RDI Chest 0: Outer Chest Assembly

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Unless you’re an expert box-builder, the lower chest and the lid may end up being slightly different sizes. That’s fine. As long as it’s close, the hinges and latches will keep it together.

Required Tools

  • Phillips-head screwdriver
  • Drill with 1/8″ drill bit
  • Hammer
  • Wood glue (Amazon)
  • A few small clamps, such as clothespins or chip clips (Amazon Link)
  • Best option: Positioning squares (Amazon) and bar clamps or c-clamps (Amazon)
  • Alternative option: Corner clamp (Amazon)

Main Chest

Parts

  • 1/2″ thick (12mm) wood panels
    • Four large pieces marked Front, Rear, Left Side, Right Side, all 7.5″ tall (19 cm)
    • Four identical planks
      • Unmarked, no holes, approximately 11.5″ x 3″ (29 x 7.5 cm)
  • 1/4″ thick (6mm) wood panels
    • Two, approximately 11.65″ x 5.75″ (29.5 x 14.5 cm), many holes, marked Front and Rear
  • From Bag 1: 1/8″ thick (3mm) wood pieces
    • Engraved with Lower Drawer Rear/Left/Right Wall
  • Hardware Bag: Box of 100 brass shade bracket nails

Assembly (With Positioning Squares)

  • Rear Panel and Left Side Panel
    • Place the rear panel with the engraved text facing down on two positioning squares, both on one side. Set it up so the nail holes are near you and the three holes for the hinges are away from you. Put something under the other end to support it.
      • If you have many positioning squares, you can do both sides at once.
    • Find the left panel. You are looking at the box from the front, so it will go on the left, with the engraved text facing outward. Check that the nail holes are near you and the larger holes for the handles are away from you. Set it aside for a moment.
    • Apply a thin line of wood glue to the edge of the rear panel, along the side nail holes.
    • Double-check the positioning of the left panel, and place it on the glue at the edge. Clamp the panel to the positioning squares.
      • I also use smaller positioning squares on the inside, but these aren’t needed.
      • Bar clamps are easiest to use, but C-clamps work.
    • Push the walls together, hard. You want to have a perfect, smooth edge all the way down.
    • Check the front and back corners, where the walls come together, to ensure they’re perfectly aligned.
      • Then push the walls together again. Then check the front and back corners. Etc. It’s better to catch any problems sooner than later.
    • Let that wood glue dry for a little while. Wash your hands and play a game of RDI, and that’ll be about long enough.
    • Welcome back! Check your edges and corners.
    • Release the clamps. Gently turn the whole assembly over on a flat surface, placing the right wall underneath the unsupported edge so that it forms an arch. Hammer nails into the six nail holes along the left edge, starting with the top-most and bottom-most nails.
      • Give the edge a quick check after each nail to ensure nothing has come loose.
      • If the edge ends up a little bit off, you may be able to improve the alignment by tapping the panel into place with your hammer.
  • Right Side Panel
    • Repeat the same process. Be careful not to bend the previous joint between the rear panel and the left panel.
      • Double-check the right side alignment; nail holes along the bottom, engraved text at the top and facing outward.
  • Front Panel
    • Essentially, the same process. Nail holes at the bottom, engraved text at the top and facing outward.
    • The front panel can be a little trickier, because the rear panel joints you just did cause tension on the walls. Just position, glue, clamp, check your corners and edges, adjust, check, etc.

Assembly (With Corner Clamps)

  • Rear Panel and Left Side Panel
    • Arrange the rear and left side panels.
      • You’re looking at the box from the rear; the left side panel will go on your right side.
      • Their engraved text will be on the outside of the box, and along the top edge. The bottom edge of both pieces is a row of nail holes.
    • Stand up the rear panel and the left side panel next to each other, then clamp them together at 90 degrees.
      • The left side panel is butted against the rear panel. Nails are going to go through the rear panel and into the left side panel.
    • If you have a second corner clamp, clamp the bottom as well. Fiddle with the clamps until you have a very tight, very smooth, very secure corner.
    • Hammer nails into the six nail holes.
      • If using one corner clamp, hammer the two nails closest to the clamp, check your work, then move the clamp to the other side.
      • If using two corner clamps, hammer the topmost and bottommost nails first, and work toward the center.
  • Right Side Panel and Front Panel
    • Essentially the same. Clamp, then nail.
    • Double-check that the text on the pieces faces outward and is along the top.

Floor Planks and Platform

  • Four planks
    • Place the box on a flat surface. Lay the four planks in the bottom of the box, running front-to-back. Do not add any glue or nails yet.
    • Tap and push the boards down so that they all lay flat, and their edges are closely lined up. They don’t need to be perfect.
  • Lower Drawer Rear/Left/Right Wall (3 pieces)
    • Install the rear wall first. Apply wood glue to the side with the engraved text, then stick that to the inside of the back of the box, on top of the floor planks, with the tabbed edge up. Ensure that the base of the wall remains flat against the floor planks.
    • Install the left and right walls the same way. Clamp the front edges to the outer chest, through the hole for the drawer’s front. Clothespins will work.
    • Allow the glue to dry.
  • Back to the planks
    • Lift the chest, removing the four planks. Turn the chest upside-down.
    • Apply wood glue to the front, back, and left side of one plank, and place it on top of the drawer walls, pushed all the way to the left.
    • Repeat on the right side.
    • Allow the glue to dry.
    • Turn the chest onto its front and hammer in four nails; the two left-most and right-most.
    • Turn the chest onto its back, check that the planks are still flat in place against the drawer walls, and hammer in four nails.
    • Put a couple pieces of paper down, and put the chest right-side-up on top of them. Apply glue to all four sides of the remaining two planks, and push them into place to complete the floor.
    • Tap and push the boards down so that they all lay flat, and their edges are closely lined up. They still don’t need to be perfect.
    • Allow the glue to dry.
    • Turn the chest onto its front, and hammer in the remaining four nails.
    • Turn the chest onto its back, check that the center planks are still in place and level with the side planks, and hammer in the remaining four nails.
    • Hammer in all the nails on the left and right sides.
    • If the paper you laid down is stuck to the bottom of the chest now, remove what you can, then clean up the rest with a knife or razor blade.
    • Check again that the planks are level; you can still do some small adjustments using a hammer.
  • 1/4″ thick (3mm) Deck Platform (2 pieces)
    • These have arrows indicating which way to place them, pointing to the front and the rear.
      • They will be installed engraved-side up.
    • Apply just a little glue to the side notches, then place the platform on top of the platform supports. Check that it ends up flat, with all the tabs set into the notches of the supports.
    • Place some heavy objects on top and let it dry thoroughly.
      • Don’t put weight in the center of the front platform. That’s not supported yet.

Box Lid

Parts

  • 1/2″ thick (12mm) wood panels
    • Four pieces for the lid. Front and Rear marked, sides have curved tops and are unmarked
    • Seven identical planks, each with four nail holes
  • From Bag 1: Large white ‘The Red Dragon Inn’ logo plate
  • Hardware Bag
    • Box of 100 brass shade bracket nails
    • Four tiny brass nails

Lid Assembly

The lid assembly is similar to the main chest assembly, with some adjustment because the side pieces are not simple rectangles.

  • Rear Lid Panel
    • Place this with the engraved text face-down on your positioning squares. The triangle of three screw holes is the bottom of the piece.
  • Left/Right Lid Panel
    • The left and right lid panels are unmarked. The only difference is that the left panel has a tiny hole to make installing the lid support easier.
    • The bottom of the panel is flat the top of the panel is curved.
    • Apply glue along the nail holes on the rear panel, place the left and/or right panels, and clamp those side panels to your positioning squares. Check the corners and edges and adjust until the connections are smooth and flat.
  • Nailing the left and right panels
    • The left and right panels have a triangular piece jutting out of the front and back. When you turn the glued panels over to hammer in the nails, you’ll also need to place the front panel underneath them to avoid damaging that piece.
  • Front Lid Panel
    • Engraving goes on the outside of the chest. The three holes for the front latches are the bottom of the panel.
    • Position, glue, clamp, wait, and nail.
  • Decorative Front Plate
    • Place the lid on its back, so you’re looking at the front panel.
    • Position the RDI nameplate so that one of the holes is in the middle between the four holes on the front panel. Hammer one of the tiny decorative nails in until it’s just poking out the back of the nameplate.
      • The nail will damage the wood beneath it; this is why you start by positioning the nail in the middle of the front panel, where it will be covered.
    • Repeat for the other three nails, so that they’re all poking out just a little bit.
    • Apply white glue all over the back of the nameplate.
    • Put the nameplate on the front of the chest, and use the nails poking out the back to guide you into the nail holes. You should be able to feel all four nails drop into their holes. Then carefully hammer those nails down. They won’t offer much resistance; this panel relies on the glue more than the nails to hold it on. Put a heavy object on the nameplate for a few minutes until the glue sets.

Lid Planks

  • Seven 1/2″ thick (6mm) planks
    • Apply wood glue along the edges of the curved lid walls.
    • Start at the center, and lay all seven planks on top of the curved lid walls.
    • Push the planks together so there are no gaps between them, and adjust them so that they are straight, and overhanging by about the same amount in the front and back.
      • Feeling the overhang in the front and back is a good way to tell if the pieces are straight.
    • Check that the planks are centered and even with each other, and if they are overhanging or underhanging the walls, that it’s the same amount on each side.
    • Wait for the glue to dry, then hammer in all the nails.