Footlocker Design

[Dave in Houston]

< S N I P >>

Thanks again to everyone.

Sounds like he's determined to build this thing.

Dave in Houston

[Leon]

You are absolutely and totally welcome Tom. We'll be looking forward to seeing the treasure chest that your son takes to camp!

[Lew Hodgett]

If you want to really gain some strength with very little weight gain, add a fairing putty fillet to all the inside corners using a tongue depressor to get a nice shape.

Strong like Bull.

Lew

[Robatoy]

LOL... that reminded me of a saying back in my Toronto days: "Strong like bull, smart like streetcar."

But indeed. A radius'ed corner made with adhesive like that adds a huge amount of strength by distributing the stress risers. I guess you are smarter than you look, Lew..*G*

[Lee Michaels]

"Tom Watson" wrote

I just gotta say this.

This is the most detailed THANK YOU NOTE I have ever seen.

Momma would be proud.

Good on ya Tom. Both for wanting to take good care of your kid. And for acknowledging those who help you do it. You are one of the good guys.

[B A R R Y]

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[Tom Watson]

The footlocker is pretty much finished. Still need to build a tray, although my wife says that peoople just set the trays aside because they are a pain to take in and out.

Once again, thanks to everyone for the help.

Pix on ABPW.

I'll put them on the website in a little bit, for those who con't get the binary group.

This was a fun project.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Tom Watson]

Here are the photos on the web.

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Rick M]

Hey Tom,

What about a 1/2 depth shelf that hinges open with the lid like a fishing tackle box? Easy access, no misplacing, etc.

Rick

"Tom Watson" wrote

snip

[Dave in Houston]

Single tray, half-width, slides from side to side. No?

Dave in Houston

[Andrew Erickson]

Very very nice looking, Tom. I daresay that goes beyond the footlocker level and goes into blanket chest territory...or whatever the next stage or two of box would be called.

Do you have some sort of a stay for the top, to prevent it from unfolding too far and (in time) pulling the hinges out? Seems like something that would be desirable. I also assume you're planning on putting the other fifteen hinge screws in sometime.

[Tom Watson]

Andrew:

Thanks for the kind words.

I was going to use some leftover Ives casement hardware to keep the top from opening more than about 110 but they now seem too heavy and balky, so I'll use a lighter weight lid support that I have laying about.

The hardware is just pinned in place so that I oculd look at it for awhile before fastening it for real. I want to use round headed bolts instead of screws, and then file the slots off.

I also think that the brass corners are out of scale, they were originally intended for a much bigger box, and I'm thinking about cutting an inch off of each leg.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Tom Watson]

Rick:

That's a good thought but my current thinking is to make two open top instead of one large one. Don't really know why - it just seems right.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Tom Watson]

Dave:

Thanks.

I'd be a little afraid that this would slide around too much during transport.

Right now I'm figuring on making two trays to take up the typical single tray space. That might make it a little easier to lift out one and sit it on top of the other one, so that the boy can get to stuff below.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Swingman]

Good job ... like its counterpart, the Army footlocker, whose design was perfected to a "t" for its specific purposes, it appears to pay homage to portability, security, and durability. (I still think you will find the previously discussed "runners" a big plus for any kind of "camp" use, even indoors)

Gotta big grin when I saw it ... and it brings back some memories.

I went through Artillery OCS in the late 60's at Fort Sill, OK (aka, Comanche County Canon Cockers College). Part of the drill while there was that your Army footlocker, and it's contents, had to be ready for "white glove" inspection 24/7.

What we did to make it easy on ourselves was to wrap starched barber towels around shirt cardboard, glue the assembly to the bottom of the two top tray sections, and then glue brand new "personal display items" like shaving equipment, tooth brush, hair brush (no hair, but the brushes were required), specific toilet articles, etc, to the towels.

The layout of these items was set out by regulation, measured to the nth of an inch, were never used, and were most definitely for "display only" if you knew what was good for you.

The bottom of the footlocker had the same specific requirements for contents location (socks folded with a "smile", etc) with one exception:

A "Converse" brand tennis shoe box, with the top held on by two boot "blousing rubbers", precisely located 1" from each end, was a "required" item in the bottom left corner.

This latter was your "Magic Box". Sacred and inviolate, it was not required to be opened for inspection and could hold anything that would fit, but mostly personal items, like letters from home, razor, toothbrush, etc that you _did_ use on a daily basis ...and anything else of a sacred nature that would fit.

No one, including upperclassmen or permanent duty personnel were allowed access to your "Magic Box", and did we take advantage of that! :)

Keep up the good work ... I have a good Dad, but you gotta be one of the best.

[Tom Watson]

Swing - the runners will be there, with UHMW tape on the bottom. I am making them sacrificial, using double face tape.

That is an undeserved kudo but I accept it in the spirit that it was given, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The math that you learned at that time would mystify the current crop of math majors.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Tom Watson]

Leon:

It weighs in at 36 lbs.

Two pounds more than the comparable store bought model.

I think that couple of pounds, or more, is in the cast brass hardware.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet