I built this toy chest this week for the child of our niece who is turning one. As you can tell his dad is grooming him to be a cubs fan. I used the scroll saw for all the ornamentation so I thought you all might like to see it.
The construction material is MDF. It makes for a heavy toy chest but it's easy to work with and paints well. One tip about painting MDF is to use a mixture of glue and water to coat the edges. MDF soaks up the paint on the edges and looks sloppy. After you coat it with the glue sizing and let it dry you can sand it to 320 grit and it smooths out nicely.
I used a piano hinge for the top. They are easy to install and because of all the screws it holds well in the MDF which does not take screws all that great in the edges. I did not have time to order a slow close catch so I settled for the lock open style. This is not the safest hing for a toy chest so I might order a slow close and replace this one.
I used pocket hole joinery to assemble the box. I have the Kreg pocket hole jig and I love the thing. I use it all the time for fast and strong joints. If you build any kind of cabinetry or boxes like this it is the perfect tool. I did not fill the pocket holes inside the box but they have inserts that you can sand flat and hide the holes.
I had a lot of trouble finding handles that I thought fit the project so I made custom handles in the shape of baseball glove and ball..
One note about building projects from MDF. My shop is a disaster after building this box. The dust from MDF is terrible. It's the one drawback that almost keeps me from using the stuff. If you use MDF wear a dust mask.
I'm going to deliver this gift to the birthday party tomorrow after noon. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. This is an example of how a scroll saw can be put to good use for "regular woodworking projects". Now that I have this finished I will get back to working on the blog for you guys. This was one of those honey do projects that had to get finished first or I would be sleeping in the dog house.
This is the end of the daily posts. Keep scrolling for lot's more scrolls saw fun!
Heritage Wood Specialties. Scroll saw ready boards!
Heritage Wood Specialties is a nationally recognized supplier of superior quality hardwoods to fine woodworkers across the US and Canada. Novice hobbyists and experienced enthusiasts alike can enjoy the high quality woodworking materials and kits available from Heritage Wood Specialties. Great source for scroll saw ready boards.
Seyco
Free Pattern Catalog. 1000's of free patterns.
Thousands of FREE scroll saw patterns. No registration or signup required.
The projects form these patterns can be sold without restrictions. The patterns cannot be sold.
Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw Book $12 Each
Each digital book is available for download immediately after payment.
The books are $12 per edition and contains eight unique patterns each.
Watch the following video to see how easy these beautiful scroll saw vases
are to make.
Watch the following video to see how easy these beautiful scroll saw vases
are to make.
Order the $3 pdf Catalog
Stencil Printer 1.7
Scroll Saw Pattern Printer update 1.1
Scroll Saw Keychain Pattern Maker
Use the Scroll Saw Keychain Maker to start a small keychain business. Build yourself a nice display and make up severl keychains with common names. Sell at craft shows, on Ebay or at work. Everyone needs a keychain. Take custom orders. Heck just make them and give them away as gifts. It's all made easy with the Scroll Saw Keychain Maker.
Watch the video demonstration then download the file below and get started with the fun.
Download the Oval Keychain Pattern Maker.
Enjoy designing and printing these great personalized key chains. Give them as gifts, make them for fun or sell them at craft shows. It's easy, just watch the video demo then download and install the program. You will be designing these fun projects in minutes. Windows PC only.
Download Version .9a
Please consider a $5 donation for The Oval Key Chain Pattern Maker.
Philip Lowndes Noah's Arc Pattern Available. Watch the video below.
The Scrollsaw Workshop Blog is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts Magazine formerly (Scroll Saw Workshop Magazine) or it's publisher Fox Chapel Publishing.
Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts
