Thread: How to make curved sides for a box?

I first make the box up with straight sides, then cut of most of the excess on the table saw, then final shape with a plane, patternmaker's rasp, file & sandpaper.

Thanks Alex, sounds like some good hand skills necessary. Do you make a template of the profile you want, and check all the hard manual work against it?

Yes, I make an outside template to lay out and check the shape.

I agree with Alex. To finish the sanding process I make a right angle jig from MDF and clamp the base of the box to the vertical face. Then using a linisher or a disc sander with the table set at 90 degrees you can sweep all the curves without having to worry about chipping the end grain.

Not sure I follow this, Ruddy, any chance of a picture please?

I know little but would not a bandsaw form the curves? Or have I got it wrong? Bill.

Hi Dengue, hope this helps. I make a simple jig from MDF and ensure that it is square to 90 degrees in both directions and that the table on the sander or linisher is set to 90 degrees. The box is clamped with base against the vertical face and the curved side swept passed the abrasive to create the curve. Use a template to gauge against if necessary. If you are careful you will get a very exact result. Here in the pictures I have used a block of wood to demonstrate a random curve. You can also use double sided tape to attach the box to the jig. This is handy if you want to do the lid with a curve as you need to avoid the clamp.sj1.JPGSJ4.JPGSJ5.JPGSJ2.JPGSJ3.JPG

Hi Ruddy, many thanks for going to all the trouble of doing this demonstration run and taking and posting the photos, I really appreciate it. As usual, a picture is worth a 1,000 words, and your pics show exactly what to do. The key to it is to have a large sanding wheel, which unfortunately I do not possess