camp boxs

[Rifleman1776]

RW, that's great. Could be a piece of furniture in the home. I like those hinges but I would like to see the top ones outside the box.

 

[Black Hand]

RW, that's great. Could be a piece of furniture in the home. I like those hinges but I would like to see the top ones outside the box.

On period pieces I've seen, the hinge is on the inside of the top.

 

[Travler]

I really appreciate the pictures of the boxes shown here. Some fine work. I like the ideas folks have. I have made a box or two, but I always seem to see things I would not have thought of. Thanks for sharing and putting yourself at risk for criticism.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Boxes of the time period would have been of the 6 board box category. Very simple and sized to be carried if need be. Nothing fancy of course, but the boards would have been planed smooth. Even boxes built by the farmer on the frontier, care would have taken to smooth the surfaces. The rough packing pallet would just would not have been left rough.
Plans by "Fine Woodworking" can be found by a simple google search: https://finewoodworking.com/FWNPDFfree/six-board-chest.pdf

Black Hand is correct. The product would have been finished and smooth. Mountain men would have bundles, not necessarily boxes.

In my unit (British of the Seven Years War) only the officer would have a canteen (camp kitchen). My mess would have a suitable iron kettle and individuals would have plate, cup, bowl and eating utensils. If it wasn't packed in a bag, haversack or knapsack, we didn't have it.

I do admit that the camp kitchens on legs are very handy. They just don't exist in the historical record for the common inhabitant of the 18th and 19th century. I have seen the officer's (generally major or higher rank) canteen which is a finely crafted box with the necessary equipment for the officer's cook to prepare and sever meals. Here is some travelling kitchens (canteens) in museums. http://www.livinghistoryshop.com/category/18th-century-kitchenware/

 

[Black Hand]

Boxes of the time period would have been of the 6 board box category.

This might depend on the size of the box and the size of available lumber.

 

[Grenadier1758]

More likely the size of the available lumber may have determined the size of the box. Edge joining was also known and several methods of joining boards may be employed.

 

[Coot]

Wide planks were easier to come by in a "wooden world". I have seen 18th c chests (and wainscoting in 18th c homes) where the boards used were 24 inches or more in width.

 

[Robert Wolfe]

Does the spinning wheel get used?

Yes. My wife spins and knits the spun yarn.

 

[Nyckname]

Yes. My wife spins and knits the spun yarn.

Cool. I used to do some drop spindle spinning.

 

[Jeff Kaufmann]

My wife is a spinner as well. She has three different wheels. The first and largest of them was all handmade with hand forged iron fittings etc., the second one I got her and reconditioned, it is an original Frank Fell wheel from early 1900's, the last one is a Hitchhiker (small travel wheel, will fit in an overhead bin) and isn't pc/hc at all but still pretty cool.

Sorry to continue off topic! By way of bringing back to topic though, some camp boxes are pretty high on my list of "to get done yet this year". Planning on a hand dove tailed seaman's chest and double sized cot frame in a box to fit my wife and I. Both of us have had some pretty rough miles in our lifetimes and the bad knees, backs, and shoulders to go with! Sleeping on the ground has become a 50/50 proposition as to whether or not we can actually get back off the ground again in the morning! We cheated last year and had an air mattress that we surrounded the edge with hay to make it look like a straw bed... Shhh, don't tell anyone!

 

[rp77469]

Here is a box I made from pine from the big box store. I used a scrub plane to give the wood the look I wanted and forged the hardware. Finished it with milk paint and linseed oil. Not fancy but it serves to hide my cooler. I'll do it a bit differently on the next one but am happy with the way it turned out.

Love the clinch nails. Very nice.

 

[Ames]

Here you go. Made 15 years ago for the wife to gather dog toys up and corral them.
Made from scrap 1x2 and 1x3 cherry and black walnut. The raised panel on the back was cut into strips for ventilation in case things get put away damp.
It has stood up for years without a hitch.
Happy birthday honey.

 

[Wichoun]

I needed some simple boxes just to store "stuff", like tent stakes, rope, etc... So, instead of using tupperware and then hiding it I made some quick and dirty boxes out of a few old wood pallets I broke up,. These aren't as much for show, but have a period look and makes a great extra seat if someone comes to visit. Once I take stuff out of them, I use for kindling I collected or whatever. But looking at the quality of work on this thread, I may add some old nails and throw some wash on them..

 

[Carbon 6]

I needed some simple boxes just to store "stuff", like tent stakes, rope, etc... So, instead of using tupperware and then hiding it I made some quick and dirty boxes out of a few old wood pallets I broke up,. These aren't as much for show, but have a period look and makes a great extra seat if someone comes to visit. Once I take stuff out of them, I use for kindling I collected or whatever. But looking at the quality of work on this thread, I may add some old nails and throw some wash on them..
View attachment 22613 View attachment 22614 View attachment 22615

Now those look like camp boxes.

 

[rp77469]

I made 3 of the 6 board style about 40 years ago and stained them the same color. They have character marks now, including one with a heavy tire mark on the lid (don't ask) and now we can tell them apart. The second set, about 20 years old, is painted different colors . Essentially the same as the first, but added 4" to the lid making them almost the normal chair height and more comfortable to sit. We were heavily involved with Scouts over the years and the rope handles hurt the younger kids hands. The wood hand protectors were made out of the legs of cheap bar stools someone put out for the trash. All are fully caulked on the inside and waterproof. Learned that lesson the hard way. Painted ones are all doweled together. Next ones, if I ever make more, will be frame and panel to reduce weight.

 

[Gun Tramp]

This one started innocently. I made it big enough to conceal an Igloo cooler if desired and ended up with something too big to be handy. Like two-people unhandy. The pie safe tin helps with weight but I needed handles.
An auger bit will readily follow the pith in young stock, here in well seasoned ash of about the right size for the grip portion of the handle.
Shape to center the hole; I used 5/16" mild steel for the pin and a 5" grip length.
Four ends were cold bent from 1 1/2"x 1/8" mild steel, bend is 2" from one end of a 4 1/2" piece. 2 1/2" became the stand-off "height."

Working cold again and using a vise, one end of each pin was headed before assembling the handle; one and one-half times the pin diameter is needed to head each end.