Shaker Blanket Chest Hardware

[Charles Brown]

I'm building a couple of Shaker-inspired blanket chests currently and haven't spec'd the hardware yet. I'm not interested in using strap hinges or wrought-iron exposed hinges and would like to use something simple for hinges as well as the soft-close device.

Does anyone have suggestions for (1) the anti-slam pistons / soft-closers / whatchamadoodles and (2) hinges that would look nice on a traditional looking blanket chest.

I looked at the Lee Valley catalogue and didn't love the look of their soft-close mechanisms. Any other leads?

thanks,
Charlie

[Mark Carlson]

Not shaker per say but look nice: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=22046&Max=999

[Jamie Buxton]

I think you're kinda stuck. The whole soft-close concept is new, and all the hardware for it looks new. It doesn't look Shaker-ish. The best you may be able to do is to use nice traditional knuckle hinges (I really like Horton Brass for those. http://www.horton-brasses.com/store/hinges/brassnickel), and live with anti-slam pistons. Blum makes two kinds that could mount in corners where they're not too obtrusive -- http://www.wwhardware.com/cabinet-hi...es?p_type=9311

[Charles Brown]

@Mark, thank you for sharing that. I'm going to use that as a Plan B option. I do like the look of them but don't typically use 3/4" material for the finished thickness. I'm never been wowed by non-mortise hinges, but these could fit the bill given that they serve two purposes.

@Jamie, I'm of the same opinion with regards to being stuck. Hence my post here on SMC. I never thought of using the Blum stuff. I wonder if it's meant to be used in the vertical orientation? They are definitely more "space-age" than "Shaker."

I'm still wondering how I'm going to fit a second soft-close piston on the side with till and interior storage.

Any other ideas?

[Chris Hachet]

I am stuck in the same position you are-I want to build a blanket chest for our family room so that we can have blankets for when we all watch movies, want it to look very traditional, but would love the soft close feature. Nothing like a lid slamming to distract you while you are watching a movie....

[Jamie Buxton]

...I'm still wondering how I'm going to fit a second soft-close piston on the side with till and interior storage.

Any other ideas?

One of those Blum products I linked to can be inserted in a long vertical hole in the side or front of your chest, so it doesn't intrude on the interior volume of the chest at all.

[Mark Blatter]

I'm still wondering how I'm going to fit a second soft-close piston on the side with till and interior storage.

Any other ideas?

I built three cedar chests for my daughters and could not find anything that I liked and thought would work. Then it hit me that for hundreds of years craftsmen had been making these style of chests using the perfect soft close, meaning the heads and hands of those who owned the chests. Seldom do the lids receive any damage from slamming closed on heads or hands. I just put in hinges with stays so the lids can be locked open. Nothing about either are even close to 'Shaker' though.

[Tom Scott]

I built three cedar chests for my daughters and could not find anything that I liked and thought would work. Then it hit me that for hundreds of years craftsmen had been making these style of chests using the perfect soft close, meaning the heads and hands of those who owned the chests.

Same here. I've built four and went with traditional hinges (I like Horton also). Even went so far as to buy a soft-close mechanism once, but couldn't bring myself to put that monstrosity on my traditional chest.

[Charles Brown]

I built three cedar chests for my daughters and could not find anything that I liked and thought would work. Then it hit me that for hundreds of years craftsmen had been making these style of chests using the perfect soft close, meaning the heads and hands of those who owned the chests. Seldom do the lids receive any damage from slamming closed on heads or hands. I just put in hinges with stays so the lids can be locked open. Nothing about either are even close to 'Shaker' though.

Mark, while I completely agree with your point about "natural" soft-close, I'm not sure I want to test it with the newborn coming to our house.

Can you point me to where you bought your hardware so I may take a look?

[Charles Brown]

One of those Blum products I linked to can be inserted in a long vertical hole in the side or front of your chest, so it doesn't intrude on the interior volume of the chest at all.

Jamie, agreed; however I don't think the throw on the soft-close is larger than a head or hand. My main goal is to prevent a child from getting hurt not so much to prevent the lid from being damaged.

[Jamie Buxton]

Jamie, agreed; however I don't think the throw on the soft-close is larger than a head or hand. My main goal is to prevent a child from getting hurt not so much to prevent the lid from being damaged.

You might consider a mechanism which isn't a soft-close, but more a safety. It could be a stick or block which moves into place by gravity when the lid is opened, and prevents the lid from closing. You have to deliberately move the block to get the lid to close. This scheme could be all wood, and would be more appropriate to a traditional style chest than the new soft-close pistons.

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's a sketch of what I'm talking about. You're looking at the inside wall of the chest, with the open lid up to the right. There's a stick fastened to the lid, on a pivot, so the bottom end of the stick slides forward when the lid is closed. The stick slides down the track until it hits the stop. At that point, you have to lift the bottom of the stick to get it over the stop, and allow the lid to continue closing. A toddler is extremely unlikely to be able to coordinate those moves.

As a bonus, this stick acts as a stop on the open lid. When the bottom end of the stick hits the right end of the track, the lid can't open any further. So you get to use standard leaf hinges without worrying about the lid falling down the back of the chest, and whacking a wall or a kid or whatever.

boxlidstop.jpg

[James White]

Bravo Jamie. I like your idea.

Here's a sketch of what I'm talking about. You're looking at the inside wall of the chest, with the open lid up to the right. There's a stick fastened to the lid, on a pivot, so the bottom end of the stick slides forward when the lid is closed. The stick slides down the track until it hits the stop. At that point, you have to lift the bottom of the stick to get it over the stop, and allow the lid to continue closing. A toddler is extremely unlikely to be able to coordinate those moves.

As a bonus, this stick acts as a stop on the open lid. When the bottom end of the stick hits the right end of the track, the lid can't open any further. So you get to use standard leaf hinges without worrying about the lid falling down the back of the chest, and whacking a wall or a kid or whatever.

boxlidstop.jpg

[Mark Blatter]

I don't remember where I bought them, I was thinking Wood Worker Supply since I used to be in Casper, WY almost every week. Here is what I used on two of the three I built. I used a different one on the third, but it is sitting under the first two so I cannot get to it and honestly don't recall exactly what I used. When you have three girls still single and in college, you end up with all the stuff you built them stored in your house. I will be able to get a look in a couple of weeks as the oldest of the three still at home is getting married and taking her cedar chest with her. Let me know if you are interested and will send you a photo of what I used on it.

I frankly wasn't a big fan of the color, but it was the only option at the time. They make cup holder type pulls if you want a match.

http://www.amazon.com/Platte-River-H.../dp/B00887MHHG

[Charles Brown]

Mark, yes, please do post some pictures. I'm not a huge fan of the colour--I would prefer a satin nickel or even an oil-rubbed bronze look. I'll dig a little deeper and see if they offer the product in different finishes.