It’s been quite a while since I have had a chance to devote some time to completing the tack trunk but I finally found a few spare minutes this weekend and have just about completed all the woodworking and it’s now time to start adding the finishing.
The last hurdle that I needed to solve was how to support the lid. It’s heavy, especially when you add the Bandage/Polo wrap holder. I found these shock absorber lifts for a very respectable price at Rockler and decided to give them a try.
| Lift-O-Mat® Gas Spring Lid Support | |
| Effortless opening of doors and lids! Gas springs are the ideal choice for cabinet doors and lid supports that open upward. You’ll get soft and quiet closing, plus smooth motion and stopping. Each set includes two gas springs and four mounting brackets. (Screws not included). Available in Black (Silver shown not available). See chart for more information. |  |
The struts worked well for the tack trunk application helping to lift the lid into it’s open position and hold it there securely. It takes a little effort to force the lid to close so I wont be worrying about it closing on anyone’s fingers.
I added a gas strut to each side of the trunk, made sure that the strut didn’t interfere with either the sliding tray or the closing of the lid. I needed to add a 2″x3″ block in each corner of the lid to mount the strut. Here’s a shot of the assembled support.
Left Hand Side Gas Strut
Next it’s on to staining and varnishing …. Stay tuned.
Are the tack trunk plans available for purchase?
What size shock is this from rockler? Im building a trunk similar in size and can’t decide whether to purchase the Model 100N or the Model 150N from Rockler.com
I used the 150N for this trunk as the lid is fairly heavy itself, and then with the added wrap holder I wanted to make sure the struts where sized large enough. The lid and holder are easily 15 lbs.