wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

I want to make a more or less traditional wannigan (a wooden chest for
cooking gear and food, used on canoe trips). The design goals a

* Sturdy (if I have to coddle it I won's use it)
* Not too heavy.
* Should feel "nice" rather than "nasty" (e.g. plastic crate)
* Flexible contents (it should still be usable if I change
stove, pots, etc).
* Anything breakable and critical should be fields repairable
with knife, axe, swiss army knife and a few wood screws.

Some thoughts on design choices a

1. Since it will be abused (water on the bottom of the canoe, rain,
rough handling, etc) overdoing the "fancy" bit is useless.

2. Plywood (birch? luan?), pine boards, or what? I'm leaning towards the
pine boards, using grove and tennon stock, but is not quite sure. I was
planning on using tar/BLO/turpentine as a treatment (it will have all
winter to cure...). Will 10 mm be thick enough?

3. Just screew the boards to corner pieces, or glue as well? Glue the
tounges/grooves? The glue would be stronger, but unglued might leave
some room to swell when wet... Remember, it will go from bone dry
(stored indoors all winter) to rather wet (week long rains). It will
also be carried in various ways when full of stuff (say 15-20 kg as an
absolute maximum, usually more like 5-10 kg), so any side/bottom must be
able to take that load.

4. The lid will have a short lip on the outside ("quarter round", 10-15
mm) to keep rain/splash out of the box, and there will be short
"sacrifical" runner type "legs" on the bottom of the box (say 20-30 mm
high, screwed from the inside; no metal against the canoe bottom if I
can avoid it, and if they need replacement the binding part of the screw
will go into fresh wood).

5. Brass or stainless hardware?

6. No hinges or catches on the lid, just a couple of good straps is more
flexible.

7. I'll make flexible internal dividers by slotting in plywood sheets
(double as cutting boards, etc) between pairs of quarter round stock.

8. Carry handles on the short ends, attachment points for a thumpline
on the long sides.

Advice? Suggestions?

/Par


--
Par
"Don't think of it as being fired... think of it as leaving early to
avoid the rush." -- Thorfy (from the Netizen quotes file)

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Par wrote:

Advice? Suggestions?

Forget wood, use epoxy, DB170 knitted glass and 3/4" Divinicell foam.

Lew

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Par wrote:
I want to make a more or less traditional wannigan (a wooden chest for
cooking gear and food, used on canoe trips). The design goals a

* Sturdy (if I have to coddle it I won's use it)
* Not too heavy.
* Should feel "nice" rather than "nasty" (e.g. plastic crate)
* Flexible contents (it should still be usable if I change
stove, pots, etc).
* Anything breakable and critical should be fields repairable
with knife, axe, swiss army knife and a few wood screws.

Some thoughts on design choices a

1. Since it will be abused (water on the bottom of the canoe, rain,
rough handling, etc) overdoing the "fancy" bit is useless.

2. Plywood (birch? luan?), pine boards, or what? I'm leaning towards the
pine boards, using grove and tennon stock, but is not quite sure. I was
planning on using tar/BLO/turpentine as a treatment (it will have all
winter to cure...). Will 10 mm be thick enough?

3. Just screew the boards to corner pieces, or glue as well? Glue the
tounges/grooves? The glue would be stronger, but unglued might leave
some room to swell when wet... Remember, it will go from bone dry
(stored indoors all winter) to rather wet (week long rains). It will
also be carried in various ways when full of stuff (say 15-20 kg as an
absolute maximum, usually more like 5-10 kg), so any side/bottom must be
able to take that load.

4. The lid will have a short lip on the outside ("quarter round", 10-15
mm) to keep rain/splash out of the box, and there will be short
"sacrifical" runner type "legs" on the bottom of the box (say 20-30 mm
high, screwed from the inside; no metal against the canoe bottom if I
can avoid it, and if they need replacement the binding part of the screw
will go into fresh wood).

5. Brass or stainless hardware?

6. No hinges or catches on the lid, just a couple of good straps is more
flexible.

7. I'll make flexible internal dividers by slotting in plywood sheets
(double as cutting boards, etc) between pairs of quarter round stock.

8. Carry handles on the short ends, attachment points for a thumpline
on the long sides.

Advice? Suggestions?

/Par


If I have my facts straight, fir would be lighter than pine and more
resistant to rot/water damage.

Jess.S

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Jesse R Strawbridge wrote:
Par wrote:
I want to make a more or less traditional wannigan (a wooden chest for
cooking gear and food, used on canoe trips). The design goals a

* Sturdy (if I have to coddle it I won's use it)
* Not too heavy.
* Should feel "nice" rather than "nasty" (e.g. plastic crate)
* Flexible contents (it should still be usable if I change
stove, pots, etc).
* Anything breakable and critical should be fields repairable
with knife, axe, swiss army knife and a few wood screws.

Some thoughts on design choices a

1. Since it will be abused (water on the bottom of the canoe, rain,
rough handling, etc) overdoing the "fancy" bit is useless.

2. Plywood (birch? luan?), pine boards, or what? I'm leaning towards the
pine boards, using grove and tennon stock, but is not quite sure. I was
planning on using tar/BLO/turpentine as a treatment (it will have all
winter to cure...). Will 10 mm be thick enough?

3. Just screew the boards to corner pieces, or glue as well? Glue the
tounges/grooves? The glue would be stronger, but unglued might leave
some room to swell when wet... Remember, it will go from bone dry
(stored indoors all winter) to rather wet (week long rains). It will
also be carried in various ways when full of stuff (say 15-20 kg as an
absolute maximum, usually more like 5-10 kg), so any side/bottom must be
able to take that load.

4. The lid will have a short lip on the outside ("quarter round", 10-15
mm) to keep rain/splash out of the box, and there will be short
"sacrifical" runner type "legs" on the bottom of the box (say 20-30 mm
high, screwed from the inside; no metal against the canoe bottom if I
can avoid it, and if they need replacement the binding part of the screw
will go into fresh wood).
5. Brass or stainless hardware?

6. No hinges or catches on the lid, just a couple of good straps is more
flexible.

7. I'll make flexible internal dividers by slotting in plywood sheets
(double as cutting boards, etc) between pairs of quarter round stock.

8. Carry handles on the short ends, attachment points for a thumpline
on the long sides.

Advice? Suggestions?

/Par


If I have my facts straight, fir would be lighter than pine and more
resistant to rot/water damage.

Jess.S
Here's a link to one fitted to the shape of the canoe
http://www.wcha.org/wcj/v25_n6/wanigan.pdf
Joe

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

"Par"
I want to make a more or less traditional wannigan (a wooden chest for
cooking gear and food, used on canoe trips). The design goals a

* Sturdy (if I have to coddle it I won's use it)
* Not too heavy.
* Should feel "nice" rather than "nasty" (e.g. plastic crate)
* Flexible contents (it should still be usable if I change
stove, pots, etc).
* Anything breakable and critical should be fields repairable
with knife, axe, swiss army knife and a few wood screws.

snip
Advice? Suggestions?

/Par

Par
I would make it from 12mm cypress, dovetailed corners,
polyurethane/resorcinol/epoxy glue, with the bottom reinforced with brass
box corners. The cypress will stand the wet/dry cycles very well and the
dovetailing will provide strength even if the glue fails.

http://www.horton-brasses.com/products/chestlifts/266

If you don't like the weight of cypress, use redwood. It will be lighter
and not as durable but it too will handle the wet/dry cycles fine. You
trade weight for durability.

Dave

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Lew Hodgett :
Par wrote:

Advice? Suggestions?

Forget wood, use epoxy, DB170 knitted glass and 3/4" Divinicell foam.

Ehuwww. Icky. I'm on a long term campaign to _reduce_ the high tech
plastic components of my wilderness kit, not increase it. But yes, it
would be sturdy and impervious to water.

/Par

--
Par
If you're not part of the solution, be part of the problem!

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Jesse R Strawbridge :
If I have my facts straight, fir would be lighter than pine and more
resistant to rot/water damage.

That's true, and should be available for not too outrageous prices (this
is a lumber wasteland). Now that you mention it ISTR that birch is
rather rot prone as well. Leaves the choices of luan plywood and fir. If
I could get ash for a decent price...

/Par

--
Par
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from
religious conviction.
-- Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Teamcasa :
I would make it from 12mm cypress, dovetailed corners,

I could not get cypress here for anything but silly money.

polyurethane/resorcinol/epoxy glue, with the bottom reinforced with brass
box corners.

No brass; I now I trade durability, but the canoe would take wear from
sharpish brass corners.

dovetailing will provide strength even if the glue fails.

True, dovetailing is probably the way to go. I was forgetting that,
since most of the versions I've seen on the net is either quick jobs
from plywood or "canoe" chests make like a section of a wood/canvas
canoe (you need a plug for that; overkill for a one shot project).

/Par

--
Par
"Don't think of it as being fired... think of it as leaving early to
avoid the rush." -- Thorfy (from the Netizen quotes file)

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Par wrote:

Ehuwww. Icky. I'm on a long term campaign to _reduce_ the high tech
plastic components of my wilderness kit, not increase it. But yes, it
would be sturdy and impervious to water.

As long as you remember the reality of wood in the marine environment,
"From compost you come and to compost you shall return".

Use cedar and bronze, NOT brass fasteners, if you ever expect to be in
salt water.

Lew

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

Lew Hodgett :
As long as you remember the reality of wood in the marine environment,
"From compost you come and to compost you shall return".

Sure, but if I get a decade or two of use from this I'm very happy (a
few weeks a year, not continual living). And wooden boats survive
centuries...

Use cedar and bronze, NOT brass fasteners, if you ever expect to be in
salt water.

No salt water; lakes and rivers.

/Par

--
Par
Medente plues de son doi leur chala les marrapards.

wannigan (canoe box) thoughts
 

"Par" wrote in message
...
Teamcasa :
I would make it from 12mm cypress, dovetailed corners,

I could not get cypress here for anything but silly money.

polyurethane/resorcinol/epoxy glue, with the bottom reinforced with
brass
box corners.

No brass; I now I trade durability, but the canoe would take wear from
sharpish brass corners.

dovetailing will provide strength even if the glue fails.

True, dovetailing is probably the way to go. I was forgetting that,
since most of the versions I've seen on the net is either quick jobs
from plywood or "canoe" chests make like a section of a wood/canvas
canoe (you need a plug for that; overkill for a one shot project).


Make it out of redwood, lightweight, capable of handling the moisture and
dryness cycles, soft enough to not harm the canoe, durable enough to last.
Again, dovetails and if you want to avoid chemical glues, use hide glue.

Dave