Pencil Cases

[bennylaird]

Sorry for not searching as I am sure this has been covered.:confused:

My wife is a teacher and in order to get the kids end of year suprises started in plenty of time she has asked me to make the boys in her class the old style pencil cases we used to have as kids.

They were the two layered ones that had a swing top level. I sort of remember them but if anyone has a pic or a plan it would be most appreciated.

Glad she decided the boys could have something different as I would have been roped into sewing patchwork shoulder bags with Santa etc sown on.

Just another little touch my wife likes to do in addition to working 80 hour weeks (38 paid) and paying for a lot of her own stationary etc. Those who rubbish teachers for the short hours and all those holidays should try living with one. And yes she does do all the right things to combat bullies........

[jmk89]

I have just finished building one recently to try out some techniques (free hand dovetails etc). I can't find my camera at home (if I had it would have been shown here already), but I will see if I can take a picture with my wife's phone when I get back there tonight.

PS This is the box that I drop kicked across the shed. http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=33796

We decided to let bygones be bygones and I didn't incinerate it but used it to practice other things (like repairs and finishing). So it's no thing of beauty, but it has some history.

[bennylaird]

Thanks, I can see I will have to set up a bit of a production line here as I need to make 12 ish.

My Gifkins template is too large so I might have to invest in the small templates if I can hold out to the Melb wood show and speak nicely to Roger for one of his show specials?

I think my wife has the old style in mind though which might be the single block of wood routed out etc. Still room to explore options.

Will see if I can find a pic of what type she means.

[bennylaird]

but with a with a rotating top level once the lid is removed?

[jmk89]

[quote=bennylaird]Thanks, I can see I will have to set up a bit of a production line here as I need to make 12 ish.

[quote]

I hope that you are going to get paid for this ( I know you won't - my SWMBO was a teacher before we started on offspring and I know how many freebies I gave her school and esp her classes).

My recollection of the swing lid box that was made a school was that it had simple lap joints, not dovies. But of course if SWMBO wants dovies in 12 boxes then dovies it must be.

And if she wants them all finished before the end of term then I think you need much more in the way of new tools than just some Gifkin small templates!!!:D :D

[jmk89]

but with a with a rotating top level once the lid is removed?

Could be done, but I think it would need to be made in two parts (ie top and bottom, otherwise you will have to cut it in half and fit a bottom plate to the top section). I think doing it in two pieces would be better also because of the need to create the small section at the end of the top level for the sliding lid to lock into. Damn, I wish I had the box here and I could then take some photos with someone's phone to show you what I mean.

[bennylaird]

No the feeling, a picture is worth a thousand words. Except my uni lecturer had no sense of humour when I submitted 4 pics for a 4 thousand word assignment??????

I'm thinking use one piece of wood sawn in half and then the top glued back on with a 45 degree angle to let the sliding top level butt up against. The lid then securing the swiwel?

[ian]

I don't have a plan, but

start with a solid squared-up, sanded blank (say 300 x 50 x 35),
drill and countersink for a 30mm screw near one end,
saw off a slice (say 5mm thck) containing the countersink (this will be the lid),
sand the sawn faces, and round over the edges as desired.
rout out a recess, say 25mm deep for the pencils (use a jig and template guided bit), make sure you don't cut into the screw hole :)
reattach the lid (using a brass screw)
DONE or at least ready for finishing


ian

[bennylaird]

Sounds the way to go, Thanks Ian.

Hope the kids appreciate them. (probably find out I could buy them from the $2 shop afterwards????)

[bennylaird]

I will personalise them though so that may help make them special. All grade 4's.

[jmk89]

I dion't think you need a 45 degree angle - 15 should be enough. When I was making mine, I decided to have face along the entire line of the angle both on the swivelling part and the fixed part, so that the edges of the box were not taking any force from closing. Maybe I over-engineered it, but it does give a satisfying sound of being shut and there is no chance of the edges being buggered by kids slamming the top section closed.

[ian]

I will personalise them though so that may help make them special. All grade 4's.If you really want to be flash, make teh blanks by gleing up some contrsting timbers


ian

[bennylaird]

Yes 45 is far to much just needs to allow the top face to mate up.

Will go two tone with the timbers.

I might try and draw up a rough design as I'm sure there plenty of kids who need some wood in there early years rather than plastic bags with comic characters on them lol.

[jmk89]

I'm sure there plenty of kids who need some wood in there early years rather than plastic bags with comic characters on them lol.

How right you are. My little lad (2 going on 3) loves the pencil case I made and loves the wood in particular. !0 year olds may be different, but I suspect that they will love it, especially if you can show them how you did it (otherwise they won't see that it is something special).

BTW if you are not careful, you may have to give them woodwork lessons - if so, have a look at Jack McKee's book "Woodshop for Kids" - here's a link. It's quite good (even if it is American):
http://home.earthlink.net/~mchkee/

[bennylaird]

Yes have been dragged off to schol a few times as a fill in teacher, last time was to explainf flight. Had two of my sailplanes hanging from their ceiling for a few months after that lol.

[meerkat]

hey benny

any chance of making up some plans etc while you are doing them for us less gifted people. :D

Andrew

[Stuart]

Don't you have a couple of perfectly good plans already Andrew? ;)

[meerkat]

Don't you have a couple of perfectly good plans already Andrew? ;)

Yeah I guess so :o

Slightly excessive for pencil cases though;)

No what I was hoping for was to be able to spread them around for other kids etc.

[bennylaird]

Hoping to make up a set of templates and rip through a batch pretty quickly so will post up my ideas for crucifiction, I mean educated insight?

[ian]

Benny

If you want to go with a sliding lid, make up the box by routing a recess in a solid blank, then
change the template and rout a 5mm deep x 3mm wide rebate around the recess, including all of one end. So you have a box with a U shaped lip.
change to a slot cutter and cut a 2mm deep slot around the inside of the U
Make the lids to fit, champhering the front and both sides to say 15 deg so that it will slide in the slot.
Add a finger grip, which might be a 10mm round hole, at the square end of the lid

ian

[bennylaird]

Isn't it a pity that this project may require the investment in some nice new router bits???? what a pity!
Thanks Ian

[ian]

Isn't it a pity that this project may require the investment in some nice new router bits???? what a pity!
Thanks IanKnow what you mean,
isn't it great, you're siting up in bed studying the CMT catalogue and SWMBO can't complain as you're "researching" the pencil acse project !!

ian

[meerkat]

Isn't it a pity that this project may require the investment in some nice new router bits???? what a pity!
Thanks Ian
Whinging and bitching about this kind of stuff is just not right.
Just deal with it man !!! ;):D:D

Make sure you plan the purchases properly, you might be able to slide (oops did I say slide ?) get a "spare" one for justin. Nothing worse than having to go out to get another when it could have been avoided :D


... "researching" the pencil acse project !!
Oh ian, welcome to lysdexics anonymous ;):D Anyone know a teacher ???:rolleyes:


Andrew

[zenwood]

Benny,

how about this one?

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=26143&d=1152438258

I posted it in this thread, (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=34257) which you might find interesting. If you want top, side etc. elevations, let me know and I'll get them out of Sketchup and post them.

[Buzza]

Pencil case makers should be aware that an old one with all the bells and whistles including a keyed lock sold for $52.90AUD in the U.K. on Ebay in the last day or so. I'v seen these old cases sell for over $20.00 quite often on Ebay in Australia. They really are so much better than a plastic bag with an expensive cartoon sticker on them.

A tip for those about to make them, on the better ones the sliding lid also served as a ruler, and the inside of the box had an eraser compartment, and a compass compartment. The lid had a fingernail groove as well.

I took the liberty of saving the pictures of the old one sold on Ebay, but won't put them up on the forum in case of copyright etc. P.M. me if anyone needs to see them.

Buzza. :)

[ian]

Oh ian, welcome to lysdexics anonymous ;):D Anyone know a teacher ???:rolleyes:

Andrewtouché

[Iain]

The current Aus Woodsmith has a plan for a pencil case similar to what is illustrated above, however, it has the procedure (a simple one I might add) for an inlay on the lid, if you have a scrollsaw.
Just a 5 degree or thereabout offset and you're away.
I have done a lot of this type of relief and inlay work and can assure you it is a piece of recyled water;)

[ian]

it is a piece of recyled water;)don't you mean
:rolleyes::rolleyes: "ready for recycling water" :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Carry Pine]

The type of pencil case you are talking about would be very difficult for year 4 students. I have had success with a pencil case with a sliding lid. Will post pictures tonight.
Carry Pine

[Carry Pine]

Sorry, Bennylaird...misread the post (again). I thought they would be making the pencil cases. I'll post the pictures anyway.
These boxes are made out of pine and have an MDF base and sliding lid. Children cut the pieces to size 22cm and 8 cm leave the 4 pieces in a pile and a pixie trues up the cuts overnight. They are then glued using clamps and then an oversized base is glued on. Again a pixie trues up the edges of the base. The lids have all been ripped to a standard size (little over) and the kids need to draw a line where it needs to be cut.
Boxes can be left as they are or some drill and dowel joint the ends.
It's amazing what a sharp blade on a drop saw can correct on a child's box. No need to even sand and looks a million bucks.
Pine is 140 X 13 and is ripped into 60 and 80. Each kid gets 600mm and costs about $1:70 per child for 2 boxes. The MDF is leftovers from me.

Carry Pine

[bennylaird]

Thanks Carry,
Great way to get kids into woodwork.

Have been flat out with work and uni at the moment and have not had time to draw up my plans. Still to find a picture of what I'm intending. They used to be all the go when I was in school, but that was just a little while ago..........

[jmk89]

Here is my sliding lid, swivelling compartment pencil case. It is made out of crapiata with Pencil Pine highlights and is finished with shellac (4 coats), EEE and Trad Wax. It also has an inkwell (stopper shown in Photo 4), just for fun. Photo 3 shows some of the attempted repair of the damage when it was propelled by pedal power across the shed...:D
Hope this gives you some ideas for your project.

[bennylaird]

Thats the sort of thing I'm after, thanks..........

[Mort]

You can view one here. There are several angle shots

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/molotov/item/SUN1837

[bennylaird]

Drool..............................

[ian]

Benny
so how are the pencil cases coming on?

ian

[bennylaird]

Wife had a change of plan and they weren't needed. However I will have a go at one soon, just a bit snowed under with work and looking for a new job, no time to get into the shed.