Blanket Chest - Work in Progress advise needed...

[Rich Stevens]

Morning All,

I have come to a point in my blanket chest project which requires me to make a decision on which type of hinge to use. I am going all out to get the 'best' hardware out there that I can buy. This basically leaves me with one choice - Brusso. Feel free to recommend another make if you think I'm being too biased.

The blanket chest is a standard sized 40" wide x 24" high x 20" deep. Roughly the same size as a Thomas Moser unit. The thickness of the carcase is ~ 7/8" and the frame for the lid ~ 1"

I am making mine out of some nice Tasmanian Myrtle and given the work involved so far, I want it to look good and be faithful to a period piece design.

The way I see it, I think I have three options:


Standard butt hinges
Quadrant hinges
Lid supportsI can deal with standard butt hinges fairly easily but I am rather nervous about quadrant hinges and lid supports as both require a high degree of machining skill and accuracy to work properly - not to mention the risk of disaster by taking huge chunks of wood out in the process. I am too far gone in the process to have to remake another blanket chest carcase, if you follow me...

The dilemma I have with Standard butt hinges is I need to also have some form of lid support that looks the part. If I were use a Quadrant hinge, I'd have both the hinging and lid support integrated in one solution. On the other hand if I used a traditional butt hinge, I have two options - one is to not have a lid support (highly risky if the lid falls backwards) or use one of the aforementioned lid supports (I imagine only one would be required). Another alternative is to use a chain.

There are many of you out there that have traversed this ground before me - what would you recommend?

Here are some pictures of my little project...



Rockler.com carries a range of different components but for the most part they appear rather amateurish to me. These would be OK for a knock about toy chest for the kids to dump their toys in, but not this one... I'm not being too precious am I?

Thanks

Rich
Melbourne, Australia

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I don't have any recommendations for hardware...but I sure do like your craftsmanship! Find some good hardware....your handiwork deserves it! Be sure to autograph and date it! It'll be handed down to future generations!

[Jim Guy]

What ya hiding under the blanket?

[John Lubeski]

I used a brusso lid support for the hope chest I built, you can see the thread here http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=28036&highlight=hope+chest

I am far from being an expert in woodworking, and I didn't find it difficult at all to install the lid support. All you need is a router with an edge guide and some well laid out and carefully measured lines.

I used some cheap hinges on mine, I don't really remember why I didn't get some better one since I used nice (and expensive!) hardware for the lid support and handles.

Your chest is looking great and deserves some good long lasting hardware!

John

[Jason Tuinstra]

Rich, first of all, the project looks fantastic so far. The figure of the wood is really going to pop when you get some finish on there. Did you use the Shaker raised panel bit from Lee Valley? The profile looks exactly the same. Anyway, great job so far.

Regarding hardware, I buy from Horton Brass. If your looking for the best, IMHO, they're it. I looked around their website, but I'm not sure if they have what you want. You can check it out and see.

Have fun! I look forward to seeing how this all comes out for you.

Jason

[Rich Stevens]

Regarding hardware, I buy from Horton Brass. If your looking for the best, IMHO, they're it. I looked around their website, but I'm not sure if they have what you want. You can check it out and see.

Jason, thanks.

I checked Horton Brass out - no luck. However I did go over to Lee Valley and had another looked at Brusso hinges - there is a 2 x 5/8 stopped hinge which might do the job. As an alternative I am also reconsidering using a Brusso lid stay - I am building up the courage to mill a mortise into the side of the chest.

Rgds

Rich:) :)

[Mark Berenbrok]

Lee Valley sells an unequal strap hinge (#01H2139) that makes a great blanket chest hinge after you put a 90 degree bend in the short end. It looks authentic and they're cheap when compared to the "blanket chest hinges" you see in the catalogs. I've used them for four chests. It's fairly easy to make the bend and you only remove a small amount of material to accomodate the hinge in the back of the chest. Since the back of the hinge is installed across 4 inches of wood, it also helps prevent the lid from tearing out the hinge if somebody forgets to support it. The good folks at Lee Valley were kind enough to do a test bend on a hinge before I bought a couple dozen several years ago. If you're interested, PM me and I'll try to post a pic.