The Tack Box That IS!

It's DONE! It's at the barn! It's got stuff in it!!! Yay! I absolutely LOVE it and am very excited to break it in. It really does have a ton of room in it. I don't actually have enough stuff to fill it up! I'm keeping my bench/trunk there to hold blankets, otherwise I'd be more cramped.

We still have two things to do: install a silver lockable hasp on the middle of the side, and put a 5th caster under the door. It was sagging big time when we got the hinge on and stood it upright. Just too much weight and too much gravity. I had a feeling we might need to do that, but was hoping we'd get away without it, just for aesthetic reasons, but it clearly needs to be there for stability. And so it goes.

The saddle racks were Saddle N Pad racks but my carpenter removed the pad bars so I can install them somewhere else if I choose.

I nailed one of Junior's old shoes (primed and painted with glossy rustOleum) to the door with actual horseshoe nails, the hinge is silver and the hasp will be silver too. I'm opting for a hasp with an integrated lock instead of the type you add a padlock to. I considered painting the wire rack black, but couldn't convince myself that it wouldn't flake off so it remains with an oddball finish.

Since I KNOW you all want to rush out right now and hire someone to build you your very own, I will give full disclosure with a price breakdown. I was lucky to have access to space and tools (including pneumatics) which made this project possible, and the labor for a college kid was undoubtedly cheaper than for a union carpenter.

Lumber (1 -3/4" ply, 3 1/2" ply) 124.70

Saddle Racks & Bridle hooks (2 of each) 33.00

Wire rack, interior hooks 22.50

Piano Hinge 16.00

Stain (2qts) 15.40

Poly(2qts + 1 spray can) 36.00

Brushes, sandpaper, min. spirits, etc. 24.00

RustOleum for Horseshoe 4.50

5th Caster and Hasp 19.00

Total Materials 294.40

Costruction Labor/Delivery (15+hours) 225.00

TOTAL 519.40

The total does not count the 4 casters, staples, glue, and some of the mounting hardware as they fell off a truck somewhere. It is still a savings over purchasing a slightly comparable unit I discussed HERE, AND it's fully custom made. I was able to make adjustments and changes through the process when I changed my mind or realized potential snags. I did the staining and top-coats myself, as well as procuring all parts aside from the lumber. Leave yourself at least 3 days for finishing with drying time in between.

I am very happy with the box, but of course in hindsight I think I would change a few things. First, I would go back to the double doors. The width of the cabinet plus the 3/4" ply makes one door just too heavy for the 1/2" plywood sides. Looking back, the one door cabinets were only 25" wide with 1/2" plywood, and the double door one is 30". I should have realized there was a reason for that! Secondly I would re-consider the integrated plywood saddle stand for the western saddle and then having the English saddle above it on a metal rack. On the plus side this would add overall stability, but may decrease storage space. It's actually hard to tell if you'd lose space as long as you still kept some similar storage under the unit, added some shelving to the right and left of the English saddle, and used the inside of the saddle stand for shelves, too.

In other news, Junior and I had a very brief Centered Riding lesson and it was very eye-opening, AND I got a deposit today for my show saddle! They're picking it up and bringing me the rest of the payment next weekend. More on all of that later. :)

Want the step by step? Check out these other posts:

Progress III

Progress II

Progress I