What's inside
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A Shaker blanket chest looks simple, but the advanced version depends on accurate casework, a stable lid, and a dust seal that does not bind as the seasons change. This plan uses a six-board chest with a framed lid, through or housed dovetails, a hardwood dust-seal strip, and a concealed or traditional hinge setup. It is a good winter shop project: glue cures more slowly, but the dry air makes it easier to measure seasonal movement before final fitting.
Contents
Design and dimensions
The finished chest described here is 40 inches wide, 20 inches deep, and 22 inches high, including the 1-inch-thick lid. That size holds folded blankets without becoming too heavy to move. Adjust the width in 2-inch increments, but avoid making the lid much wider than 42 inches unless you add a center support or build a stiffer lid.
| Part | Finished size | Suggested material |
|---|---|---|
| Front and back | 40 × 20 × 3/4 in. | Clear pine, cherry, maple, or poplar |
| Ends | 18 1/2 × 20 × 3/4 in. | Match the case sides |
| Bottom | 38 1/2 × 18 1/2 × 1/2 in. | Plywood or edge-glued boards |
| Lid panel | 39 1/2 × 19 1/2 × 3/4 in. | Flat, well-seasoned boards |
| Lid frame | 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. rails and stiles | Same species as the panel |
The listed dimensions assume 3/4-inch stock. Measure your actual boards before cutting the bottom and lid. A chest with a 13/16-inch case wall will not accept a bottom sized from nominal dimensions.
Materials and tools
Choose boards with straight grain and no pith near the center. For a painted chest, poplar is economical and stable. Pine is cheaper and traditional-looking, but knots and resin can complicate paint and glue joints. Cherry costs more but machines cleanly and develops a rich color without stain. If you want a traditional appearance without hand-cutting every joint, a set of dovetail jigs is a reasonable shortcut.
You will need a table saw or track saw, router, chisels, marking knife, block plane, clamps, drill, and a reliable square. A wood moisture meter is useful when boards come from a cold garage or lumberyard. Aim for 6% to 10% moisture content indoors. Let questionable stock acclimate for at least a week.
Build the case and bottom
Mill the front, back, and ends to equal thickness, then crosscut them square. Lay out the joinery with the front and back running past the ends. Through dovetails suit an advanced build and leave an attractive pattern on the corners. Housed dados are faster and can be hidden under applied trim, but they provide less mechanical resistance unless reinforced.
Cut the bottom groove before assembling the case. Rout or saw a 1/2-inch-wide groove 3/8 inch above the lower edge of each case part. Stop the groove short of the outside faces if you want a clean exterior. The bottom should float in the grooves. Leave 1/8 inch of total side-to-side clearance, and do not glue it along its long edges. A solid-wood bottom glued into the case can split the chest when humidity rises.
Dry-assemble the case and check diagonals. The two measurements should be within 1/16 inch. Correct a small error with a clamp before glue-up; do not force the lid to compensate for a twisted box. Glue the dovetails or housed joints, install the bottom, and clamp only until the joints close. Excessive pressure can bow the front and back.
Install the dust seal
A dust seal is a horizontal hardwood strip fitted inside the chest near the top edge. It closes the most direct path into the blanket compartment while also giving the lid a consistent landing surface. Use a 3/4-inch-thick strip, about 1 1/2 inches wide, across the inside of the front and ends. The back can receive the same treatment, although the hinge area may require a narrower strip.
Fit the seal as a loose frame rather than one solid piece. Leave 1/16 inch between adjoining pieces and avoid gluing the ends tightly against the case sides. If the case is solid wood, fasten the strip with screws through elongated holes or with short brads. A fixed cross-grain seal can crack the case during humid weather.
For a tighter seal, add a 1/8-inch-deep by 1/4-inch-wide rabbet to the underside of the lid frame. Apply thin self-adhesive felt or wool weatherstrip to the seal only after the finish has cured. A self-adhesive wool felt weatherstrip is quieter and more forgiving than rubber, but it can compress permanently if the lid is clamped shut for long periods.
Make the lid and fit the hardware
Build the lid as a frame surrounding a floating panel. Cut the panel about 1/8 inch smaller in both directions than the opening, then center it with four 1/8-inch spacers during assembly. Do not glue the panel into the frame. If you prefer a solid slab lid, use two or three boards with alternating growth-ring direction, and attach battens underneath with slotted screws. A slab lid is easier to make but more likely to cup.
Before finishing, set the lid on the case and plane the edges until the gaps are even. Target a 1/16-inch reveal on the front and sides. Install two heavy-duty chest hinges, or three hinges on a wide, heavy lid. Brass butt hinges look appropriate but require precise mortises. Strap hinges tolerate less-than-perfect alignment and are cheaper, though they change the Shaker appearance.
Use a lid stay or safety support so the lid cannot fall backward. A blanket chest lid stay is inexpensive insurance, especially in a home with children. Do not rely on friction hinges to prevent slamming; they loosen over time.
Finish and seasonal fitting
Ease exposed edges with a small block plane or 180-grit sandpaper. Sand to 180 grit for paint or 220 grit for clear finish. Test the finish on offcuts, particularly with pine, which can blotch under stain. Milk paint or satin waterborne enamel works well for a painted Shaker look. For clear wood, two or three coats of wiping varnish give better moisture resistance than wax alone.
Finish the bottom edges, lid underside, and inside of the case as carefully as the exterior. These surfaces exchange moisture and are often the source of seasonal movement. After the finish cures, install the felt seal and check the lid in both dry and humid conditions. If it binds, remove felt first, then plane only the high spot. Leave at least 1/16 inch of clearance around a solid-wood lid; a perfectly tight summer fit is a winter failure.
Common failures to prevent
The most serious mistake is gluing a solid bottom or lid panel across its grain. The next is installing the dust seal rigidly from side to side. Both errors may look fine in the shop and split after a humid season. Other problems include a twisted case, hinges mounted before the lid is fitted, and a lid without a stay. If the chest will sit on an uneven floor, add four low-profile felt pads rather than trying to twist the case flat during assembly. The cheaper hardware option is fine for a light pine chest, but use stronger hinges and a real lid stay when the finished lid weighs more than about 12 pounds.