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Build the Legs and Rails
If your lumber is kiln-dried and your chest will be kept outdoors, I recommend stacking your lumber in a covered area outside for several weeks before you build. Kiln-dried cypress will have around 8 percent moisture content; you can expect it to stabilize around 12 percent after it’s been outside.
1. Sort your wood and select the best-looking pieces for the lid (A) and front panel (B). Rough-cut your stock according to the Cutting List (see page 68), but leave everything oversize by at least 1/2-in. in length. Parts made from glued-up stock (G through L) should initially be cut an extra 1/2 in. wide.
2. Use a waterproof glue, like Titebond III, to face-glue three pieces of 3/4-in. stock for each leg (G). Glue up two pieces for the rail stock (H through L). Make an extra leg blank and an extra rail to test setups. Mark the best-looking face on each piece.
3. Trim the leg blanks to size after the glue has dried (Photo 1). Don’t cut the tapers yet. The grooves and mortises are cut while the leg blank is still square.
4. Lay out the groove location and the taper (Figs. B and C, below) on each leg. Position the legs on your bench just as they’ll be on the chest to make sure you’ve got everything oriented correctly.
5. Cut the stopped grooves on each leg (Photo 2; Fig. B). It takes two fence settings to complete the two grooves. The first groove is cut with an outside face against the fence. The other groove is cut with the newly grooved edge against the fence. Be sure both grooves are equally set back on the legs.
6. Use a 1/2-in. chisel to square the corners where each routed groove ends.
7. Head to the drill press to cut the mortises (Photo 3; Fig. C). The mortise is really just a deeper part of the groove that accepts the tenon.
8. To finish machining the legs, cut the taper on the bandsaw. This can easily be done freehand. Use a 1/2-in. or wider blade and follow the line carefully. Sand the sawn surface smooth. Note: Save the offcuts to use as clamp pads during assembly.
9. Now that the legs are finished, turn your attention to the rails. Lay out the tenons (Figs. D and E, below) on each end and cut them on the tablesaw. Use a test piece to check the fit of the tenons in the leg grooves. Shoot for a snug fit accomplished without a mallet.
10. Lay out and cut the tenon haunches on the bandsaw (Photo 4).
11. Dry-fit all the legs and rails to ensure all goes well at assembly. If a tenon bottoms out in the mortise before the joint is tight, trim 1/16-in. off the tenon length. It’s a good practice to put a slight chamfer on the tenon’s ends to help it slide into the mortise.
Machine the Panels
12. Machine the tongue-and-groove joints in all the panel pieces (Photo 5; Fig. F, below).
13. Don’t forget to machine the groove in the bottom of the upper rail (Fig. D) and to put a 30-degree bevel on each bottom panel board where it mates with the 30-degree bevel on the bottom rail (Fig. F).
14. On the tablesaw, shave 1/8 in. off the length of each tongue. This is necessary to make room for the Space Balls (see Sources, page 68) that fit between each tongue-and-groove panel board. Cypress is a stable wood, but it still moves, and these panels are trapped in their frames. Space Balls are like little rubber blueberries that keep an even gap between the boards but allow for seasonal expansion and contraction of the wood.
15. Cut rabbets on the ends of each panel board so they fit snugly into the leg grooves (Fig. F).
Assemble the Chest
16. Sand all the box parts through 120 grit.
17. Assemble the two end panels with waterproof glue and clamps (Photo 6).
18. After the two end panels are complete, assemble the rest of the chest in the same fashion. Set both front and back rails and panels into one end panel, add the second end panel and clamp. Be sure to check that your assembly is square.
Build the Lid
19. While the glue dries, edge-glue the boards for the lid. Take care to align each board flush. It’s best to glue one board at a time for this operation.
20. Sand the top to 120 grit.
21. Cut the battens (E) and chamfer the outside edges (Fig. A, below).
22. Predrill countersunk holes in each batten on the drill press. Note: Be sure to elongate the screw holes on the ends of each batten to allow the lid to expand and contract (Fig. A).
23. Attach the battens to the lid with screws.
Install the Bottom
24. Cut the hardware cloth and screw it onto the bottom of the deck cleats.
25. Cut the deck cleats (F) and install them with screws along the bottom edge of the bottom rails (Fig. A).
26. Cut the decking (D) to fit. Predrill countersunk holes in the ends of each deck board and attach to the deck cleats (Photo 7).
Add the Hardware
27. Mount the hinges on the chest (Photo 8).
28. Glue the clasp backer (M) to the upper panel board and add the clasp (Fig. A, Detail 1).
29. Position and attach the lid closers.
30. I painted the bottom of each leg with a couple coats of two-part epoxy. This seals the leg ends and keeps them from wicking up any moisture. This is especially important if the chest sits on a concrete or brick patio.
31. You may choose to leave the wood raw. Cypress will age to a beautiful silver-gray color. If you want to preserve the color, look at some of the outdoor finishes designed for decks. Just remember, these finishes require frequent maintenance to keep their good looks. If you plan to put the chest in an enclosed porch, you’re free to use your favorite finish.
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