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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    Oberon, NSW
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    Default Basic box-making tools at Lee Valley?

    OK, so I'm in Canada.

    Sadly, where I am there's not enough workspace to set up a small lathe and workshop, as per my original intentions. Not until I move further bush next month, anyway.

    This is not to say that I haven't already bought one or two (or three or four) glorious pieces of timber and a handful of assorted Incra doodads. There's a Lee Valley just down the road from here and I'm only human, after all.

    So... onto Plan B. Hand-made boxes from commercially dressed timbers.

    As this will only be to assuage my need for sawdust until I can set up a lathe, I really only want the absolute minimum tooling for basic construction; so I can keep a healthy budget for when it matters.

    At this stage I'm looking at:

    • a Ryoba,
    • a Dozuki,
    • a small dove-tail chisel,
    • around a 1/2" firmer chisel
    • diamond lap
    • a card scraper
    • maybe a small low-angle block plane to clean up the dovetail ends. (It's either this or a small rabbet plane.)


    I have rulers, squares, scribes and awls and disposable sundries for sanding, shaping and finishing. Mallets, etc. are easy to make, although I don't anticipate needing one.

    Can anyone see something obvious that I'm missing? Remember, I'm only talking about basic kit. It'd be a crying shame if I came all the way home with my new goodies in hand only to discover I needed to go back...

    (The truly drool-worthy will have to wait until the desired big items are out of the budget. )
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 1999
    Location
    Westleigh, Sydney
    Age
    77
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    9,542

    Default

    Marking & cutting gauges, marking knife if you don't already have them. With that plus what you've listed, you're well under way.
    Good luck, it's a slippery slope, box making.
    Visit my website
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  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
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    63
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    Default

    Thanks, Alex. I thought I had it pretty well covered but...

    A marking knife!

    Glad I asked!
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Lone Tree, Colorado, USA
    Posts
    340

    Default

    Looks like a good "wireless" kit!
    Pete

    The Second Wind Workshop
    http://secondwindworkshop.blogspot.com/

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Huon Valley, TAS
    Posts
    259

    Default

    Depending on how you intend to insert tops and bottoms you may need some sort of grooving apparatus?
    Shine on you crazy diamond!

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
    Age
    66
    Posts
    12,881

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!! View Post
    ....Can anyone see something obvious that I'm missing? Remember, I'm only talking about basic kit.....
    Beer fridge?
    An esky will do .
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    back in Alberta for a while
    Age
    68
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    12,006

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!! View Post
    OK, so I'm in Canada.
    As this will only be to assuage my need for sawdust until I can set up a lathe, I really only want the absolute minimum tooling for basic construction; so I can keep a healthy budget for when it matters.

    At this stage I'm looking at:

    • a Ryoba,
    • a Dozuki,
    • a small dove-tail chisel,
    • around a 1/2" firmer chisel
    • diamond lap
    • a card scraper
    • maybe a small low-angle block plane to clean up the dovetail ends. (It's either this or a small rabbet plane.)
    I have rulers, squares, scribes and awls and disposable sundries for sanding, shaping and finishing. Mallets, etc. are easy to make, although I don't anticipate needing one.

    Can anyone see something obvious that I'm missing? Remember, I'm only talking about basic kit. It'd be a crying shame if I came all the way home with my new goodies in hand only to discover I needed to go back...
    start at page 4 Lee Valley Tools - Online Catalogs try not top tick evey item
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
    Age
    63
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    13,354

    Default Minor gloat.

    Quote Originally Posted by ian View Post
    start at page 4 Lee Valley Tools - Online Catalogs try not top tick evey item
    Yeah. 'Twas very, very much like that.

    I had to laugh as I was filling out the walking slip, though. I asked one of the blokes there about their Polymerised Tung Oil and whether I'd need a grain filler, etc. for Maple... when I was told that although Aussie woods aren't as hard as theirs, Maple is fairly soft and should be about what I'm used to.

    I just nodded, smiled and walked away.

    But I did take a nice little trove out the door with me. A mid-range Dozuki and Kugihiki pair for the dovetails, a Ryoba for bulk cutting. An 0.8mm card scraper and burnisher and three chisels, a 1/2", a 1/4" and a tiny wee 1/16" dovie chisel.

    Of course I couldn't wait long after I walked back through the door of "home" so my first test was ripping down a piece of 140x19mm maple into a pair of about 8mm thick slices.

    I was chuffed with how little effort it took to make the cut accurate; I flattened both of the cut faces in about 10 minutes with just the card scraper! There are one or two minor scratches I still need to work out, but as this is really just a few test pieces that may be survive to joined together for a small box - if I can pull off the dovies well enough - then I'm not fussed.

    (It would also have helped significantly if I'd remembered to buy a few grits of sandpaper! )

    Quote Originally Posted by waveink View Post
    Depending on how you intend to insert tops and bottoms you may need some sort of grooving apparatus?
    To take the bottom section of the box. I'm thinking of simple parallel cuts with the Ryoba, then just chiselling out a rebate to fit it a floating panel. At this stage the top panel'll just be hinged.

    I'm not planning on trying anything fancy yet; I'm still coming to grips with the tools, y'know?

    We'll soon see if my skill set can hack it... I've been burning electrons for a looooong time!

    But it's all fun.
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    4,925

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    Looks like you're gonna/are having fun with back-to-basics wood working.
    Just an idea to cut the grooves for the bottom/lid... Use your cutting gauge to cut two parallel lines, chisel out enough of the waste to give a small guide for one of your backsaws to complete the sides of the groove. If that's a marking gauge, mark with that and do the cuts with your marking knife.

  11. #10
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    Jul 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by mic-d View Post
    Just an idea to cut the grooves for the bottom/lid... Use your cutting gauge to cut two parallel lines, chisel out enough of the waste to give a small guide for one of your backsaws to complete the sides of the groove. If that's a marking gauge, mark with that and do the cuts with your marking knife.
    Cool. I'd planned to do similar, more or less, but the idea of chiselling out a starter is a good one.

    At this stage my marking knife is a steak knife with lotsa duct tape wrapped around the blade. I thought about buying one, but given the price and how easy they are to make, well...

    I will get a good one eventually. Maybe next box.
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    In the shed, Melbourne
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    You must be relishing space to work in where there isn't a myriad of things to fall over, lose things in or generally ping you off because the boxes piled sky-high are too overwhelming.
    I make things, I just take a long time.

    www.brandhouse.net.au

  13. #12
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    Jul 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by Waldo View Post
    You must be relishing space to work in where there isn't a myriad of things to fall over, lose things in or generally ping you off because the boxes piled sky-high are too overwhelming.
    You know me too well!

    Just a few more progress pix.

    1. The maple pieces I'm using for top, base and sides. I've been assured by locals that it's just "rubbish stuff," which slightly alleviates my fear of ruining it with my hack skills. Even so, I think it's beautiful stuff - I'd think the same for any timber with similar figure - and merits at least some attempt to do it justice.

    2. Ripping one of the 60x19mm piece for the sides. I have no regrets paying what I did for the pull saws, they are true pleasures to use.

    3. The results of my dovetailling and rebate attempts. Made entirely with the dozuki, 1/4" & 1/8" chisels. The more eagle-eyed will note that I screwed up and carried the rebates thru to the ends, instead of stopping them. So I've chosen to go for a mitred join on the bottom-most section. Can't ever make things easy for myself, can I?

    (And yeah. The dovies are asymmetric. Gotta buy a ruler too! )

    4. The bottom of the base panel. I've decided to bevel the sides and mount it as a floating panel, the other side being 'inside.' Looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

    At the moment all the panels have been broken down for a quick coat of Tung Oil on the inside surfaces... so I'm huffing and puffing on them. Can't wait to start assembly to see whether my mind's eye picture of the base box will match reality.

    Still gotta get my hands on some sandpaper though; as I don't imagine a card-scraper is the ideal choice for "lightly rubbing back surface coats."
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  14. #13
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    Mar 2005
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    Oi, slow down your speed of this WIP is far out-passing mine.

    At least without a ruler you won't know if you stuff up.
    I make things, I just take a long time.

    www.brandhouse.net.au

  15. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Waldo View Post
    At least without a ruler you won't know if you stuff up.
    Thought the ruler was in the bench.

  16. #15
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    Sep 2002
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    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
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    He's got 12" but he doesn't use it as a rule.
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

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