camp boxs

[Nyckname]

...I'm thinking pallet wood...

It's been a while since I went pallet picking, but if you were good at identifying woods, you used to be able to find 'em made from oak.

 

[Black Hand]

Pallet wood could be used to make camp boxes - I have one in the works now (will likely end up as a painted insulated cooler box). That said, the boards are crooked/warped, all the holes needed to be plugged and every piece has been planed smooth. In order to get things to line up, I would need to use biscuits (and buy a biscuit-joiner) to join the boards used to make the sides/top/bottom. Generally a gigantic nuisance and spending $15 at Lowes for a 12in x 3/4in x 12ft pine board is just a much better use of my time and resources for the boxes I usually build.

 

[Nyckname]

...That said, the boards are crooked/warped, all the holes needed to be plugged and every piece has been planed smooth. In order to get things to line up, I would need to use biscuits (and buy a biscuit-joiner) to join the boards used to make the sides/top/bottom...

After all of that, I would glue edges, then faces together to make larger, stronger boards. Usually two layers, a couple'f times three. When I got the rhythm down, it didn't take all that long.

 

[Black Hand]

After all of that, I would glue edges, then faces together to make larger, stronger boards. Usually two layers, a couple'f times three. When I got the rhythm down, it didn't take all that long.

Yes - the individual boards will be glued together along the edges then the panels cut to the necessary size. The blanket chest I showed above is made of 4-6" wide boards that were glued along the edges, the ends/sides/top/bottom cut to final size and glued/nailed together.

 

[Black Hand]

The blanket chest I showed above is made of 4-6" wide boards that were glued along the edges, the ends/sides/top/bottom cut to final size and glued/nailed together.

All that said, each individual board was planed, the edges jointed and the panels glued together. Keeping the boards flush in the field was difficult and I had to go back and re-plane (with a hand plane) each panel to true the faces. The original box, from which this wood was harvested, had glued/nailed cleats to keep the sides together which kept the faces flush. Once I removed the cleats, planing the boards removed damaged areas where wood had ripped while removing the cleats. Keep in mind that the original box had been made from dimensional lumber purchased from the store and not pallet-wood, which proves to be more challenging due to the quality of pallet materials.

 

[eugenenine]

I have a biscuit joiner a cow worker gave me years ago and it still works fine, I had to restock my biscuits last summer when I built my ammo crafting table. I was thinking the pallet wood for the old worn look.

 

[Black Hand]

I was thinking the pallet wood for the old worn look.

A box made from rough pallet wood looks like a box made from rough pallet wood - it doesn't look old and worn. Just in the same way that a table made from rough pallet wood doesn't look old and worn, it just looks shabby, like something made from crappy pallet wood. Rough wood could be used to make packing crates, but they are constructed as a packing crate NOT a chest or box.

No one can stop you from making a box of rough pallet wood, but if you are going to invest the time, DO IT RIGHT...

 

[smo]

Here’s a kitchen box I made last Summer .

It’s nothing compared too you Guys boxes,
But it serves the purpose.

It has been stained since these pics were taken.

 

[Black Hand]

The yellow box I showed previously holds my cooking equipment and supplies.

 

[Straekat]

No respectable craftsman of the period would use rough wood to make a box. Maybe for a packing crate, but not for an item that was considered furniture. Do yourself a favor and emulate the period craftsman...

That applied to almost everything made by -skilled- craftsmen, who wanted the finished product to look smooth without very visible tool marks.

If you think the old and beaten up look is period, ask yourself if you want to pay top bucks for a custom made long rifle that look like it was made by a very skilled craftsman, or a teenage apprentice?

 

[Sicilian Hunter]

Here’s a kitchen box I made last Summer .

It’s nothing compared too you Guys boxes,
But it serves the purpose.

View attachment 6347 View attachment 6348 View attachment 6349 View attachment 6350

It has been stained since these pics were taken.

SMO,
Love the design, Great job!!

 

[Black Hand]

That applied to almost everything made by -skilled- craftsmen, who wanted the finished product to look smooth without very visible tool marks.

If you think the old and beaten up look is period, ask yourself if you want to pay top bucks for a custom made long rifle that look like it was made by a very skilled craftsman, or a teenage apprentice?

Boxes do get worn, chipped and dented with use - but they do so in a particular way and in certain places. A box should have honest age on top of proper craftsmanship, fit and finish. Boxes that are 200+ years old (and my parents have a chest of this age) look aged not rough - areas that see little wear have smooth surfaces and untouched paint, while the wear areas have some chipping, denting and paint wear.

Poor craftsmanship and rough wood result in a sub-par product rather than looking period or old...

 

[Straekat]

That is spot on correct. Many old tables, chairs, etc. are built with a variety of woods. Not every home had sophisticated tools (planes, etc.) and things were left rough or only superficially scraped.

During the Georgian era, particular wood species were chose for specific purposes. Chair legs were chosen for strength (frequently oak, chestnut or even hickory), seats for how easily they could be carved (pine, poplar and similar softwoods), and if there were bent and steamed backs, woods needing the ability to be steamed and bent, etc.

Except for finer furniture with entire exteriors made from mahogany, or entirely from oak, the items were meant to be painted. Although most people think milk-paints were used for most painting projects, that is a misconception. During the colonial era, flax was grown everywhere in order to make linen cloth. A by product of linen production are the flax seed, sometimes called "flax seed" which could be pressed to produce flax oil/flax seed oil (they are for all intents and purposes, the same). That oil is better known as "linseed oil." Linseed oil is one of the components used to make traditional oil based paints.

Linseed oil rubbed onto a milk painted surface will penetrate the painted layer and begins to produce a hard shell, and resists wear and abrasion better than an untreated surface. BOTH milkpaints and linseed home made enamel paints were used during the 18th century, and they can appear to be similar but are not the same.

 

[smo]

SMO,
Love the design, Great job!!

Thank you SH,

But I stole the design off the net.... lol

If I ever build another, the legs will be 2x4 or 2x2,
For a little more stability.

This one works fine for me, but when young ones come under the canvas I get a little nervous! LOL

But it’s only for cooking utensils and food prep while in camp.

Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Black Hand]

My boxes are Milk-painted and finished with a mix of Turpentine/Linseed oil/Beeswax. This finish can be easily touched-up as needed or re-applied on an occasional basis.

 

[smo]

Would stains such a walnut not have been more commonly used?

Stains don’t tend too chip as paints do, however I don’t think
milk painted surfaces are as prone too chipping as modern paints are..

 

[Black Hand]

Would stains such a walnut not have been more commonly used?

Doubtful - tinted varnishes were used to accentuate the natural colors of the underlying wood or veneers were used to cover secondary woods utilized in the construction of certain items.

 

[smo]

Thanks for the info BH

 

[Black Hand]

Thanks for the info BH

I've found information on period varnishes - but other than ebonizing, I haven't run across anything speaking to period stains.

 

[Carbon 6]

I'm thinking pallet wood would work well since its rough and used to give it the aged look.

I did that very thing. I'm also embarrassed to show a picture of it. I recommend against it.