How much weight will it carry? Over what span? Are you doing Inlay
Are you cross grain the oak and cedar? How thick is your cedar?
Most chests have storage in lid will yours ?

 

The cedar will run cross grain. The span will be 36" wide and 20" from from to rear. No inlays, no storage in the lid. I'd like it to be strong enough so that it will not flex if if person up to 200 lbs. might accidently sit on it. I wanted it be about 1.5" thick but told that iit way to heavy and way to thick but not told how much so.

Jerry

 

Jerry,

1 inch should be plenty.

Can't wait to see pictures!

 

Doug, thanks for the reply and suggestion.

The build is going slow, but eventually you'll see photos, I hope.

Jerry

 

Jerry, I just finished cedar chest where the top was 3/4 x 19 x 41 cherry including the breadboard ends. I made it so that one could sit on it. No problem supporting my 230 lbs. Not sure how much strength the cedar lining would add. If you have the top cut to size can you support it where the chest sides would be and then sit on it and see what happens?

 

Here are the facts, structurally. Two thicknesses cannot be considered as one thickness unless they are working together. Question...How strong would plywood be without the glue between the veneers? Answer...Not very strong at all - there is nothing but an itty-bitty amount of friction to help the layers work together. If the two "wythes" (the proper structural term) are made to work together via a good glue joint - your situation should work fine. As said above, use perpendicular grain directions and the glue.

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia

 

Is this a blanket chest on the end of a king-sized bed or something smaller? Sound's like you are not asking about how thick of cedar for a cedar chesk, but how thick of white oak for a cedar lined oak chest. As thick as it needs to be (finished) plus 10-20%, based on the quailty of the stock you are sttarting out with. (planing/sanding).

The liner is just a liner and is immaterial to thickness of the shell. Cedar is not know for being real strong... you are using it because is looks pretty, is aromatic and repels insects. For the quaitiies you get from it, that could be done with 1/8" lining... Most time when i get white oak, it's 3/4 to 5/4. If I were to do something with 1/2" and it being a "chest"... I think I'd be using some pieces thiker in the corners as a framework to add strength to the joints. Thought the same. I have some repurpoed European white oak that I salvaged from machinery shipping containers.

But you are past that point, working on the lid now right? Looking for hardware?

Good luck with that and curious to start seeing pictures.

 

"Good luck with that and curious to start seeing pictures."

Me too!