On May 30, 4:32*pm, Tom Watson wrote:
Thanks to everyone for their ideas.

Charlie - thanks for the secret compartment idea. *That's a keeper.
Kids love secret stuff.

Leon - thanks for the heads up on weight. *I'm using the half inch
cherry ply because it's a leftover from previous jobs and it's kind of
hammered. *It looks like the better quality trunks are made of 3/8"
ply that's covered in sheet metal. *I'm hoping to net out at close to
what these do.

Andrew - thanks for the steamer trunk stuff. *That's interesting. *I
hear you about the plastic box being the logical way to go but I just
wanted to make this box. *Not logical - but fun.

Dave - thanks. *I'll be interested to see what the final weight is,
also.

Sawzdust - thanks for the offer of the picture. *I already cut this
thing out and glued up the box jointed carcass today, so the die is
cast.

John - thanks for the pix of your beautiful boxes. *They are even more
over the top than this thing is. *Beautiful!

DonkeyHody - thanks for your thoughts. *The leftover piece of cherry
ply really isn't good for better work, so I figured this was about
what it was good for.

Bob - thanks for the thoughts. *I know it's going to get hammered and
I hope that every mark indicates a good memory.

Lew - thanks. *You're right about the wood - but I'm a wood guy.

Andy - thanks for the very detailed message. *Unfortunately, it
reached me after I'd already glued up the box. *I'm interested in your
thought that box joints in ply are difficult to cut and not
particulary strong. *That has not been my experience.

Swing - thanks for the runner idea. *I'm going to use that and put
some of my leftover UHMW stripping on the bottom of them.

Thanks again to everyone.

I'll post some pix when it's finished.

Regards,

Tom

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

Great. All wonderful ideas. Now, bottom line: build it for your son.
Enjoy building it. Load it up with karma, and he and his troupe will
respect it. Not too many swirlies on the scrollwork, if you catch my
drift.

If it is built right, it can be light-weight and still survive the
patina which will carry your son and his stuff into the future. He
will look back and love that damned thing. He will.

I raised 3 daughters. They all have their shelves and boxes and
stuff... I don't want to be in the shoes of those who treat those
things with disrespect... and that includes a house we're
building..LOL...

A few rugged dove-tails. A few tin-hammered corners. Some cast-brass
inlaid hinges. You are a lucky man to even want to DO this.

r