Thread: Huon and Sheoak card box

This is great. Its exactly the kind of box that will be left out and actually used.

Its a good idea too. Huon is such a lovely timber to use.

Very nice result, especially for a first attempt.. You realise that you will be asked to make 5 more like it.
It's always good to see boxes being used rather than as decoration.

Thanks guys.... Just waiting for the next Tea Party.

I need to make at least another one to resolve some of the issues I had with this one. Using a single blade tablesaw for finger joints and then getting the spacing right for cutting the lid off was a challenge. I think hand cut dovetails would have been much quicker, but getting that layout visually right would be a different challenge. I'm unsure how to even attempt mitred sides and get the corners tight. Then there was cutting the stopped grooves for the top and bottom, there must be a better way than mortising out with an 1/8" chisel.

I like the box, but I really didn't enjoy all the noise and dust sawing and sanding on this one. I much prefer the swoosh of handtools.

The hours that go into it. How much do you guys charge for a box like this?

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

I'm unsure how to even attempt mitred sides and get the corners tight.

Then there was cutting the stopped grooves for the top and bottom, there must be a better way than mortising out with an 1/8" chisel.

I like the box, but I really didn't enjoy all the noise and dust sawing and sanding on this one. I much prefer the swoosh of handtools.

Hi Fuzzie, the result looks good - very creditable for a first try and very functional. Lots of brownie points there!

When I make a box with mitred corners I do initially cut them with the table saw blade tilted to 45 degrees. However, even with a super-fine cut blade that does leave saw marks. On some coarse grained timbers, like Northern Silky Oak, that usually doesn't show so I just glue-up from there. However, with very finely structured timbers (Huon and other pines, Blackwood etc.) I trim/shoot the mitres with a 45 degree mitre shooting board and a suitable plane (a special shooting plane like the Veritas is easiest but any good sized hand plane will work). If your table saw doesn't tilt or if you don't want the noise then you can rough trim the mitres by hand and finish them with the shooting board.

For small boxes I sometimes use a small hand guillotine to cut the mitres perfectly. It is sometimes quicker than getting out the shooting board.

If you use mitred corners then you do not need to stop the grooves for the lid and base - easy peasy - just cut them with a table saw, a router or a router plane if hand tools are preferred.

If you don't have a shooting board I suggest that you make your own. There will be plans that forum members can share. I copied mine (both 45 degree and 90 degree designs) from the boards built by a professional woodwork teacher I studied with (Richard Vaughan) so I don't have plans - but have seen similar plans in magazines like Fine Woodworking. Some of the plans for shooting boards are for adjustable angle boards and although I have never made one of those I would be cautious about them because I suspect the angles would tend to move out of adjustment.

I have not sold my boxes, I give them away or keep them, so I have no idea of price really. I have seen some advertised on Etsy and elsewhere for quite a lot of money. However, they were substantial jewellery boxes with multiple layers inside and drop-in trays etc. They ranged from $250 to $650 for beautiful timber but fairly simple construction to over $2,000 for some in the UK that were magnificently inlaid and decorated.

The price for simple boxes would be kept low because of the numerous Asian imports around. Unless the purchaser appreciated the value of the hand work and use of Australian timbers they would think them equivalent to the $30 to $100 Asian jobs, which can look pretty good if you don't realise that they were made from fairly green wood so often crack and that the lovely colour is just stain over boring timber.