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Thread: Cedar Blanket Box
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31st December 2017, 03:11 PM #1GOLD MEMBER
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Cedar Blanket Box
Hi All,
Over 20 years ago I made my wife an Australian red cedar blanket box. It turned out quite nice, but I was a novice woodworker back then and there are a few details I’ve never been happy with. So, I’m going to make her another one during my holidays in Feb. It will have dovetailed sides like the first one I made her. The dovetails will be made with a Festool dovetail jig. The box will be roughly 900x450x450.
The first box I made has a flat lid which overhangs the sides. It looks OK, but I prefer the type of box lid which is cut off the box after the box is made. I’ve attached a pic of an antique blanket box which has the type of lid I want. I’m toying with the idea of making the lid with a raised panel. Although I reckon it looks good (in Sketchup at least) I haven’t seen any pictures of one in my Google searches.
Before I get started I would appreciate some input on the following:
- Are there any practical reasons why a blanket box shouldn’t have a raised panel lid?
- If I simply cut the lid off on my table saw, I will lose 3mm of timber. That will upset the dovetail pattern. Is this acceptable to the eye, or should I remove an amount of timber equal to the width of a dovetail to preserve the pattern?
Happy New Year.
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31st December 2017, 04:46 PM #2
Looks good. That style of panel is one of my favourites.
The raised panel will only cause problems if someone sits on it and the bit above the slot isn't thick enough to take their weight. Bear in mind, though, that the weight will be spread over a fair area, and if the raised bit is in proportion to the rest of the box I wouldn't expect a problem.
When you're calculating the width of the dovetail pins, add an extra 4mm to the one you're going to cut through. This gives you a bit to play with when tidying up. The best way to separate the lid and bottom is to have the TS blade about 1mm shy of the thickness of the sides and cut around the box. You can then cut the last 1mm with a hand saw and tidy up with a chisel & plane.
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31st December 2017, 04:54 PM #3GOLD MEMBER
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31st December 2017, 05:26 PM #4GOLD MEMBER
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Alex is on the money. Widen the relevant pin by the saw thickness. Dovetails of this size are quite easy to cut freehand, making a jig somewhat unnecessary. A dust mould inside the top edge of the box will help keep the nasty's out and also assist keeping the lid square on the box when closed.
The one disadvantage with the raised and fielded panel is that the panel is left free floating in the frame to allow for expansion and contraction of the wide panel. If the two ends of the panel are glued into the rail slot and the sides left free floating, with a little clearance for panel width expansion,all should be well.
Another option would be a solid laminated arch top lid with a rebated lower edge to fit the box opening.
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31st December 2017, 05:55 PM #5GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks. To clarify, I have attached a picture of my dovetail jig. I'm quite adept at using it, so I will stick with it.
Good idea. Is that just a strip of timber glued into a rabbet in the inside edge of the box?
That's pretty much what I do when I make frame and panel doors. I glue only the centre of the cross-grain ends into the frame.
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2nd January 2018, 12:09 PM #6GOLD MEMBER
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If the dust mould is set INTO the edge it compromises the lid. By fastening to the inside edge and bullnosing the top edge and only allowing the bullnose to extend above the edge of the box, the hinged lid will close snugly over the dust moulding.
If using a jig, you will have to split a pin for the lid. As these are largish dovetails the split pins will still have substance. Small dovetails would require a double pin as there would be little left when the box and lid were saw separated.
I would be inclined to cut the lid free with a backless tenon or dovetail saw. My reasoning here is that a power saw is going to remove too much material and make the cut pin look odd compared to it's neighbours. By running a marking gauge around the box will give a definite groove to follow with the hand saw. In soft timber, the cut can be started a little in from each corner, using the toe of the blade. By leaving the corners uncut until the end, the unit retains it's integrity during the sawing process.
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2nd January 2018, 05:11 PM #7SENIOR MEMBER
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The way the gifkins jig manages that issue is to move the piece by a saw kerf thickness after you cut that tail.
That leaves that pair slightly wider. May be possible to do something similar with your jig.
Russ
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3rd January 2018, 11:41 AM #8GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks gents. I don’t have a backless tenon saw, but I do have a Japanese pull saw, which should do the job. I will also ponder the possibility of moving the pieces 3mm in the jig to allow for the saw kerf.
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4th January 2018, 07:38 AM #9
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5th January 2018, 08:42 PM #10GOLD MEMBER
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I've been looking for hardware for the box. The first box I made for my wife has brass fittings, but this time I would like to use iron handles and hinges. I found a company in England that has a huge range of cast iron hardware. Here's one contender:
Lifting Handle 3 -Part 3 Screw Holes 150mm - Cottingham Collection
I'm still waiting to hear back from them as to whether they ship to Oz. Does anyone know of a supplier in Oz that sells iron cabinet hardware? Or someone who makes bespoke wrought iron cabinet hardware?
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6th January 2018, 10:07 AM #11
Try Graeme Brown Antiques. Hope they're still in business, I did hear that the proprietor wasn't well.
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25th January 2018, 03:00 PM #12GOLD MEMBER
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I've thicknessed the cedar and joined the boards into 480 wide panels. I hope to cut the dovetails on the weekend.
My search for iron hardware hasn't been too successful. I found a seller in the UK with nice iron hardware, but their postage is very expensive. I found these hinges sold by a place near me:
Mother of Pearl and Sons Trading » Cabinet Hinges - Mother of Pearl and Sons Trading
I reckon they would look good on a blanket box, but I don't want to buy them and discover I've missed some obvious reason why they won't work on a box. Have any of you used this type of hinge?
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25th January 2018, 03:23 PM #13SENIOR MEMBER
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Hi jack620
Have you tried Goods and Chattels in Brisbane?
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25th January 2018, 03:36 PM #14GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks for the tip jazzy. They have these, which should do the job nicely: https://www.goodsandchattels.com/Han...l?redirected=1
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25th January 2018, 10:00 PM #15
Timbecon has just sent an email in which they are now offering an expanded range: https://www.timbecon.com.au/cabinet-fittings
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