# Joinery for blanket chest



## RedneckRuss (Jan 18, 2013)

I'm in the planning phase of building a Cedar chest, and have some questions as this will be my first project using wood joinery (have only used the kreg jog in the past). I have a plan from U-Build (http://www.u-bild.com/woodworking-projects/572.htm) that calls for rabbet joints and glue with finishing nails. For me the nails are an issue. I would like to do without the nails if possible. I was thinking of the tongue and dado (lock rabbet) joint. http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/ag335e/AG335E32.gif My question is how strong is this joint, and will it hold up over time? I was also looking at the box joint idea as well but I really wanted a simple look with this chest. I really want as little nails showing on the outside as possible. Thanks in advance to any comments.
I will be building this with an Eastern Red Cedar tree that I cut down and had milled.


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

For large boxes like this you will need all the strength you can get. I can't see clearly from the link site what kind of joint they suggest, but if it is a simple butt joint nailed together, I'd be leery of picking it up, let alone carry it full of stuff. I'm not a big fan of the tongue in rabbet because it's not strong. Look at the short grain left between the dado and the end of the board. You can snap that off with your fingers. If you want a clean look on the outside where the joinery doesn't show so much, then a lock miter is a good choice. It's a tough bit to set up, but once done, it gives great results. That is the only kind of miter I could recommend. Plan ahead for clamping. 
Otherwise a box joint or dovetails will make this a true heirloom. They will be worth the effort for value and durability. You should know that I'm not a fan of metal (nails and screws) substitutes of good joinery. 
Is the cedar dry? If the 3/4" boards have been properly kiln dried you should have little problem. If it is air dried you need at least a year in a weighted sticker stack to be sure it's ready. A standing dead tree doesn't count for drying time. If you are not sure, check the moisture content using either a meter or weighing a small chunk before and after 2 hours in an oven at 200 degrees. 
After looking at the web site offering the plans I get the distinct feeling that the hype on the page is not what you will get following their advice. 
DanK


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have built about 50 red cedar trunks and I put poplar dowels in the glued up joints and clamp them until set. I do not know how long they will last but I once knocked one off of a table to a concrete floor with no damage to the trunk.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

How about screws and plugs?


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

It would not be my first choice, but 23G pin nails are virtually invisible. FWIW


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Cedar Cedar chest









Raised panel sides. Corner posts are joined with a tongue& groove joint. Top drawer is a fake, open the lid and there is a storage area under it, bottom two drawers are real.


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## RedneckRuss (Jan 18, 2013)

Thank you all for the replies. Dan I think I'll buy one of those lock miter bits and practice using that on some scrap wood. If I don't like it I will probably go with the box joint. I will have plenty of time to practice. The boards are not currently dry enough. I cut the tree down about 19 months ago and coated the ends with sealer, and the log got milled 1 month ago, and when I stacked it I used my meter on one of the thicker boards and it was about %15. I've got some time to wait on that stack to dry, unless I can find someone local to my area with a kiln. I would like to build my own solar kiln eventually. Any recommendations on a glue type?


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## DanKrager (Apr 13, 2012)

Bandit makes a good point about the corners. The T&G in the corner is strong because the glued grain is parallel. Using this orientation, even a plain miter would be strong. Just remember that the panel between the posts must be mechanically trapped, not glued because of movement.
DanK


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## MJCD (Nov 28, 2011)

My recommendation is to spline join the sides; that is, route or TS a 1/4" dado in each corner, inset by 1/4", then create a 1/4" spline the length of the side - this creates a ~20" floating tenon joining two 20" wide mortises. I then reinforce the joined edge with a triangle-shaped piece of wood: the right-angle portion of the triangle is glued to the mated sides, and provides substantial strength to the corner - big boxes that will be moved should have very strong joinery.

If you're interested in this approach, please see my Blanket Chest project posted on LJ, or e-mail me. This approach requires more woodworking; however, it's very effective.
MJCD


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

Just posted one…another in my projects..


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

One more suggestion: Instead of a flat top









Cooper the top.


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