.303 Ammo Crate

[robth100]

I thought I would share photos of an original crate I picked up over the summer. It had been heavily painted red but the price was right on it. My plan was to strip it down to bare wood, lightly sand and reapply reproduction labels. Anyway, as I slowly began to strip away the many layers of paint, much to my suprise the large .303 inch labels on the side were present and in relatively good shape. I was also able to uncover some additional stenciling marks. With that, I decided I wouldn't proceed any furthure in the restoration choosing to leave it "as is" now. So to my queston...while examining my crate more closely, it appears that the sides and bottom are all made of pine but the top is made of a mix of pine and possibly maple. By this I mean the top pieces that are permanently affixed are made of maple while the removable lid is made of pine reinforced with maple edging. For those of you that own one of these or have access to one, is this an anomaly to my crate or were they all constructed in this manner?

Additional Photos:

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j226/robth1001/WWI%20303%20Ammo%20Crate/

[Richard Fisher]

That's a lovely box. I can't comment on this exact pattern box as I haven't one in my collection but I do have some Vickers ammn boxes, both Great War and Second World War, that have a mix of woods. It seems to depend on the thickness and required strength of the component parts.

Regards

Richard

[robth100]

Thanks for the post! In inquire about the construction materials as I would like to reproduce a few of these boxes and would like to "get it right". Since mine is built in this manner, I will most likely follow this model as for at least this example, this is the way it was done.

Cheers, Rob

That's a lovely box. I can't comment on this exact pattern box as I haven't one in my collection but I do have some Vickers ammn boxes, both Great War and Second World War, that have a mix of woods. It seems to depend on the thickness and required strength of the component parts.

Regards

Richard

[GRANVILLE]

Great pictures Rob. Can you post the dimensions of this box please. I'm also intrigued about the way in which the rope handles have been fitted to ensure that the box gets carried at an angle. Can anyone explain the thinking here?

I'm thinking it might have something to do with the way when you swing it up to stack it, being at an angle as it would be, it would tend to naturally level out as it rises??

Dave Upton

[RobL]

It makes it more comfortable to carry, and also makes sure the lid doesn't slide off (although the shape of the lid and brass key would be a major factor in that)