The finished product
Supplies
- 3/4" oak boards (about two board feet)
- An old leather belt
- Brass hinges
- Wood screws
- Titebond II wood glue
- Boiled linseed oil
Tools
- Mitre saw or table saw
- Drill
- Pocket screw jig (optional, Titebond glue is probably sufficient on its own)
- Clamps
- Rachet straps
- Heavy duty scissors
Steps
I built the base first. The base consists of five rectangles of 3/4" thick oak, shown in the diagrams below.
Base, top view
When building the base, I use Titebond glue on all joints. Before applying glue, I drill lots of small (1/16" deep, 1/16" diameter) holes in the contact surface to help glue adhesion.
Base, end view
I used pocket screws and Titebond II glue to attach the upright "walls" of the base to the bottom. If you do not have a pocket screw jig, you can either drill pilot holes up through the bottom, or you can just do glue.
The top was trickier to construct because I wanted an arched appearance.
Angled cuts in the top
To close the ends of the top, I made the arched section 6 1/2" inches long, then capped it on either end with a solid piece.
End view with top
I sanded the whole exterior, then coated the whole thing with boiled linseed oil and let it dry overnight (remember, be careful with linseed-soaked rags, they can spontaneously combust).
I attached the top with small brass hinges, and added some metal corner hardware. I cut small strips of leather from the belt and attached them to the sides with wood screws.
Then I buried it in the dirt, drew its location on a map, and watched the adventure unfold.
Let the hunt begin!
