Oval box

[AlexS]

My latest box, made from jarrah strips cut to width and coopered. The lid & bottom also from jarrah, laminated with some hoop pine because it wasn't quite wide enough. Finish is Kunos oil, will be attacked with trad. wax later.

[RufflyRustic]

AlexS, That is one impressive box!!!! If you make another, any chance of a few WIP shots?

Cheers
Wendy

[TTIT]

Very nice looking box AlexS.:D The two pics look like different boxes as the colors differ so much. Which is the more realistic???:)

[ss_11000]

very nice work, i like the contrast between the two colours on the lid.

[AlexS]

Thanks for the comments.

Very nice looking box AlexS.:D The two pics look like different boxes as the colors differ so much. Which is the more realistic???:)
The 2nd pic (no flash) is the more realistic. The difference between the side & top & bottom was amazing, just because of the different faces exposed.

[Bodgy]

Alex, you're not bad at this box making go, are you?

[Auld Bassoon]

Hi AlexS,

That is a SERIOUSLY smashing box. Congrats on the great job you did with the coopering.

Did you calculate all the intersecting angles and cut the staves to this? - it's a bit had to tell from the pics.

A watertight ice cooler next eh?

Cheers!

[urban-wombat]

great looking box

[labolle]

My latest box, made from jarrah strips cut to width and coopered.

WOW! A very nice box. COuld you tell us a bit more about the coopering process?

That's what i like about this forum. Almost every other day someone posts something with a cool new technique that I have seen done before.

Greenie headed your way.

[Wood Borer]

Again up to your fine standard of design and craftsmanship Alex.

[zenwood]

What a stunning little box. I have a million question though (well...six):
How did you work out the angle variation to get the elliptical cooper?
Did you smooth the inner facets of the coopered piece, and if so, how?
How did you cut the elliptically shaped top and bottom?
How did you cut the rebate on the lid?
How did you attach the base?
The lid looks slightly domed - is it, and if so, how did you do it?Sorry, it's just I'm green with envy at your skills.

Oh, and greeny, etc.

[AlexS]

Thanks for the kind comments


How did you work out the angle variation to get the elliptical cooper?
Did you smooth the inner facets of the coopered piece, and if so, how?
How did you cut the elliptically shaped top and bottom?
How did you cut the rebate on the lid?
How did you attach the base?
The lid looks slightly domed - is it, and if so, how did you do it?
1. It's not a true ellipse, it's an isometric ellipse as drawn in the attached pic, so it's made up of four circular arcs - two large and two small. Then you can decide the number of facets in each arc (I used 8) and from that, calculate the coopering angles. The large segments are 1.5 times the width of the small ones.
2. I smoothed them with a drill-mounted cylindrical sander, followed by a curved scraper followed by sanding. Would have been easier with a spindle sander, but I don't have one.
Step 4 and 6 start before step 3.
4. The lid & bottom don't actually have rebates. I laminated up a strip long enough for the lid and bottom, and thicker than necessary. Then bandsawed off a thin piece from which I cut inserts that fit inside the coopered box walls. Sit the box on the thin strip, mark the inside of the top and bottom, then cut roughly to size. Then use the disc sander to bring them down to exact size. They are later glued to the lid and bottom.
6. Cut the laminated strip into 2 - one for the lid and one for the base. Doming the piece for the lid is started roughly on the table saw - set a slight angle, set the piece on edge and cut slivers off the sides and ends.
3. The shape of the lid and base is drawn by sitting the wall on top and marking a constant overhang perpendicular to the wall, around the box. This is then cut out roughly, then trimmed accurately on the disc sander. For the base, the table of the disc sander is set at an angle. The doming of the lid is completed by smoothing using a plane, spokeshave, scraper and sanding.
Also, a piece needs to be made to fit at the back, for the hinge to screw to. This is shaped roughly on the disc sander, then fitted accurately by trial & error and removing a little bit at a time. Carbon paper helps here. Pieces will need to be removed from the inserts to accommodate this.
4. The inserts are glued to the underside of the lid and the top of the base. Make sure they are accurately positioned.
5. The wall is glued to the base and insert. It's important to have an accurate fitting insert and dead flat bottom on the wall.

My concern for the future is that the circumferential expansion of the wall segments will separate it from the base or make the fit between the lid and wall loose. The lid is just a friction fit. Time will tell.

Hope this is clear enough to follow. Cheers, Alex

[zenwood]

Brilliant stuff Alex. I'd never heard of an isometric ellipse, but it's a neat trick, and the diagram explains it wonderfully.

Thanks for the detailed reponse, thoroughly deserving a greenie.

The box seems small enough to me that expansion shouldn't be an issue -- time will tell I suppose. How big is the box?

[AlexS]

How big is the box?
Glad you could follow the explanation.
Size is 190mm x 135mm x 80mm. Don't think there should be a problem. It's really dry at present, but rain forecast, so we may see then if expansion is a problem.

[boban]

Master Alex

[Zed]

ok now make some BIG stuff!!;)