Last summer I posted the “shell catcher tote” constructed from my “bucket list” of “someday projects” I dreamed up while reloading shotgun shells. (C.f., http://lumberjocks.com/projects/69322 ) This post shows two more related projects I built to replace cardboard boxes which are commercially available to dispense shells and wads during the reloading process.
These two boxes are identical in design but different in size. The one on the left is larger and capable of holding 250-300 hulls. Though the one on the right being smaller, still holds a similar quantity of wads. Both boxes are constructed from 3/8” Baltic birch (bb) with ½” bb bottoms. The process started out with rough cutting the parts out and then trimming them to size using router templates that I developed as the construction progressed. Separate templates were made to trim each part to the same identical size, a template to round over certain edges, a couple of other templates to cut 45 degree joints, still another template for dadoes, templates for rounding over the outsides and extending past edges without rounding off the adjoining edge. It was amazing all the templates I ended up building.
Why all this work to build templates for just one set of boxes? Well, first, this was the only way I could come up with to construct the various complex angles, dados and general construction challenges this project presented. The second reason was my idea to build several other sets as gifts for friends, other officers and members of the board of directors who helped me during the last two year while I served as president of our area rod and gun club. As you can see, I’ve gotten three sets completed. However, these were done during the developmental process and hopefully the next sets will go much faster.
As always, comments (good, bad, critical or whatever) are very much appreciated. Thanks for looking.
P.S. Reflecting on this post, I made the mistake of forgetting I was posting on a woodworking forum and not a guns and ammo forum. It would probably have been more interesting and a better approach to describe this project as a double box connected by a ramp with limiting gate. Also, a few constructions details should have been included to explain that all exterior corners were 45 degree miters and rounded over after the glue up was dry, and all interior joints are either routed dados or plow cuts. All joints were initially fitted using Scotch-Blue Painter’s Tape and then glued using the same tape to hold the hopper together until I could pin nail each corner. The finish is Min Wax Quick Drying Satin Polyurethane. The dimensions on the large hopper are 13” high x 14” deep x 8-3/8” wide; and the dimensions on the smaller hopper are 11” high x 12-1/2” deep x 7-1/2” wide.