Boxes, Caskets, Chests, & Coffers

Plans for a storage box that doubles as a camp stool.

Made from poplar with leather hinges.

Assembly instructions for a combination bench and chest based on a settle seen in a 15th century painting.

Traditiona l six-board design.

These shelves are my solution to the camp clutter problem. This shelf can be completely disassembl ed for travel, and due to the peg arrangemen t, can be made level on uneven ground.

Constructi on of a simple box based on chests from the Mary Rose.

Using the plans developed by Master Robyyan Torr d'Elandris; the boxes are incredibly useful and look like panel chests, yet come apart to stack flat. They are made from plywood and 1x4s and work great as cooler covers.

The Mastermyr chest is one of a class of 6-board chests that were used by Scandinavi ans for a variety of small storage requiremen ts.

Mostly secular examples in bone & ivory, enamel, leather, metal, and wood.

Links to cassoni and cassone panels. Descriptio ns of depictions and carvings, as well as materials.

The full text of the English translation, featuring recipes for artists' supplies, and instructions for techniques.

Subjects covered in this issue: hairstyles for men in 1476; a few 15th century recipes; illustrations of buckets, lanterns, boxes, cooking utensils, and personal goods; and mottoes.

Master Dafydd ap Gwystl and Master Terafan Greydragon have created a couple of different painted cooler chests, intended to appear as medieval chests with the added ability of keeping things cold at events.

"Livery" refers to the nightly ration of bread, wine, and candles that would be portioned out to the family, guests, and servants of a household. Such cabinets have openings, such as tracery or turned spindles, usually backed with coarse cloth. This allows ventilation while keeping out vermin, much like a modern pie safe. This project is inspired by a cupboard in York Minster.

Master Dafydd ap Gwystl and Terafan Greydragon created a reproduction of a 15th century Italian cassone (chest).

Construction notes for building a knock-down hutch (clamp-front chest) suitable for storage or camp use.

Includes sections on finds from excavations; leathergoods manufacture; knife sheaths; shoes; parchment; books, boxes, & book boxes; and saddlery.

Plans for a 13th century English chest.

Links to extant examples in museums, as well as illustrations & artwork of chests & trunks in various contexts. Includes cassones and chest-panels.

Photos from a museum in Strasbourg, France, with lots of 13th-15th century chests, all from the Alsace region; and a folding chair from Switzerland or northern Italy.

An ongoing site with articles & links on furniture as it applies to the Middle Ages & the SCA.

I had this idea for boxes that could be used to hold and transport stuff, and would also serve as a base for a clothes-bar. Sort of a portable closet.

A gallery of photos taken during a trip to the museum, including a folding table (1480-1500); casting molds; a brooch; some wooden combs; six candlesticks (14th-15th centuries); a clasp (13th century); belts (14th and 15th centuries); carvings in ivory and wood; a pig-face bascinet; a mail shirt; a 14th century dagger and some sword pommels; and a chest, stool, and bed at the Design Museum.

Basic chest for bocce balls.

These plans are for the construction of a chest that will do good service and has a real history to it.

(Also at www.medievalwood.org/charles/chestpln.html )

Article by Master Dafydd ap Gwystl.