chest freezer build help

[sgraham602]

So i've removed the top of my chest freezer, but i'm up in the air on the best way to attach the lid back to the collar (once its constructed).

my freezer has a different style of "internal" hinges.

I'm planning on laying down some 3/4" wood to fill in the dip and allow myself a large flat surface to attach the collar to. Right now i'm planning on making either a 4 inch collar or an 8 inch collar...depending on the style of hinge.

I'm debating whether to use the existing collar hinges, drilling a hole into the collar to allow it to fit. or removing the old hinges and attaching new external hinges, in which case i would doe a thicker collar so that the hinges can bolt entirely to the collar, as there are now existing holes on the outside for a hinge to connect to.

any thoughts? anyone have experience with this??

 

[ajwillys]

Never seen anything like it before, but I would do a standard thin collar (mine is 1x4) and build out the back of it thicker and drill holes for those hinges to drop into. To build it out proper you'd need to mate the pieces of wood with a solid coating of wood glue to basically bond the wood together. Probably need 3 pieces of 1x4 across the back to make it thick enough to accommodate the hinge holes.

Of course, doing it in the above method means the front of the collar will strongly want to lift up when opening the door. You can counteract this with some strong metal strapping on the inside front.

 

[sgraham602]

that makes sense. maybe i'll use 2 inch thick wood all the way around and do 3 inches in the back. how should i figure where to put those holes? should i worry about them being directly above the old holes? or just make sure they are the equal distance away from the front of the collar as they were from the front of the freezer?

this might take me a few tries! perhaps i'm making this seem harder than it really is.

 

[sgraham602]

"Probably need 3 pieces of 1x4 across the back to make it thick enough to accommodate the hinge holes."

does it really need to be that thick?? I'm planning on everything being 2 inches thick. the holes wont be dead center...but they will not be right on the edge. are you recommending the extra thickness for the stability???


Thanks!!!!

 

[Fantastical]

To be completely honest those hinges look like they would be a real PITA!

I would buy some hinges from a hardware store and attach those instead.

 

[sgraham602]

i debated that. ended up taking some careful measurements. turned out close enough.! once i put on the stained "face boards" it'll be hard to tell that its not dead center!.

 

[sgraham602]

only left is to drill for hinges and stain!

 

[Radarstation]

I just bought a freezer with the same type of hinges. How did you remove the lid from the body? Did you just remove the two bolts on the back and pry the lid up somehow?

 

[sgraham602]

i did. i just removed the bolts and pulled the lid off. Installing the lid wasn't as tough as i thought. Adding the "faceboards" made it easy, because i didn't need to worry about it being perfectly flush.

once it's all stained i'm going to put some silicone caulk in the holes and hinge body into the holes, so that they are secure.

 

[JWS]

Looking at doing this same thing....actually think I have the exact same freezer, at least looks the same. I see you ended up using 3 1x4's on the back. Haven't began my build yet, but do you think a regular 2x4 would work on the back. I assume you just drilled holes for the hinges to slid into.

What is the big collar around the freezer for, and what size wood did you use for it?

 

[sgraham602]

i would suggest putting 3 1x4s in the back. when it comes time to drill the hole for the hinge it looked like the hole wouldn't be in the center of the 2x4. i wouldn't trust the hole in the 2x4 if it were close to the edge.

the big collar on the outside is for two reasons. first, its a pine base board...which will look better than a 2x4 once its been stained. secondly it hangs lower than the inside board and the lip of the freezer, so it helps to keep everything aligned. Also, with that extra half inch around the outside i didn't need to sweet trying to get the lid and hinges to close 100% flush.

 

[sgraham602]

finally done!

i finished the lid with chalkboard paint.

:rockin: