Box making adventures

**groeneaj** · 28th August 2018, 02:52 PM

The last 18 months I have had next to no shop time, albeit for a very good reason. This little one takes up all my spare time.
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As some of you are aware, the Maloof rocker that I’ve been working on is progressing very slowly. I’m deep into the sculpting phase and could easily spend a whole day finessing a small detail. I don’t want to rush it (clearly, going on 2 years ....), but I’d like to actually finish something.

I’ve made a few chopping boards this year and rather enjoyed the quick turn around from start to finish. I made these two boards rather quickly, and was quite satisfied at the end of it.
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So I’ve decided to make a series of small boxes that could be finished in one or two “workshop sessions”. I can generally squeeze in 45 mins to an hour a few times a week. I’m not going to get carried away and make a batch of 3 or 4, but one at a time so they’re all unique. The boxes will be basic and small, but attention to detail will be the key. The joinery will be mostly mitred corners, with lift off lids with no hinges. I’ve been using pig skin suede to line my boxes, but I’d like to try different fabrics to line the bases. It should be interesting.

There’s a bloke called Matt Kenney in the US (ex fine woodworking magazine editor). A few years ago he made one box a week for a whole year, then he wrote a book about it which makes for an intriguing read. I recommend it. He was the one who got this idea in my head, as he often made the boxes at night after work.

So here I go....... first things first was working out how to cut accurate 45 degree mitres. I tried my incra mitre gauge with a sacrificial fence, but I found with small box sides my fingers were too close to the blade as I supported the work piece through the cut. So I decided to make a sled, but I needed a way to secure the piece. So I came up with this. It’s based off the “fritz and franz” jig for sliding tables, but it works great on cabinet style saws.

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It’s only a small sled which is dedicated to small boxes. The support/clamp piece runs in a track and clamps the work piece securely against the fence. Initially I wanted it to be clamped down with two knobs, but one does the job very well. Ok....I might have miscalculated the length of the support piece but still it works great. I might add some 120 grit to the base to really ensure it doesn’t move.

The green material was gifted from Chris Parks, my understanding is that it’s the original material they use on the F&F jig. I could have used some sandpaper to secure the work piece, but this works well. I might even add a hold down clamp, but I’m happy so far.

It’s basically a 10mm MDF platform with 3 sections of mdf screwed to the platform with a track running between them. You can see I was quite generous with my screw allocation, but I wanted to make sure all three sections were level with one another. The fence is made from 3 x 15mm strips of birch plywood. I really like BP for fences, it’s solid and flat.
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I will be making a 45 degree shooting board for the really thin material, such as the lining inserts in the box. But I’m happy with the sled at the moment. I did some test cuts and I’m relatively happy with the accuracy so far, I can always tune it up if need be.

Cheers

**groeneaj** · 28th August 2018, 07:40 PM

The first box will be around 180mm long by 90mm wide, 40mm high and 7mm thick. It’s going to be made from celery top pine, with a four corner match. A simple lift off lid with mitred lining for the lid to sit on. The base will sit in grooves and will likely be covered in some form of fabric.

I picked up some celery top pine (CTP) from the wood show a few weeks ago. I was after some quarter sawn boards that could resawed so I can make a four corner match, but I couldn’t find anything under $80. I then came across a bargain bin and found a 50mm thick quarter sawn CTP off cut approximately 400mm long by 200mm wide for a whopping $3! I picked up a few of these off cuts which will make dozens of small boxes.
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I absolutely love this straight grain CTP!

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My bandsaw is cutting ridiculously straight at the moment, I’m getting around 0.10mm difference when I measure the front and rear of the board when resawing. For anyone who has seen me complain about my bandsaw in previous posts, you can imagine I’m quite pleased how it’s performing at the moment.

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I used my Japanese saw and shooting board to cut the box sides to size. The pic below is how I use the freshly shot box side as a reference to mark out the corresponding side.

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Putting the pieces back after cutting the box sides.

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Ready for mitres to be cut....

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This was last nights effort, about 45 minutes. So I can definitely get quite a bit done in that time. Given it’s been a while since I’ve made a box like this, I can only get quicker. Next up will be cutting the mitres and the groove for the base, then gluing it up. I’ll also need to make an attachment for my shooting board so I can cut mitres for the inside lining.

Cheers

**Treecycle** · 28th August 2018, 11:19 PM

I Look forward to following your usual detailed description for making these boxes. I am in the early stages of the box making journey and I like your idea for marking the box sides on the shooting board.
Is this the book you are referring to? I would like to see some more details of the contents but can't see them anywhere. It is something I was considering purchasing.
Easy to see you have a little one in the house by the tried up handles on the cupboard doors.

**groeneaj** · 29th August 2018, 01:15 AM

Yep, that’s the book Dallas. It’s not necessarily a how to book with cut lists etc, it’s more so about design and how to come up with your own style. He talks about proportions and how small details can make a huge impact on boxes. It’s a really good read and I highly recommend it. He just got the flick from fine woodworking so I’d imagine we’ll see more of him in the near future.

**AlexS** · 29th August 2018, 08:47 AM

I'm enjoying watching this, and especially the care you take with each step. I expect we will all learn lots during the year.

**NCArcher** · 29th August 2018, 10:07 AM

Also pulling up a chair.

**double.d** · 29th August 2018, 02:51 PM

Can i ask the point of shooting the ends square when you are going to mitre them?

**groeneaj** · 29th August 2018, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by double.d

Can i ask the point of shooting the ends square when you are going to mitre them?

If I wasn’t concerned about having the grain wrap around the whole box, I probably wouldn’t care if the ends were square before I mitre them as I’d just make each piece a bit longer. But I’m trying to minimise waste, therefore getting a better grain match. But more importantly I use the ends as a reference against the kerf on my mitre sled fence to see where I need to make my cut. It makes it easier and more accurate if the ends are square.

**groeneaj** · 29th August 2018, 03:03 PM

Does anyone know where I can buy good quality blonde dewaxed shellac flakes in Sydney besides Carbatec?

I emailed these guys a while ago but no one bothered to reply -http://www.thewoodworks.com.au

**doug3030** · 29th August 2018, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by groeneaj

As some of you are aware, the Maloof rocker that I’ve been working on is progressing very slowly. I’m deep into the sculpting phase and could easily spend a whole day finessing a small detail. I don’t want to rush it (clearly, going on 2 years ....), but I’d like to actually finish something.

I’ve made a few chopping boards this year and rather enjoyed the quick turn around from start to finish. I made these two boards rather quickly, and was quite satisfied at the end of it.

So I’ve decided to make a series of small boxes that could be finished in one or two “workshop sessions”.

I so get where you are coming from there.

Every now and then when I feel bogged down I find a small project that I can finish in a day just so that I can feel a sense of achievement at finishing something.

I will pull up a chair and keep an eye on this one too.

**groeneaj** · 29th August 2018, 04:27 PM

That’s it Doug, it’s sort of nice to make something that doesn’t take too long. The boxes that I usually make take 20 plus hours, so it’ll be a nice change.

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