Shiver me timbers! This project is great for any little pirate's favourite treasures, and it's also an excellent way to bring a young woodworker into the shop for some practice. I chose butternut for this project, but any wood will do.
You will need:
| Part | Material | Size (T x W x L*) | Qty. |
| Bottom | butternut | 3/4" x 5 5/8" x 9 1/4" | 1 |
| Front/back | butternut | 3/4" x 3 1/2" x 9 1/4" | 2 |
| Ends | butternut | 3/4" x 5 5/8" x 2 3/4" | 2 |
| Lid ends | butternut | 3/4" x 1 3/4" x 6 5/8" | 2 |
| Lid slats | butternut | 1/4" x 3/4" x 9 1/4" | 11 |
| Hinges straps | leather | 1/16" x 3/4" x 6" | 2 |
| Handle straps | leather | 1/16" x 3/4" x 6" | 2 |
*Length indicates grain direction
Download the detailed project assembly plans here!
Baby steps
Start with all your stock milled to the final thickness and rip all pieces to final width. Let your little woodworker cross cut the bottom, front, back, end and lid end pieces to length.
Glue the front and back pieces to the bottom and clamp the assembly before setting aside to dry before nailing.
While you’re waiting, have the junior sawyer work on cutting the 1⁄4"-thick slats to length. This is a good time to teach the novice how to lay out a line using a square. I also recommend a bench hook fitted with a toggle clamp to support the wood. This item holds the workpiece firm, allowing the child to focus on using the handsaw rather than keeping the wood steady while sawing.
Let the nailing begin. Predrill all nail holes for practice and to prevent splitting. I suggest a broken drill bit chucked into a hand drill so that the chuck will act as a depth stop. A child has better control with a short bit that does not flex. (If you don’t have a broken bit, don’t worry—you soon will.)
Select two of the lid slats, then glue and clamp them to join the short end faces of the lid ends.
New material
Leatherwork begins during this second drying period. As with the wood, I cut the leather into long strips and let the child cut those pieces to length with scissors. Punch a hole 1⁄2" from the ends of the two leather straps, then secure the handles with 5⁄8"-long pan-head screws.
Unclamp the lid assembly and start gluing and nailing slats into place using 1"-long finishing nails. Begin at the front, omitting the nails in the sixth and ninth top slats as well as the back face slat. You will fasten the leather hinge straps (as well as the slats) using common nails instead of finishing nails. The head of the common nail is large enough not to pull through the leather, keeping the hinge operational.
Put the lid in place and secure it with masking tape before nailing the leather hinge to the back of the lower portion of the treasure chest assembly.
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