On May 29, 6:03*pm, Tom Watson wrote:
My son is going to Boy Scout Camp in mid June. *They ask that each boy
have a footlocker. *They said to just pick one up at WallyWorld or
Kmart.

I went to look at what they had to offer and wasn't particularly
impressed.

So, I figured I'd just cobble up a footlocker.

I have some half inch cherry ply left over from a job and some nice
brass hardware left over from a different job. *I figure I can make
this thing with no outlay.

My thought was that I would use finger joints in the corners, house
the bottom in a plough, lay the top in a rabbet, and that would make a
decent enclosure.

Then I figured I'd put a pinrail on the inside and sit a divided tray
on it.

Has anyone made one of these before? *I'd hate to build something
stupid because I didn't ask enough questions about it.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnetwww.home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1

Tom,
My boy is a few years ahead of yours on the scouting trail. He'll be
working on his Eagle project this summer. I wouldn't waste good
cherry ply on anything for scouts to use. Regardless of your boy's
highly tuned appreciation for fine things and the work you and he will
put into his foot locker, the boys loading the truck will see it as
just another piece of cargo. It will come back looking like it's been
dragged down a gravel road behind a pickup. If you must build a
footlocker, use something cheap. Use 1/2 ply. It's strong enough to
sit on, but light enough to carry. I built some patrol boxes that
have held up pretty well except for the gouges in every surface.
Overall dimensions should be somewhere around 18 X 18 X 32 so it will
stack well with the other boxes in the truck.

Rubbermaid makes an "Action Packer" in several sizes. The 35 gallon
one sells for about $70. It is water-proof, impact-resistant and
almost scout-proof. It's pretty much standard fare for scout camp.
Resist the urge to get the bigger 48 gallon one. Scoutmasters hate
them cause they take up so much room in the truck, and the 35 gallon
one is big enough.

Hope your boy enjoys summer camp and gets as much out of Boy Scouts as
mine did.

DonkeyHody
"The best things in life . . . aren't things."