Building a chest - Free PDF Plan

A combination of strength, elegance and simplicity, this chest can be used as a child’s toy chest or, lined with cedar, to store delicate fabrics and family heirlooms. Although not shown in the following plan, the top can be upholstered to serve as a seat and, when located in the bedroom, make a handy place to sit when dressing.

Simple to construct, it’s well within the capacity of the do-it-yourselfer with standard shop tools. For economy reasons, the wood suggested in the following list is spruce plywood, but more exotic woods can be used. Colours and ornamentation are up to you, but a round of garage sales, antique shops and auctions might turn up some interesting antique handles and ornaments that will fit in quite nicely.

Get your own free plan for this chest as well as the list of materials required for the project. For viewing and printing, you will need to use Acrobat Reader software.
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PDF Plan PI-1004
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Preparing the pieces
Assembly
1. The bottom
2. The sides
3. The drawer support pieces
4. The mouldings
5. The piano hinge, top, handles and decoration
6. The drawer
7. Finishing

Preparing the pieces

Tips:
  • There are thirteen types of pieces to be prepared for this project, so if you’re making them all in advance, it’s a good idea to number them as you go. Use the numbers shown in the diagrams as your references. Rating: very important.
  • Fortunately, the only angled cuts are 45 degrees (pieces 1-2-8a-8b-9a-9b), which is relatively easy to do on your mitre saw. There are no 45 degrees cuts on the bench saw. That’s the good part. Rating: important.
  • What may be a bit more difficult for the novice is the notched cut in item 6. It measures 5/8" across by 5/16" deep on one long side of each of the two boards. If you own a router or a dado blade for your bench saw, it should be fairly simple. If not, use your bench saw with a standard blade and do multiple passes having adjusted the blade height to 5/16" and the rip fence at 1/8", then 1/8", and then 1/16". A bit tedious, but it works. Rating: important.
  • 2" × 4"’s aren’t always perfectly straight, so before cutting your four bottom support pieces, be sure that you choose the straightest pieces in your workshop. This will prevent assembly headaches later, as these pieces are the starting point of the project. Rating: important.
  • You may want to consider installing light chains to prevent the top panel from flipping too far back uncontrollably. This can be particularly useful if the chest is to be used as a child’s toy chest and will prevent the top panel from damaging adjacent walls, furniture, cousins, etc. Rating: optional.
  • You may want to sand the pieces before assembly or at least before you install the mouldings. This will prevent sander damage to the mouldings’ rounded surfaces. Rating: optional.

Assembly

Now that you’ve prepared your pieces, it’s time to put them together.

Square and flush
When possible, assemble the components on a flat surface to insure that they’re precisely fitted and match perfectly with each other.

1. The bottom

Page 4, parts 1-2-3

Line up your 2 × 4’s (#1-#2) on a flat surface and carefully square them off with a combination square before gluing and nailing. Allow the glue to dry according to manufacturer’s specifications (usually about 30 minutes at room temperature). If you have mitre clamps, use them. When the glue is dry nail down the bottom piece (#3).

2. The sides

Page 5, parts 4-5-6

Note how the pieces are set up in the diagram (better illustrated in page 6), or more specifically, that the back panel (#5) fits inside the notched edges of the side panels (#6).

3. The drawer support pieces

Page 6, parts 7

Install the drawer support pieces (#7) so the top edges are 4 inches down from the front and back panel top edges. This will assure a maximum amount of storage space below the drawer. You can also glue these pieces before nailing for maximum strength.

4. The mouldings

Page 7, parts 8a-8b, 9a-9b

Install as shown in the diagram.

5. The piano hinge, top, handles and decoration

Page 8, part 10

Start by fixing the piano hinge to the top of the back panel (#5). For the second step, get help to attach the top panel (#10) to the piano hinge, as it must line up perfectly. Use only 3 or 4 screws at the beginning and test it to make sure that it closes flush and square before installing the rest of the screws. Install the handles and decorative appliqués as indicated.

6. The drawer

Page 9, parts 11-12-13

Assemble as indicated. To cut out the handle holes in the side pieces (#12), first drill starter holes with a large drill bit, then proceed with the jigsaw. Sand the edges. Glue as well as nail the pieces if the drawer is destined to hold heavy objects.

7. Finishing

Of course, finishing is up to you, but if you decide to paint, start by applying at least one sealer coat before going on to the finishing coat (or coats). You can also stain, although spruce is not really prized for its grain, and finish with a few coats of varnish.
For a relatively small price, this chest has a lot of character, will be of service for years and, since it’s an easy, straightforward project, you may enjoy building it. The only problem you’ll have will be resisting all the pleas from friends and family to make one for them, so you may have to make provisions to build quite a few.
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