Web Surfer's Review

Trunk bottoms, cutting boards

Trunk Bottom: from WoodCentral It's not unusual for someone to post a whole handful of questions at once on a message board. If enough people respond, eventually all your questions get answers. Here's a good example. – Editor "How are trunk bottoms installed? Like a drawer bottom in a dado, but what about expansion? Leave it open on the back like a drawer? I have a vision of a coopered, curved top, rift oak toy chest. Any ideas for a secret compartment for a trunk? Any trunk ideas in general? Never made a trunk before or examined one closely." – Bill First came suggestions for bottoms. – Editor "I have made quite a few blanket boxes and chests, although no toy chests. The most satisfactory bottom method I've found is a wide, three-eighths to half-inch tongue-and-groove with half-inch shiplap coming in a close second. I leave enough gap in fitting the bottom boards to allow for the expected movement. If I'm feeling fancy, I might rabbet the ends of each board and the outer edges as appropriate so that they can fit down into the mounting cleats or dado a bit, giving a little more volume in the chest without sacrificing much strength. Using a dado around the chest bottom works fine but makes repairs impossible. I finally settled on a cleat all around the bottom edge, maybe half by half-inch. This is screwed in place flush with the bottom edge of the sides so that it can be removed. The bottom boards are then laid in place. I use a very thin piece of weatherstrip in the grooves both to seal against dust and bugs as well as to help center the boards. Boards are laid in place, and both end strips are fastened lightly to the cleats using a couple of brads. I then fit half-inch quarter-round with mitered ends to hold the bottom strips down against the cleats. This trim is glued and tacked in place with brads since it will be permanent, any repairs being made by removing the bottom cleats. I have used similar construction for drawers that will be expected to hold a lot of weight, and it works well there, too, allowing me to dovetail all of the corners of the drawer for strength and supporting the bottom all around." – John "If the trunk is plywood, use a plywood bottom and you have no problems. If the trunk will be made from solid wood and the grain on the front, back and sides all runs in the horizontal direction, you can again use plywood and glue it in. If, however, you want to use a solid wood bottom, then use the technique that John suggested. Or, use some other technique but allow enough depth in the bottom groove for the bottom to expand and contract. Don't glue it in. Personally, unless you are trying to make a strict period copy, I would recommend a plywood bottom." – Howard "I have grandchildren. How they play with and in their toy chest is not gentle. When I build them theirs, it will be industrial strength; maybe with an inch-and-a-quarter subfloor as a bottom layer, blocked up with framing timbers." – Glenn Now for the hidden drawer part of the question. – Editor "I've put hidden compartments into chests by adding a three- or four-inch base molding around the bottom of the chest and making the front piece of molding the front of a drawer. Picture a chest on chest arrangement. The bottom of the chest obviously has to be raised to allow room for the drawer, and the ends of the front piece of molding must be carefully done so that when the drawer is closed, it isn't too visible. I've used mitered corners, but they tend to get a little ragged over time, and it loses the effect, so I now extend the drawer front so it looks like the sides butt into the back of the drawer front. Relieve the bottom of the drawer front with a cutout so it looks like the chest is sitting on legs so you can get fingers under it. You can also just add a false bottom sitting on cleats above the real bottom. Two problems with this are that the chest must be empty before you can get to the false bottom, and there needs to be a finger hole, which can be obvious, or some other way to get the bottom out, like magnets." – Neal Cherry for Cutting Boards: from Sawmill Creek "I've got a few cutting boards I need to make, and was thinking about incorporating some cherry into this batch. As I was tinkering with the stock, I started feeling like this wood might be too soft to use in a piece that will take many knife swipes. Is cherry a hard enough wood to use in a cutting board?" – Keith Most everyone thought there was no problem with that. – Editor "Yes, it is hard enough, but it will last longer, as will any cutting board wood, if the grain is oriented vertically instead of flat." – Dewey "I don't know why not. It's a common choice for flooring. It may not be as hard as some maple or hickory, but it's plenty hard." – Cliff "I used it in a few cutting boards I made and it's holding up fine." – Matt "I wouldn't hesitate to use cherry. End grain is easier on your knife edges, but cutting boards are by nature sacrificial. If they last too long, it means they're not being used, and that is a sin." – Jeremy Then a chef had his say. – Editor "For use at home, I would think cherry would be a fine choice. For a commercial work surface used daily, I think cherry is a poor choice. As a former professional chef, I can tell you that my razor-sharp high carbon chef's knifes are going to damage any wooden surface upon which they are used eventually, be they end grain or edge grain. Wooden cutting boards require maintenance over their lifetime, and in that respect cherry should be easier to sand or plane, when the time comes, than a harder wood." – Peter