I wanted a weather-tight woodbox for my John Deer cart so that I could tow a load up onto my deck, unhitch, and be done until time for another load.
The first problem encountered was size and mass - it was obvious that at 4'X4'X~2' it would be too heavy to lift - so being too cheap to buy hardware, I made interlocking sliding half dovetail joints at the corner. This allows it to come apart into five more manageable pieces, which also eases summer storage issues.
Here is the back in place (it opens from the side, so the "back" is the right side in this photo), and the front panel is ready to slide in:
Here one side is installed and the other is ready to slide into place. The sliding dovetails are waxed to easy assembly. Note the angled top for water runoff.
Now the lid goes on. The lid overlaps all four side panels to make it weather-tight. Note the hinge supports are not yet locked into their guides.
Here is the entire unit, from the back, with only the top bar not yet locked into the bracket at the upper right.
The final issue was the support - it has to allow closure of the lid with one hand (the other arm is full of wood, naturally), and not be easily dislodged in case of accident and bring the lid down on my head, hand, whatever. The lid is surprisingly heavy - a 1/2 sheet of 3/8th" plywood plus framing. The support sits in a V-shaped enclosed bracket. There is a channel cut into the bottom of the V so water can drain. Note that it cannot be knocked to either side or backwards, and only with great difficulty could it come forward.
By lifting the lid, the hinged support comes out of the bracket, falls vertically, and allows the lid to close using one hand. For transport I have a simple shoe string loop at the back corner to hold the support (not shown).
I can think of many improvements and simplifications, but they all cost money. I thought someone might be interested.
The first problem encountered was size and mass - it was obvious that at 4'X4'X~2' it would be too heavy to lift - so being too cheap to buy hardware, I made interlocking sliding half dovetail joints at the corner. This allows it to come apart into five more manageable pieces, which also eases summer storage issues.
Here is the back in place (it opens from the side, so the "back" is the right side in this photo), and the front panel is ready to slide in:
Here one side is installed and the other is ready to slide into place. The sliding dovetails are waxed to easy assembly. Note the angled top for water runoff.
Now the lid goes on. The lid overlaps all four side panels to make it weather-tight. Note the hinge supports are not yet locked into their guides.
Here is the entire unit, from the back, with only the top bar not yet locked into the bracket at the upper right.
The final issue was the support - it has to allow closure of the lid with one hand (the other arm is full of wood, naturally), and not be easily dislodged in case of accident and bring the lid down on my head, hand, whatever. The lid is surprisingly heavy - a 1/2 sheet of 3/8th" plywood plus framing. The support sits in a V-shaped enclosed bracket. There is a channel cut into the bottom of the V so water can drain. Note that it cannot be knocked to either side or backwards, and only with great difficulty could it come forward.
By lifting the lid, the hinged support comes out of the bracket, falls vertically, and allows the lid to close using one hand. For transport I have a simple shoe string loop at the back corner to hold the support (not shown).
I can think of many improvements and simplifications, but they all cost money. I thought someone might be interested.