How worried should I be about cupping on a Dutch tool chest lid?

[James Jayko]

When I made mine, I did breadboard ends on the top because I didn't like the look of the battens. Has been fine / completely stable for 4-5 years.

[Megan Fitzpatrick]

These days in classes, we put battens (usually oak) on the outside edges of the lids. I pull these from the scrap bin, but I try for about 1" thick x 1-1/2" wide. Drill countersunk clearance holes in the lid; drill pilot holes in the battens. 1-1/2" screws through the top into the battens. Oh – and most students opt to put a 30° angle on the back edge of the battens (to match the lid angle) and clip the front corners at 45°, leaving a 3/8" or so flat where it contacts the lid. It's a traditional approach to battens, and it helps to serve as a dust seal. And I can't speak for my students, but I almost always take the battens back off before painting the lid and case, then use oil/wax on the battens and other oak parts (fall front battens, catch, lock, etc) before re-installing. The waxed/oiled wood looks great against the paint.

[Ben Zachary]

Ack, I missed a bunch of replies here! Thanks so much all!

I did see the exterior battens in your article on the chests Megan, but I ultimately went with interior battens that I put hard up against the outside edge. I like the breadboard ends, but I'm slow and just wanted to get the dang thing together.

The chest is mostly complete, just some tool organizing to go. There are a lot of sins here, but this is really my first build of much of anything. It was a lot of fun putting it together

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[Cameron Wood]

Looks good!