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Thread: Where to start?

  1. #1
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    Default Where to start?

    Hi guys,

    Sorry if this has been covered before however I’m looking at making a start into box making.
    Could I please ask for some advice on what readily available timbers I should be starting with that won’t cost the earth when I make inevitable beginner mistakes, and what thicknesses should I be looking at that would be close to the ideal conventional finished product?
    Thanks in advance for any advice!
    Cheers Matt


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  3. #2
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    Default

    I'd drop into Bunnies/Mitre 10/similar and look at their decking/floor boards. It's generally close to the right dimensions, while leaving enough meat for machining straight.

    They'll often have a few shortish lengths... and with a bit of careful fossicking you can find some awesome grain patterns. (Builders tend to leave that stuff aside, as when they lay floors, etc. they don't want one board to stick out like the proverbial dog's business.)

    (Unless you're rural like me, in which case everything they carry is treated pine or composites. )
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  4. #3
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    If you are a complete novice like me, consider playing around with DAR pine or Tasmanian Oak to practice the joinery aspects.
    I dressed some pallet wood to test out making box joins. It was just an experiment and now I use the result as a tray to store my router bits. Came out fine.

    I used some nicer wood to try out mitre joints and it didn't work out as well as I hoped. Fortunately that wood was free but it is still a hard pill to see a poor outcome. I haven't finished that yet.
    The wife wanted a simple box/bin for use in the kitchen so I'm making one using pine and rabbet joints which has come out very nice and took least amount of time.
    I took video so if I can find the time, I'll edit it and put it up for anyone interested.

    You probably have better skills than me, but for me I think I should be practicing with pine and whatever else is lying around until I get my technique refined.

  5. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveVman View Post
    I took video so if I can find the time, I'll edit it and put it up for anyone interested.
    Interested.

  6. #5
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    Default

    Welcome to boxmaking, Matt.

    If you don’t have the equipment or tools to prepare timber to size, then your local Bunnings, Home Hardware or similar may be your best option as SkewChiDAMN says. If you can machine timber then the world is your lobster (thank you, Arthur Daley). The timber forum here often has wood that is suitable for boxes, or there are secondhand timber places, look on Gumtree for ‘free timber’, phone around your mates etc. You’ll be surprised how many people have bits of pine or Tassie Oak they want to get rid of.

    The wall thickness is where many beginners go wrong. I’d stick to either 12mm or 10mm until you’ve made a few boxes. Perhaps make a box with a lift-off lid to start, then you won’t have the heart-stopping issue of hinges to deal with.

    If you have some time spare it might be interesting for you to pay a visit to Trend Timbers in Sydney - they have some lovely timbers for boxes - something for you to look forward to!

    There are lots of box making videos on YouTube that are well worth a look.

    Good luck!

    Brian

  7. #6
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    Default

    thanks for asking - same thoughts going on here For me though, I am pretty sure boxes are not my first major project, tools and fixtures will be. It's bench time (but only after coffee time).

  8. #7
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    For anyone interested here is a video of my first rabbet jointed box which came out well:
    https://youtu.be/vPf0BXqZXPo

    Actually it's a bin made by request. But a bin is just a box without a lid.

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
    My YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2_KPRN6I9SE

  9. #8
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    Thanks guys I really appreciate all the advice!! Great video too, puts it all in perspective.
    Cheers

  10. #9
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    Default Where to start?

    Hi Matt,

    I’m on the journey with learning to make boxes too, perhaps a couple of km further down the road than you, but still far from the destination.

    For my first several boxes, I spent ages preparing my wood with hand tools, which took ages (I didn’t have a jointer or thicknesser ). Also, I was using hard woods because I wanted something beautiful at the end, so extra hard work. Then when something didn’t work well, even at the early stages, I’d have already invested hours into the piece, and it was easy to become despondent.

    After a bit of a break, I attacked box making with a different mindset. I started with whatever rubbish timber I could find, preferably soft so it was quick and easy to prepare, and tried to knock out at least a box a week after work hours. Not for anything in particular, but rather simply to learn. That way when I messed up a joint or top/bottom, I’d just trim it and make a smaller box. It didn’t matter that it was now an impractically shaped container, as it was just for learning.

    I found that with this mindset, I progressed really fast, and have made some boxes for gifts of which I’ve been proud.

    I’ve found that being prepared to practice makes all the difference for me. My wife on the other hand, sees something really ambitious in a magazine or on Pinterest, goes out and buys slabs of Blackwood, sassafras or Huon pine (the good stuff), and just seems to nail it first time, every time. I just stand and look at her completed projects with a mixture of jealousy, awe and disbelief. So horses for courses.

    Good luck,
    Lance

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Xfigio View Post
    Hi Matt,

    I’m on the journey with learning to make boxes too, perhaps a couple of km further down the road than you, but still far from the destination.

    For my first several boxes, I spent ages preparing my wood with hand tools, which took ages (I didn’t have a jointer or thicknesser ). Also, I was using hard woods because I wanted something beautiful at the end, so extra hard work. Then when something didn’t work well, even at the early stages, I’d have already invested hours into the piece, and it was easy to become despondent.

    After a bit of a break, I attacked box making with a different mindset. I started with whatever rubbish timber I could find, preferably soft so it was quick and easy to prepare, and tried to knock out at least a box a week after work hours. Not for anything in particular, but rather simply to learn. That way when I messed up a joint or top/bottom, I’d just trim it and make a smaller box. It didn’t matter that it was now an impractically shaped container, as it was just for learning.

    I found that with this mindset, I progressed really fast, and have made some boxes for gifts of which I’ve been proud.

    I’ve found that being prepared to practice makes all the difference for me. My wife on the other hand, sees something really ambitious in a magazine or on Pinterest, goes out and buys slabs of Blackwood, sassafras or Huon pine (the good stuff), and just seems to nail it first time, every time. I just stand and look at her completed projects with a mixture of jealousy, awe and disbelief. So horses for courses.

    Good luck,
    Lance
    Thanks Lance,

    Yes I’ve been doing the same with scraps and I’m about to take the plunge with rabbett joints only at this stage. I’ve got some English Oak for the walls and Western Red Cedar for the base and the lid.
    I need to get a crack on as this is a jewellery box for my wife for Christmas.
    I need a bit of luck but I think I’ve made enough f*ck ups to now turn out something decent. Here’s hoping anyway.
    Cheers

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Xfigio View Post
    My wife on the other hand, sees something really ambitious in a magazine or on Pinterest, goes out and buys slabs of Blackwood, sassafras or Huon pine (the good stuff), and just seems to nail it first time, every time.
    Isn't that just the way sometimes. Makes you feel really good too.....

  13. #12
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    Aug 2013
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    Montmorency Victoria
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    Default Cheap seasoned wood for pennies

    A trip to the local OP Shop can often bring rewards with some very nice timber you can salvage (recycle) at a fraction of its cost.

    I have had some great finds of walnut, mahogany, Vic Ash etc .... and if you are doing boxes even a small coffee table can yield enough wood for mant pieces

    Regards

    Rob

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