SANo 15 Transit Chests - Research and Restoration - the story so far..

Happy New Year! Here is a quick update on projects keeping me off the streets..

A couple of separate inquiries came in to restore parts to salvaged transit chests - this totaled to about 8 chests all needing the partition / cradles and associated components - battens, chord, screws etc.

I have been tracking down the best sources of hardware and components and trying to buy wholesale where I can. My distant goal is to be able to turn out new but authentic chest assemblies. With most of these in hand I started buying equipment for woodworking and studying the original chests within my control and circulation for manufacturing techniques and other tell-tale signs.

I also researched the various sizes and sources of hardwood lumber - quite a varied BOM for such simple parts as the partition / cradle task. Over the Fall and Winter I have made up 12 or so sets as a first run, developing jigs to mark and make more and testing the pieces in the original chests. This has resulted in about 6 pages of design and build notes so far - and still growing!

I am making these components to sell - so I can offer them to forum members - they can also be found on outlets run by myself in the US and brother in the UK.

I am interested to know what internal and chest carcass components that would help those other projects along around the world. I was thinking of finishing the interior fittings groups first (Scout Scope, Scope Tin and Rifle But). Then move onto making new ends and lids - the latter having end caps and inletted and rivetted hasps. Then finally long sides and bases - at which point I would expect to be able to put together complete chests.

Feedback, chastising and other ideas welcome to keep me off the streets
Good Health to all!
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I made a number of them and they are a lot of work.
Also, sourcing slotted screws is also a problem nowadays and I was lucky with the wood as at our wood club we buy it by the lift and that can and does get expensive.
The jointing is a hoot if you do dovetails and finger joints and you are still able to buy the original hardware and clean it up and use it.
A chap in the UK sells repro hardware.

https://www.milsurps.com/vbpgimage.p...7&d=1489514451

fresh from the laser cutters.....

Looks to me like you two ought to talk to each other.......;)

Shame there's a pond between you and this darn pandemic .......and of course the HMRC to contend with!!
Well done to all, nice to see they are as close as can be!;)
Real shame they didn't have laser cutters in WW2

Nice work Skiprat! My brother is the metal cutter of the two of us right now - about 80 miles south of you. Will ping your PM and see what we can do.

I have the hinges and turnbuckles all made up and shipping from the UK already. Could have saved you the CAD time setting up a laser cut run.
The trade rates we offer are OK.

We have thousands of correct to era vintage British screws on the shelf. I bought out a lot from an old stockist a while back.

Turnbuckles are getting tricky.

I make the Canadian "universal style..."
If anyone needs a few of those for the Canadian No.15 or Bren chest let me know.

I note this site - very reasonable price, I thought.
Reproduction, Metal Hardware Set for Chest No15 Mk1 (No4(T) Sniper Rifle)

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Originally Posted by RobD

I note this site - very reasonable price, I thought.
Reproduction, Metal Hardware Set for Chest No15 Mk1 (No4(T) Sniper Rifle)

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good guy to work with....... :thup:

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Originally Posted by MrBaxter

Turnbuckles are getting tricky.

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Not cheap but readily available - they became a standard part used on a land Rover, they are the Land Rover series I, series IIA & series III "Seat Box Lid Hasp". Going from memory the Land Rover part number is 334525.

Edit - yes it is.
Available here at GBP £10 inc tax.

Land Rover Direct original parts

334525 | Turn Buckle - Land Rover Part 334525

Another Land Rover parts supplier who has them in stock

Turnbuckle (FF012487) for Land Rover Series IIA/III

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Originally Posted by MrBaxter

We have thousands of correct to era vintage British screws on the shelf. I bought out a lot from an old stockist a while back.

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It's worth buying the old fashioned slotted wood screws when you see them if the price is right. When a local ironmongers was having a "closing down sale" 10 to 15 years ago no-one seemed to want the slotted wood screws and so I was able to purchase virtually the entire remaining stock of old fashioned wood screws at a very good price.

When a "vintage type item" that should really have "slotted type" wood screws fitted has been fitted with "Pozi/Philips" head wood screws, it is remarkable how quickly some people point out the fact, often in a very irritating manner.

I'd like to get one for my T but if it cost me $70/USD just to get Lances book here to Western Australia (Still in transit) it would probably cost me $600/USD postage with a transit chest!

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

it would probably cost me $600/USD postage with a transit chest!

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But why not have a go at making your own chest and then it's just the cost of materials plus your time. The engineering drawings are available on this forum and really it's a case of working from them slowly and carefully. For a Vickers chest that I extensively repaired, I concluded that pine was good enough from my local DIY store. Although I don't actually own a deactivated Vickers the chest is a collector's item in it's own right, especially being for a Vickers and that's why I saved and restored it.

Plus, you can also build a folly chest for something that never had one.
I did a chest for the M1 and M1A1 Thompson for a chum.
The guns originally came in a crate of 10 and never had an individual carry chest.
I will see if I have a picture of the one I did for the Thompson along with the Mk.2 STEN and a Lewis.
The M1A1 chest was an offshoot of the 1928 Home Guard Thompson chest.
Now to try and find the pictures and see if they migrated from the old computer to the new one.

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OMG !!! I did it!

Nice lookin' chests Warren...

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We do these authentic chest hardware kits too - the toggles are OE Land Rover with the cast lock latch, the hinges are made to the Ware Department drawing and the hasps are per original samples. The hinge hole spacing is reversed in the WD print to the original examples observed - other than that these can repair / replace / high end reproduce a war effort SANo 15 chest.

The stores label holder comes in stainless steel.

Lid seal felt kits are available too.

We have identified 3 distinct lid label formats with different instructions and contents changes for 1942, 1944 and 1945. Im sure these correlate to different BA assembly numbers to be stenciled on the outside but am doing more research on original specimens (tough going).

Can I please ask how the stores label is attached to the chest? Is it by screws or nails?

The original metal stores labels were held on with the same sort of tacks that the felt was tacked on with.

---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:47 PM ----------

The current Land Rover stock is OK but would not pass close inspection compared to originals. They are made in China using cheaper materials and processes and lack that good old fashioned robustness.

Has other good things as well: Sniper Rifles Equipment

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Originally Posted by l1a1 breakdown

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We do these authentic chest hardware kits too - the toggles are OE Land Rover with the cast lock latch, the hinges are made to the Ware Department drawing and the hasps are per original samples. The hinge hole spacing is reversed in the WD print to the original examples observed - other than that these can repair / replace / high end reproduce a war effort SANo 15 chest.

The stores label holder comes in stainless steel.

Lid seal felt kits are available too.

We have identified 3 distinct lid label formats with different instructions and contents changes for 1942, 1944 and 1945. Im sure these correlate to different BA assembly numbers to be stenciled on the outside but am doing more research on original specimens (tough going).

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Is the 1942 example the one with the scope illustrated and printed on heavy card?

No - the 1942 dated label I have is the familiar written instructions and contents list - but the early Mk1 scope version. I would like to see the examples that you speak of with illustrations to more complete the puzzle / picture.

I still have a couple of lengths of 1941 dated twine which would be suitable for transit chests; yours for the price of the stamp if you PM me.