts. I finish panels before assembly. That way the wood movement doesn't result in any peek-a-boo exposure of unfinished areas.

[Jim Riseborough]

So have the main box assembled and its quite strong, glued and screwed the rails, and the panels are free floating. The bottom I was going to cut 1/8 clearance all around, and then have cleats under it with enlarged holes for screws. maybe then some quarter round to hide the clearance. Any issues? I would love to have it tight to the rails, and screw it for strength, but again worried about it moving.

I'll get some pictures posted so you can critique.

[Jim Riseborough]

Heres what I ended up with. Its functional. Would do some things different in the next one, if there ever is. 374723374724374725374725374726

[David Eisenhauer]

Nice box Jim. The horizontal grain run works for me in this build. For my taste, the handles are a little clunky, but it is not my box so who cares? How did you connect the rails to the legs? More than once I have built a second item after completing the first one because "now I really know how to build this because that was not the way" and the recipient of the second item gets the better of the two while I keep the first (mistakey) one.

[Jim Riseborough]

Nice box Jim. The horizontal grain run works for me in this build. For my taste, the handles are a little clunky, but it is not my box so who cares? How did you connect the rails to the legs? More than once I have built a second item after completing the first one because "now I really know how to build this because that was not the way" and the recipient of the second item gets the better of the two while I keep the first (mistakey) one.

Rails are connected with glue and some Kreg screws. Two in each connection. Thats one thing I would do different, would use Mortise and tennon type joints.

Handles are a bit big, could have used 1/2" pipe. the box about 150lbs it seems! All solid wood, no ply.

[David Eisenhauer]

M&T leg/rail connections is indeed another step in the woodworking evolution, but still looks like a nice box to me and it will probably outlast its use. Good stuff and we are waiting on the next project.