Day 263

The plans for the Model Shipways Bluenose kit explain the construction of a chain box in one of the detail drawings, but don’t show the box on the plans for the deck.  So I’m assuming this box was likely portable.

I’ve decided to go ahead and build it now, but not secure it to deck until I get further into the build.  When the chain for the anchors and machinery is installed, some excess chain will be loaded into this box.  I don’t want to glue the box down until I get that chain laid out.  But it make sense to build it now, since the construction is similar to other deck structures.

The chain box is an open top box.  It has no lid.  Construction just requires making the four sides and the bottom, gluing them together, and painting them white.

The bottom, front, and back were cut first.  These are rectangular and straight forward.  The two side pieces are rounded, and I want them to be the exact same curve.

To make these, I cut two pieces (one for each side) a little bigger than necessary and glued them together.  I was careful to only glue the part I will be cutting away.  The shape was drawn on, and the parts to cut away were marked with an ‘X’.

To make the rounded ends, two pieces of wood are glued together and marked.

I used my little Proxxon scroll saw to make the cuts.  Once the pieces were cut, they were no longer glued together because the glued part was cut off.

Once the rounded pieces are cut, everything is ready to assemble.

The pieces were then sanded down and glued together.

The box is pretty simple.

The completed box was sanded throughly, given a little wood filler at the seams, primered, and painted white.

For now, the box is just sitting on the deck.  It is not glued down.  I’ll keep it in a parts bag in the drawer until it is time to install it.

The completed box is temporarily sitting just behind the engine box.

The chain box won’t be glue in place until much later in the build.