Building my first box - Recommendations and advice appreciated!

**Staichey** · 2nd June 2009, 03:30 AM

Hello all,

Ive been drooling over some of the creations on this forum for a few days now, trying to glean enough knowledge to know where to start building my own.

I haven't built anything like this before, but I have worked with wood (I am a carpenter)

The idea is to build a box for my guitar, more for protection than practical transport needs, so a solid wood box will be heavy, but it doesn't matter too much to me.

I recently fitted a solid bamboo floor in a house I was working on, and was really taken with the look and feel of it, so off I went and found myself 9sq/m of the stuff (I will build a sister case for my new guitar)

On getting it home I have picked out a marked piece to practice on, and the first impressions were = its a bit tricky

To be fair, the router bit I was using has seen better days, but I was surprised at just how hard it is to cut/shape etc.

SO.....

On to my questions:

I plan to glue several strips together to make the top/bottom/sides, but having not built anything like this before I was wondering what the best type of joints are for the corners (finger joints or dovetails?) and to fasten the sides to the top/bottom panels (biscuits?)

Also, I want to make a nice design for the top, but having had a go at freehand routing I think it might prove very difficult! Any tips advice on this?

Any help would be hugely appreciated, at present I have my feet up on a large pile of bamboo flooring, and a Bosch 1/4" router sat next to me...

Many thanks in advance,

Steve.

**Bilgola** · 5th June 2009, 09:44 AM

Hi Steve,
1. Best advice I can give on doing a design is to do it separate and insert later forget free hand routing. Check my box on "Cutlery box" under Bilgola.
2.Get a good quality router bit.
Cheers
Phil

**Staichey** · 5th June 2009, 12:19 PM

Thank you for the reply!

Yeah, free hand routing is a bit tricky!!

I have found in "grainless" wood as I call it (MDF etc) it isn't so bad, but having only practiced with MDF, going to Bamboo is a harsh mistress!!

I definately need a good router bit (or bits) have any of you guys used TREND bits? They are well rated in the UK (http://www.trend-uk.com/) but their "snappy" bit set (albeit NOT for routing) I found, frankly, to be complete garbage. This puts me off their bits somewhat.

Again, any recommendations would be sublime, as I am about to start making the lids (pics to follow in dedicated thread)

Thanks

Steve

**jow104** · 7th June 2009, 05:54 PM

Your project interests me, however I have very little experience with bamboo, (I once made a split cane rod many moons ago using bamboo cane which was split in to strips) and assume you are not intending to follow the outline shape of a guitar? Or are you?

BTW. Wealden in the UK do very good router bits and a 24 hour turnaround service.

**Staichey** · 9th June 2009, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by jow104

Your project interests me, however I have very little experience with bamboo, (I once made a split cane rod many moons ago using bamboo cane which was split in to strips) and assume you are not intending to follow the outline shape of a guitar? Or are you?

BTW. Wealden in the UK do very good router bits and a 24 hour turnaround service.

Thanks, I'll make sure to take plenty of pictures as I go, its my first "fine" (i use the term loosely) project.

I've been playing with 6" sections and different glues, and have settled on one that I am happy with now, so I need to get cracking (especially having bought another guitar!)

I am going to just make an oblong box for now with a simple hinged lid, though I may make a shaped box for my new guitar!

Thanks for the tip too, I will try Wealden when I need something

Steve

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