Wooden camp box... not that sort of camp!

[Squidders]

For a while now I have been after a wooden box or Wannigan to use in my new canvas tentipi... I wanted something wooden because it feels and looks nice and would also provide a nice flat surface to work on.

I saw a few online that I have been sent links to such as an ultra posh one sent by Steve A ( http://www.campfireskills.co.uk/products.html ) I might one day get that really nice one but I thought I'd try and do it cheaper while still trying to have some quality.

So, I found a knackered old one on ebay and went for it... it arrived a week or so ago and was in a right state, the bottom was comprised of a load of really bad boards that didn't line up and had screws going in at all angles, the top had been bodged and had some weird trim attached and the handles were nasty little brass ones. The only good parts were the sides and oddly enough, those were well done given the quality of the rest.

I went to the local woodyard and got some 20mm pine and had it cut to (roughly) the right shape and spent some time this weekend completing it.

I thought about transporting it and decided that I like it too much for only car camping and it would have to be portable... so with some tieing and untieing I managed to get it very well mounted to one of the frames that hold the old school 35L swedish army packs that Gary Wale gave me.

Now there's room on top for the tipi and I have somewhere to store pots, pans, brew kit, food, utensils and washing up stuff... as well as anything else that takes my fancy.

Well chuffed... here's the completed thing...

 

[spamel]

That's a nice box, although a nice bit of natural hemp rope for those handles would look nicer IMO! Saying that, I suppose you used what you had to hand, and fair play to you on that one. It looks a lot bigger than it is, as I peer at my LK 35 and try to guage its' size. have you packed it yet?

 

[Squidders]

I did have some sisal rope for the handles but the sodding stuff just sheds fibres all over the inside of the box... I have pretty much everything here but the modern stuff is far more suitable is the bottom line.

I have packed it and it's a tardis... I can now pack all the fancy bits like the finnish birch salt cellar I got there and the nice olive wood chopping board and so on... it's right posh!

by the way... the size... it's

L:56cm
W:31cm
D:26cm

 

[DKW]

Nice piece of work you have made there

 

[Eric_Methven]

Lovely box mate. If you want to go the sizal rope route, melt some candle wax and dunk the rope in for a minute or so. Then squeeze it through an old rubber glove to remove the excess and use it that way. The wax will stop the rope from fraying.

Eric

 

[scottishwolf]

Crackin box mate.....I want one! oh er missus lol

Seriously, quality craftsmanship is the only words that can describe that. Respect mate, nice one

 

[Squidders]

Thanks Eric, I'll give that a go and thanks for the compliments chaps... I'm happy I made something destined for the bonfire in to something destined to last a good while to come.

 

[Andy2112]

That's a very nice and tidy box you got there mister.

 

[Tadpole]

.

So, I found a knackered old one on ebay and went for it... it arrived a week or so ago and was in a right state, the bottom was comprised of a load of really bad boards that didn't line up and had screws going in at all angles, the top had been bodged and had some weird trim attached and the handles were nasty little brass ones. The only good parts were the sides and oddly enough, those were well done given the quality of the rest.

The tops and the bottom of boxes are the bits that get the hammering, some quite literally; they are used as benches seats saw horses and dragged along uneven, wet muddy, even concrete floors. I recently chucked two wooden ‘battery’ boxes, where the bottoms are ratted to death yet the sides look new. You may find that given time, maybe 20 years or so you’ll have to replace the top/bottom again before you hand it over to the next generation of user.

All that is by the by, can I ask how much it weighs.

 

[Jared]

Nice box.

One thing that got me thinking though is a how useful a piece of cargo netting could be with that rucksack frame. Could stretch it over anything to hold it on..