Make your own hat box?

[Mycroft]

Hey can I make my own hat box for my closet out of wood because my cardboard one is falling apart? Any ideas, tips, pictures, sites, etc.?

[John in Covina]

Have you done any work on this project? My questions would be:

Do I need to make more that one box?
If so do they need to stack or interlock in any way?
Can It be one size fits all?

What type of wood should I use?
Cedar keeps the bugs away but oils and sap from the wood will hurt the hat if it touches.

Do I want to make it out of a nice wood to be stained and given some type of protective finish.

What finish would be least reactive for hats and or most protective?

There are books on fine wood working that could suggest the proper woods and finish to use along with the proper joinery techniques.

Sounds like a nice project.

John in Covina

[John in Covina]

Also I would get a proper hat box and study it's:
design,
shape
dimesions
and construction to see what is needed for a proper hat box.
Is it for travel or only home storage?

John in Covina

[DanielJones]

You may be able to find a plain hat box at Michael's art supplies. Varipac also makes hat boxes, and I would wager that most arts & crafts shops in your area carry hat boxes in the round variety. Some may be ladylike with fabric attached but that can be easily removed if your delicate sensabilities are offended by such things.;) Also, any western store is going to carry hat boxes, and they may have spares in the back from hats that were sold but the people didn't take the box. Hopes this helps.

Cheers!

Dan

[jake_fink]

Daniel Jones,

You look more like Bing Crosby with every new avatar.

bu-bu-bu-bye bye.

:cool:

[DanielJones]

Why thank you sir.

Cheers!

Dan

[shamus]

I actually almost did this, but instead decided to make an extra shelf and cedar line it in the closet and use the cardboard boxes...

But if I did, I'd use a nice maple. It's pretty, looks great, it's a hardwood and easy to work with. I would make a simple box big enough for most hats. Make it a 5 sided box. Leave the front open. I'd also dovetail it together, it's great looking and very strong. I'd then line it with aromic cedar on the sided and top. I'd felt line the bottom. On the front I'd cut a piece of plexi-glass to size and add a nice brass piano hinge and a vintage looking handle. That way you can see your hats and decide which one to wear. I'd make about 10 of these boxes and line them up verically or horizonally or both. As to finish it's up your tastes. I would not finish inside as the it would defeat the cedar.

But that's what I would do.