Early Access Video: The Legendary 6 Board Chest
Added 2021-01-30 12:00:02 +0000 UTCFriends:
After much anticipation, the 6-board chest video is done. This is one of my most ambitious videos ever. It contains over 150 clips of film, dozens of historical images, and WAY more research and planning than a typical video.
Now that it's all over, I think I've created a can't-miss guide to building this simple, elegant, and useful form. I hope many of you build these and keep them in your homes for decades to come.
And of course, I hope you enjoy the video!
As usual, the plans are being drawn as we speak and they will be posted here and on the Discourse Plan Archive on Wednesday morning.
The many books, videos, and articles I mention in this video are linked in the description. You'll need to click-through to YouTube to see them.
--Rex
Comments
I built a smaller version of this as a hand tool chest and it's been great. Changed the top about so it's more like a timber tool chest and used a japanese wedged lid. It was a blast and only took maybe 90 minutes to make the box and another 90 min to finish the rest of it.
Matthew Cox
2021-03-21 20:17:00 +0000 UTCIt's possible to obtain ring shank nails by burning pallets, which might be one way of getting around the lack of a direct import market. You won't be able to directly control the size of the nails, but you could try to match the top board thickness to the rabbeted thickness of the board you're nailing through. You might even be able to salvage some usable lengths of plank by sawing them away before applying the fire, but many find that isn't worth their time.
Joel Hollingsworth
2021-02-17 21:59:13 +0000 UTCThanks Rex. Looks like joist hanger nails are called "timber connector" nails here. I only seem to find collated ring-shank nails, for using in a Paslode gun. Amazing how different simple fasteners can be between nations.
Pete McKinlay
2021-02-14 02:28:15 +0000 UTCI don't know about horseshoe nails. The heads are very big. I would try ring-shank or joist-hanger nails. I've been messing around with both and they hold pretty well.
Rex Krueger
2021-02-13 12:35:16 +0000 UTCHey Rex,I can't get cut nails here in Australia to save my life. Could I use horseshoe nails, or should I go for wire nails instead?
Pete McKinlay
2021-02-13 05:46:34 +0000 UTCIt's a small project!
Rex Krueger
2021-02-07 12:10:30 +0000 UTCExcellent , one more project to do if I can fit it in my small shop !
Herbalist Terry Coffee
2021-02-07 03:23:44 +0000 UTCHow on earth do I find the plans
Michael Beck Wilkins
2021-02-04 02:21:39 +0000 UTCNope. No early access for me. Not for this one. Must be a glitch somewhere.
Jerry Moomaw
2021-02-03 17:38:42 +0000 UTCI'm not getting early access. Do I have to go to Patreon to watch it?
Jerry Moomaw
2021-02-03 17:34:56 +0000 UTCI haven't had time to watch the video until now... and now I have to wait until it's up on YouTube for the world. Another two hours to wait?! This is where I start crying like a baby for two hours.
Jeff Stauffer
2021-02-03 17:03:13 +0000 UTCGreat video as always. One recommendation I have is on laying out the ogee feet. Cans are fast, but you are limited in sizes and you have to be careful to use the same section of the arc for them to come out even. Fortunately, your hero and mine has solved this problem for us with a compass. Read the Schwarz on laying out an ogee: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/learn-lay-ogee/
Wayne Precht
2021-02-02 19:59:32 +0000 UTCThey are the only source of cut nails. Well, new cut nails. You could source reclaimed ones, but there's little point to that since Tremont uses the exact same machines they used in the early 19th Century, they are identical products. Prior to the invention of those machines, all nails were wrought nails, made by blacksmiths (or nailers for those that specialized in them). Those nails have a square cross-section and come to an actual point and being hand-hammered, but a bit of an uneven surface which means they grip even better than cut nails. Mean the best way to get them out is to burn the wood. There's a company in France that makes replica wrought nails using dies. I think Lee Valley carries them. Actual wrought nails cost $2 - $3 each from a blacksmith.
Wayne Precht
2021-02-02 19:55:53 +0000 UTCAnother great video! Ever thought of using southern yellow pine 2x construction lumber instead of white pine? You can re-saw it, another skill I need to develop, and it is much tougher than white pine.
Rick Doby
2021-02-02 07:39:06 +0000 UTCMy brother-in-law says when he was in the Navy he ws taught to measure with a micrometer, mark it with chalk and cut it with an axe.
Rick Doby
2021-02-02 07:17:26 +0000 UTCAnother great video. Definitely now on my to do list. Thank you.
Andrew Waddington
2021-02-01 10:07:43 +0000 UTCplans available on Wednesday....
ian lloyd
2021-01-31 23:11:59 +0000 UTCThanks so much for this Video! Today, I put the first layer of paint on my Six-boar-chest. It wish I had your Video before starting with mine, but I am also happy that I kind of figured it out based on the information I had. Chris schwarz was defiantly the gradest help with all the articles he wrote about the chests, mine looks much like his. I made the front part of the base out of three parts and wondered how you would joint the legs to the moulding - but you made it from one piece - brilliant.
P.Finger
2021-01-31 23:01:21 +0000 UTCThanks Rex. Enjoyed the video. Unfortunately (once again), I find the plans impossible to find. The only 'link shown below' the video is for the Discourse Plan Archive and wouldn't you know it, there is no 6 Board Chest Plan included.
Dennis Holtby
2021-01-31 22:10:23 +0000 UTCFantastic video, and extremely glad you’re back into building projects. Can’t wait to try it, mess it up, and try again until it’s... I wanna say “decent”? Lol
Vasileios
2021-01-31 16:45:43 +0000 UTCThanks, Much Much better than the other vintage/antique sources I'd found ... plus the sizes and varieties are great! I want to try these on a hand tool cabinet I'm making.
Richard Hengst
2021-01-31 15:56:10 +0000 UTCListening watching it again now. It's a great video!
Howard Tuckey
2021-01-31 14:46:43 +0000 UTCWell, between the COVID (getting better now) and the cold (now 9 degrees in my shop) it might take me a while longer to get started. :-)
Howard Tuckey
2021-01-31 14:44:39 +0000 UTCStretchers are HARD.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-31 12:53:07 +0000 UTCI.....did not.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-31 12:52:51 +0000 UTCMan, you could have two of these done in a week if you did them at the same time!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-31 12:52:36 +0000 UTCI do have a wall cabinet in the works. I think that will show you everything you need.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-31 12:52:13 +0000 UTCAwesome video, I am working on stools right now. I built a low bench in a style and method I learned from you. Then I blew it by adding stretchers. It looks good but overly complicated. Thanks for the hard work, I am loving it.
Skully Wood and Metal
2021-01-31 03:32:04 +0000 UTCDid you say that those cut nails are readily available at the DRUGstore?
Howard Tuckey
2021-01-31 01:41:22 +0000 UTCExcellent project! I've been looking for something to make for my kids and grandkids to remember me by, and maybe this will be it! Should be able to get one of two done by Christmas! :-)
Howard Tuckey
2021-01-31 01:40:24 +0000 UTCLooks great, I’m excited to see a furniture piece on the channel. Any chance of making a jelly cabinet or chimney cabinet in the future? I want to make one but haven’t found a good tutorial yet.
Matt Parker
2021-01-31 01:23:02 +0000 UTCThat's the zone. Everybody wants those experiences. But you don't get 'em without paying for them beforehand.
Sean McGown
2021-01-30 22:48:39 +0000 UTCThank you! We did put in a lot of hours on this one.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:29:05 +0000 UTCYup. Get as much of the saw in the wood as you can. I figured this out pretty recently.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:28:46 +0000 UTCIf I were a machinist, I would care a lot more about precision. It's just more important to that craft.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:28:06 +0000 UTCShe chose "slate." I think it will look nice. I drove the nails the same in both videos. It's actually the same footage!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:27:20 +0000 UTCYou're totally right!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:26:35 +0000 UTCTremont nails is pretty much THE source. Whether they're economical or not, I'll let you decide.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:26:17 +0000 UTCThis one came out just right. I have no regrets....which is unusual.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:25:42 +0000 UTCAppreciate that! Building blocks is exactly what I'jm going for.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:25:21 +0000 UTCThank you!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 22:24:58 +0000 UTCBravo, Rex! It may very well be your best video yet! And that wouldn’t be a surprise, given how it’s the culmination of many preceding vids. You did a superb job, and your enthusiasm is infectious. As I always say, you are a master teacher!
Russell Gough
2021-01-30 21:11:12 +0000 UTCI think i've learned something in my attempts to learn to cut straighter - lower the back of the saw as soon as possible after starting the cut. Its the back of the saw (i.e. full length of the saw) that promote straightness. Using the front only makes the cut more prone to being wavy, but is also how you would correct an error - lift the saw more vertical, lower again after fixing error. I find my Japanese Ryoba saw is also a lot happier/smoother when it is lowered and it cuts straighter.
John Morrison
2021-01-30 20:30:21 +0000 UTCSorry, Making precise projects with power tools.I thank you for being in inspiration for me. Thom,
Thom Edds
2021-01-30 20:12:16 +0000 UTCI agree with about the moving from using hand tools vs power tools. I use to repair CNC machine tools and when I started doing wood working I lusted after precise power tools. But from watching your videos I changed and wanted to only use hand tools. Now I lust after hand tools and started making some of my hand tools. I want to precision of my work to be a function of my sight and control of my hands. I am enjoying myself much more that I could have making precise projev
Thom Edds
2021-01-30 20:10:35 +0000 UTCI just signed up and will post in your 6-board chest thread!
Alexander May
2021-01-30 19:55:11 +0000 UTCThank you Rex. Can't wait to see what the wife picks for color. In the video on the cut nails you drove them width cross grain but here is looks like you drove them with the grain. I have old eyes so was I seeing things correctly. Excellent work.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-01-30 19:43:04 +0000 UTCThe talk about confidence was spot-on for me. And confidence does come from practice. I wouldn't have dreamed of playing a ballgame cold-turkey, but I'm amazed at my repeated failure to remember that repetition is just as crucial to woodworking . So get out that saw and some scrap and make those practice cuts before you start on this project!
David Cole
2021-01-30 19:22:21 +0000 UTCSecond this- please post it on the Discourse forum!
Geoffrey Wilson
2021-01-30 19:14:25 +0000 UTCDo you have good (economical) source for the cut nails? Loved the project!
Richard Hengst
2021-01-30 18:56:40 +0000 UTCMan, what a classic piece. Being in the zone is fun, isn't it?
Sean McGown
2021-01-30 18:03:52 +0000 UTCBeautiful
Rustique Frank
2021-01-30 17:38:52 +0000 UTCIf I only had $1 for every time I cut on the wrong side of the line after checking three times. :)
Bill Smithem
2021-01-30 17:28:13 +0000 UTCAwesome video and another great project! I really value this channel for a bajillion reasons, but I also like how these videos provide building blocks that keep merging together as you go on: how one project leads to another to another and how so many of the past projects lead so seamlessly into this one. It's an exciting journey and can't wait for the next one. Thank you!
Damion Stodola
2021-01-30 16:46:33 +0000 UTCI am just amazed how we went from making just a little toolbox with the bare minimum of hand tools to this beautiful peace of fine furniture. Great work and I love it
Hagen
2021-01-30 16:45:33 +0000 UTCDid you post the Mastermyr on the Discourse?
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:44:24 +0000 UTCYou're totally right.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:44:09 +0000 UTCHaven't we all?
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:43:57 +0000 UTCYou're not alone.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:43:47 +0000 UTCThis lovely chap named Pete in Australia. He made it based loosely on mine and I liked it so much, I bought one from him.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:43:35 +0000 UTCLeaving the inside bare is traditional.....and less work.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:43:01 +0000 UTCWe both just have to keep at it. We'll get there.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:42:39 +0000 UTCThe romance novel thing was a joke!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:42:11 +0000 UTCThere are 2: I don't have a shoulder plane in the WW4H tool kit. Also, the router plane registers on the flat of the board, so it can't tilt or go too deep.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:41:49 +0000 UTCI like this style a lot. You get a lot of bang for your buck.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:40:53 +0000 UTCMessing up twice is crushing.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:40:10 +0000 UTCMy wife has a hope chest that I totally hate. It's garbage. I'm never going to be able to get rid of it.
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 16:39:52 +0000 UTCI just built a Mastermyr-inspired toy/dress-up chest for my 3-year-old daughter's Christmas present. I might have to make her little baby sister a 6-board chest for some occasion.
Alexander May
2021-01-30 16:18:10 +0000 UTCSounds right to me. That’s how I usually wind up doing it anyway.
Jordan Bondo
2021-01-30 16:12:23 +0000 UTCWell I guess you can’t build a 6 board chest with 5 boards. Great video Rex
The Poor Man
2021-01-30 15:37:05 +0000 UTCOh wow, thanks for the short reminder about having confidency in your skills. I've been there too.
Daniel Bohrer
2021-01-30 15:35:51 +0000 UTCSo Rex, you measured once and cut twice and it was still too short. My my. Nice to know I'm not the only one.
Susan Hugli
2021-01-30 15:30:37 +0000 UTCwhere did that fancy red head mallet come from?!
David Hamilton
2021-01-30 15:21:48 +0000 UTCAlso a wonderful look. I am thinking of what this might look like with the rose-head nails.
Bill Brisky
2021-01-30 15:21:29 +0000 UTCWill you paint the inside or leave it raw? Just curious.
Christopher A Howlett
2021-01-30 15:09:13 +0000 UTCRex, this is a fantastic video. I like your take on the chest and will be making one of my own. I appreciate you telling us about your mistakes too: When watching a video, it's easy to think I'm the only one who makes mistakes. And the ending conversation about improvement is spot on. I find myself still in the phase of making things with lots of errors, but every project seems to get better.
Alex Lopatka
2021-01-30 15:05:46 +0000 UTCEkslent!
Michael Ross
2021-01-30 14:58:42 +0000 UTCMy preference would be to set nails in recesses and use plugs to cover nails...
Tim Rupp
2021-01-30 14:56:33 +0000 UTCRomance novels? You, Rex Kreuger, are a tiny bit weird...but I'll forgive you. BTW, distraction is a major cause of screw ups (in case you didn't know.)
Tim Rupp
2021-01-30 14:53:30 +0000 UTCBoss, I've cut and I've cut but I'm still too short.
gary turner
2021-01-30 14:50:29 +0000 UTCNice video again. What is the advantage to using the router plane over a shoulder plane for the oversized rabbets?
Jephrey South
2021-01-30 14:43:02 +0000 UTCExcellent video and a super straightforward project. I love seeing these classic Americana pieces of furniture reproduced and given new life. Can't wait to build mine.
Stephen Ellis
2021-01-30 14:18:18 +0000 UTCGreat video! Measure once, cut three times. Or did I get that backwards??? :)
Bill Smithem
2021-01-30 13:57:41 +0000 UTCMake the chest first, and then let her decide which one gets the place of honour? If you make the new chest very nice, she just might decide that it is the one she wants to have prominently displayed in your home.
Ragnhild
2021-01-30 13:54:52 +0000 UTCCan't wait to see yours done!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 13:53:50 +0000 UTCThat's a good tip!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 13:53:33 +0000 UTCI think I'll mask the nails so they stay bare and shiny!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 13:53:21 +0000 UTCStill trying to make things as cheap and accessible as possible!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 13:52:56 +0000 UTCThank you!
Rex Krueger
2021-01-30 13:52:40 +0000 UTCWell done project and video, Rex. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I might have to throw out the wife's old hope chest so I can make room for one of these. Yeah, that might get me in trouble though . . . 😕
Mike Washburn
2021-01-30 13:52:28 +0000 UTCVery nice. Off to the saw mill today to pick up some lumber for a floating shelf project, going to grab some pine too. Can’t wait to see the plans.
James Crandall
2021-01-30 13:08:05 +0000 UTCVery nice project. I built one of these about 30 years ago and despite my now adult daughter trying to destroy it it is still going strong. The nails will hold. I would recommend if anyone wants to use milk paint on this type of timber be sure to use a sealing primer first especially in any area where there are knots. I would recommend practicing with a piece of scrap to be sure of your process.
James Carey
2021-01-30 12:53:55 +0000 UTCPlease don't forget to show the finished product. I'm interested in how the nails look painted. I'm thinking it might be nice to not have paint on the nails, to show them off as a feature.
Bill Brisky
2021-01-30 12:34:49 +0000 UTCI love that you used a lot of the tools you made yourself. The chest is beautiful!
Robert A Carbo
2021-01-30 12:32:23 +0000 UTCWell done... as usual. :)
Ethan Chitty
2021-01-30 12:21:32 +0000 UTC
