boxes for bubs

**fletty** · 21st April 2013, 08:25 PM

Here we go again....
For those who followed the making of the box for Elsa, you may remember that it was a keepsake box for the baby of a lovely young Swedish couple living in Australia for 2 years. At the time I started that mammoth project I had no idea that I was soon to become a grandfather and so the expectation might be that I needed to make 2 more! Well, 2 more little grandchildren for very close friends have also been announced so the tally for boxes for bubs now stands at 4!
I couldn't (and wasn't 'allowed') to make anything as complex as the box for Elsa so 4 simpler boxes have gone into production.
I have some lovely straight grained Australian Red Cedar (ARC) and some spectacularly grained crotch pieces of ARC from the Boutique auction a few weeks ago that will be used for the sides and tops respectively. My long lost father bequeathed me an ebony straight edge that he made for 'intermediate' woodwork in 1938 and so it will be used for some trim on his great-grandchildrens boxes. I still have nightmares about it and so 'stitched finger joints' have been given a rest and I will use lock mitres which is a bit more practical for batch production.
Work started today ... after I found my lock mitre jigs that had drifted to the nether reaches of the shed. The problem with cutting lock mitres is that the tool can remove the very edge that you use to align the workpiece. My solution is that the pieces cut vertically are held in a sled that ensures the piece doesn't drop during the cut .....

bubbox001web.jpg

and the bits cut horizontally ride against a continuous router fence to reduce the possibility of the sharp leading edge entering the cut out for the router bit.....

bubbox002web.jpg

to prove my decision to use lock mitres would be better for batch production, all 16 box sides were complete within a few hours of starting to dress the mill sawn stock, the ebony straight edge is laying on the 12 sides .....

bubbox004web.jpg

while the other 4 sides were clamped up as a box to check dimensions

bubbox003web.jpg

I prototyped a lock mitre corner to check if I could heavily round the corners without exposing the locking spline and it looks like I can....

bubbox005web.jpg

and I sliced the ebony straight edge (after checking again with Dad of course) and held the sides, a heavily figured top piece and the ebony trim together to see how it will look

bubbox006web.jpg

So far, so good,
fletty

**Ruddy** · 21st April 2013, 10:08 PM

Informative post Fletty....looking good.

**groeneaj** · 21st April 2013, 10:59 PM

Looking good Fletty!

How do you rate the router bit compared to cutting miters on the table saw? It seems it would be easier using the router bit when it comes time to glue up?

Andy

**TTIT** · 21st April 2013, 11:00 PM

Watchin' 'n learnin'

**fletty** · 21st April 2013, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by groeneaj

Looking good Fletty!

How do you rate the router bit compared to cutting miters on the table saw? It seems it would be easier using the router bit when it comes time to glue up?

Andy

To be honest Andy, the ONLY benefit is in alignment and glueing up. The shape of the lock not only stops the joint from slipping while glueing up, it also holds the joint square. The rest of it however is an absolute PITA!
I haven't got around to glueing up etc and already I wish I had cut the mitres on the tablesaw and used the ebony as splines!
If I'd had the shed time I would probably have done the stitched fingers like Elsa's Box using the ebony. Black 'stitches' against the light coloured cedar .... mmmmmmm

fletty

**wheelinround** · 21st April 2013, 11:41 PM

sitting back and watching

**Hermit** · 21st April 2013, 11:56 PM

What he ^ said. I can see that I'll learn something here. Those lock mitres look tricky.

**fletty** · 28th April 2013, 05:31 PM

I haven't had much shed time lately. I'm working full time AND I've had the flu like many others but I also tried offset it with a rum and coke transfusion after the march on ANZAC day.
Normally all of my boxes have the top (and bottom) as floating panels so that any swelling due to humidity changes won't stress the joints.
Elsa's box has floating panels.....

elsasbox45web.jpg

as do the Orkney boxes......

boxweb13.jpg

But, the design I had in mind for these boxes doesn't really suit floating panel construction. The ebony 'inlay' looks 'clumsy' when there is an expansion gap immediately outside it.
I have occasionally used fixed panels of ply in the belief, yet to be disproven, that ply doesn't change dimension when humidity changes so I am thinking of using a ply substrate for these boxes.
The plan, as loosely assembled below .........

bubbox007web.jpg

is to laminate the Australian red cedar (ARC) crotch panels with the ebony trim directly onto a plywood panel that fits into grooves on the sides but, unlike floating panels, the ARC and ebony will fill the opening. I'm hoping that the thinnish ARC and ebony will be stabilised by the ply.
I'm still sleeping on it and it isn't too late to change but this is where I'm headed.
As if this isn't daring enough or, as Sir Humphrey said, that's a bold decision, I'm also going to fix the pigskin suede to the inside faces of the top and bottom ply BEFORE assembly and glue-up .......
That ALSO means I'll have to finish the inside faces of the boxes before assembly and glue-up because I won't be able to finish them afterwards without messing up the suede .......

fletty

**AlexS** · 28th April 2013, 06:54 PM

Should work well, Fletty. I've never had problems with ply expanding. Just remember to veneer both sides to stop it bending.
I always line & finish my lined boxes before assembly. You need to be careful where you get the oil - not on joints - but it's tidier and also makes removing squeeze-out easier.

**Hermit** · 28th April 2013, 07:23 PM

I can't comment on the construction method, I'm here to learn, but boy do I like those Orkney boxes. Beautiful work fletty.

Edit: And timber to match.

**NCArcher** · 28th April 2013, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by Hermit

I can't comment on the construction method, I'm here to learn, but boy do I like those Orkney boxes. Beautiful work fletty.

Edit: And timber to match.

Don't know if you've seen these Hermit
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f87/or...x-wip1-146617/
Well worth a read.

**Hermit** · 28th April 2013, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Don't know if you've seen these Hermit
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f87/or...x-wip1-146617/
Well worth a read.

I'm there.

That was a month before I first found these forums.
Looks like a great WIP, to match the boxes.
Thank you very much for pointing the way.

I love the soft look of the Orkney boxes. I'll be having a go at something similar in the near future.

Edit: I was wondering if the sides were really as thick as they looked. Nope. They're even better than I thought.

Sorry, fletty, this was really about the Boxes for Bubs, but I couldn't help myself.

**artme** · 29th April 2013, 08:56 AM

Great posts Fletty!! informative and so easy to follow!!!

**fletty** · 1st May 2013, 09:29 PM

So, who wins this week's 'WHO CAN USE THE MOST CLAMPS FROM DIFFERENT BRANDS ON THE SAME JOB ON A WEDNESDAY AND PHOTOGRAPH IT WITH A CR@PPY MOBILE PHONE' competition......

?

bubbox009.jpg

The state of play is glued the suede to the ply top and bottom using AlexS's suggestion of ironing previously glued suede and substrate, shellac'd the inner faces of the box sides to better deal with glue squeeze out (because I won't be able to get at it until the box and lid are separated) AND because I cant finish the inside of the box (easily?) when the suede is hard against sides, glued assembled and clamped the first box. If you don't hear from me for a while AND/OR when you do hear from me the box looks different ... you'll know it didn't work!

fletty

**fletty** · 25th May 2013, 05:04 PM

Finally got back onto the boxes for bubs. Since I last posted, 3 of the 4 bubs have been born and I now know that I am making at least 1 girl-box and 2 boy-boxes ... the differences are in the tray layout and contents

.
I've been work-working mostly 5 day weeks but, when I actually did have a day off this week, I fell off the roof while clearing the gutters for Thursdays forecast deluge!
When I looked up from the bench just now and saw the sunshine and the birds, I took 2 quick mobile phone pics before heading to the coffee machine,
The boxes are coming along well. Although I've assembled only 2 so far, I have cut all of the pieces for the other 2 so they will be assembly only. I've added a drop down picture frame after being re-inspired by "an oldie-but-a-goody' but as they weren't in the original idea, I've had to make them VERY thin to fit into the depth of lid. If I'd thought of it earlier I could have easily made the lid deeper.
The tray has many compartments (including 2 SECRET COMPARTMENTS) and the girl box will have one of these compartments for rings. The tray lifts out and the section below is big enough to take A4 pages.
I'll get back onto them this afternoon but here is the current state of play......

bubbox010.jpg

bubbox011.jpg

fletty

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