Six Board Chest

About two years ago I started fencing, in fact I authorized at Black Oak Lodge 2004 and it's two weeks until this year's event. What does this have to do with a six board chest? Well, I'll tell you. I started out carrying my gear in a bright blue duffel bag that easily held everything but swords. But I didn't have any swords at the time to it didn't matter.

Then I got a box from Ikea that fit everything but the sword I had recently acquired, my baton and the larger of my to bucklers. It was light weight, held almost everything I needed and was reasonably inexpensive, it was also cheap. Actually, it probably would have worked just fine if I didn't try to carry things in it and move it.

So, with the coming of Black Oak Lodge 2006 it was time to do something about the fencing equipment container. Thus the multi-use six board chest was built. It could hold my stuff, be used as a bench either at the day shade or at remote fencing fields like at Great Western War or the previously mentioned Black Oak Lodge.

So, today I built a box. I checked out of the store at 10:31am, I'm writing this 3:00pm. I've also set up the frame for the bed canopy for the new pavilion that Mary is making and took a break for lunch with Mary.

The box ended up 35-1/2w X 12d X 24-1/2h on the outside with a storage area of 34w X 10-1/2d X 11-1/4h. (dimensions are in inches for those readers who use metric)

I used a simple six board chest design that variations can be found many places online.

Bill of Materials: 3 1x12x72 pine bookshelf boards (actual dimensions 3/4x12x72), glue and a handful of 1" nails (some of which may get pulled and replace with longer ones.

Cost: about $35.00 depending on wood prices. I already had the glue and nails.

	End View
	Side View
	Inside
	Bottom of lid

I need to add some reinforcing bracets to the bottoms of the legs since I made the dado that the bottom of the chest sits in too deep and thus weaking that part of it. I'm also going to add handles of some sort. I'll finish the chest at some point, but first I want to get a badge passed so I can paint it on.

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