I needed some sort of picnic basket type thing. I don't know the first thing about basket weaving, so I figured I'd make a simple box out of cedar instead. I used fence picket cutoffs leftover from some planter boxes.

I think I had to change my plan at just about every step of the way, but that just keeps things interesting!

Step 1: Processing Material

I was sort of making it up as I went, but the general idea I had was to cut the wood into a bunch of strips and stagger them so that I could connect the corners like box joints.

I ripped the strips to width using my table saw and cut them to length using my miter saw.

Step 2: Gluing Up Strips

Each side was made of half long strips and half short strips, alternating them so I could emulate box joints. Once glued, I screwed some scrap strips into my bench, and hammered in a wedge at the top to clamp everything together. To prevent any bowing, I placed some heavy objects on top while the glue dried.

Yes, I did end up gluing everything to my bench. Luckily I was able to pry it all up, but in the future I will be putting down wax paper or applying paste wax before clamping something like this again.

Step 3: Trimming the Strips

When I hammered in the wedge, it caused some of the strips to slide and shift. I used a speed square to draw a line across the short strips and trimmed them with a chisel. The long strips didn't matter, because the plan was to trim them all flush once the box was assembled.

Step 4: A Change of Plans

At this point I ran the boards through my thickness planer to clean them up. I was surprised how nice the ragged cedar pickets looked after a few passes.

I tried to join the boards as intended, but the box joints were just too tight. I should have made the short strips just a touch wider than the long ones, so there would be a little wiggle room. As is, I was afraid of splitting the boards. So instead of starting over I decided to modify my plans and cut all the fingers off with my table saw.

Step 5: Corner Pieces

I came up with this sort of double diamond shape to join the corners. This would give each board two edges to be attached to. I made these corner pieces out of a white oak pallet runner. The boards were attached with wood glue and brad nails.

Step 6: Box Assemby

I forgot to take pictures of it, but I made a bottom by biscuit joining some more picket cutoffs together into a board. I also glued some thin vertical strips of cedar to the inside of the walls for added strength.

It was at this point that I realized just how big the box was. It was larger than any picnic basket I'd ever seen. I decided to eat up some of that room by lining it with foam, making it into more of a cooler. I wanted the inside to be sealed so I went ahead and polyurethane everything before putting in the foam.

I found this foam by the isolation at Lowes. It cut easily enough with a utility knife and straightedge. It held just fine with a pressure fit, but I went ahead and added a bit of super glue as insurance.

Step 7: Liner

Since I had covered the inside with foam, I wanted to line it with something a bit more presentable looking. I used this green curtain that I had sitting around from a previous apartment.

I attached the liner to the top edge of the foam with a line of hot glue and plenty of nails with wide heads.

Step 8: Top Trim

I covered the top edge of the foam with this sort of trim ledge bit. Once it was in place, I trimmed the perimeter flush with a router and rounded over the edges where the lid would open.

Step 9: Lid

The lid was made from more picket cutoffs held together with biscuits like the bottom. My cutoffs weren't long enough, so I added a perpendicular piece at one end, kind of like a breadboard on a dining table. It also helps differentiate which end you are supposed to lift from.

I decided where I wanted the lid to hinge and cut it, fixing the short part down to the box.

Step 10: Lid Insolation

I made two of these foam "cushions" to help add some insulation to the lid. I glued one to the fixed portion and one the the hinged part of the lid.

Step 11: Test Run

It wasn't finished, but it was time for a trial run. I had some turkey, cheese, and mayonnaise that needed to kept cool, so I put them in one corner with a few ice packs on top. The rest of the snacks weren't so temperature sensitive.

The cooler sat in the back of a car for about half a day, and the ice packs never melted. I'd call that a success. My only complaint is that it was pretty awkward to carry around without any handles, but we're about to address that.

Step 12: Sealing

First though, I added several more coats of polyurethane and cut a piano hinge to length.

Step 13: Handle Placement

I had originally envisioned leather straps bordering the perimeter of the ice chest, and leather picnic basket-style handles coming out of the top. I didn't have enough thick leather, so I opted for brass handles instead. These were just simple drawer pulls from the hardware store.

I didn't trust the short screws the handle came with to hold in the soft cedar, so I got some matching brass bolts and domed nuts.

I applied masking tape, so I could mark on the chest where I wanted to drill, and draw a center reference line. While drilling, I made sure to pull the fabric away from the foam to keep it from getting all twisted up in the drill bit.

Step 14: Handle Installation

I used an ice pick to poke holes through the fabric, then cut slits for the bolts to come through.

Step 15: Handle Backing Plate

I had hoped to find a thick enough piece of brass at the hardware store to make a backing plate for the inside and keep the nuts from pulling into the foam. Unfortunately I couldn't find any, so I bought some large washers instead.

I didn't take spacing into account, and didn't realize these washers would be too wide until I was ready to install the handle. I found some oak and went back to my backing plate idea. The oak was the perfect thickness, and I didn't need to trim the bolts to length.