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  1. #1
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    Mar 2008
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    Default Making a curved lid for a box?

    Hello, I have just started looking at various references on how to make a box with a curved lid, as one of my next projects to up my box making skill levels. I am still very much a novice, with each new step in box making being quite nerve wracking as you know one silly little mistake can ruin your work

    Here is an extract from one online reference:

    Coopering is a method of making a curved panel, similar to the way a barrel is constructed. Having prepared a 12mm- (1/2in) thick board, it must be cut into eight equal-width strips. The strips will be re-joined edge to edge, but first they must be bevelled at an angle of around 88 degrees.

    You will need to make a pair of concave formers to hold the strips in position, each strip slightly tilted from its neighbour while the glue sets. The formers must be concave so the strips sit inside the curve and the clamping pressure pushes them together, rather than springing them apart. Pull the mahogany strips together with strap clamps around the formers.
    With the glue set, the panel will be shaped as a series of straight sections. To turn it into a curve, you must carefully plane away the protruding outside edges of the joints. You can do this with a finely set smoothing plane, tilting the sole with successive strokes so as to fair the surface into a curve. The inside surface of the panel needs to be shaped with a convex soled plane to produce a smooth curve inside the lid.
    My question is how to flatten the edge joins in the inside concave surface if you don't have a convex shaped plane?

    Can anyone please advise on how to go about this, or whether there is a better method of making a curved lid?
    regards,

    Dengy

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 1999
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    Westleigh, Sydney
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    Default

    I use a curved scraper, worked both along and diagonally across the staves. Once you have more or less removed the flats, start with coarse sandpaper on a curved block, again working both along the grain and diagonally.
    The other method I've used on fairly tight ones is to wrap a strip of coarse sandpaper from a drum sander around a turned cylinder, and sand the inside of the coopered piece on a lathe. You'll then need to sand along the grain manually, of course.
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  4. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
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    Perth
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    Default

    Hi Dengy

    You really need to check out my website first!

    Here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...ngaboxlid.html

    .. and here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...entCentre.html

    This was nearly a barrel ..



    This was just a lid ..



    .. and doors ..




    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

  5. #4
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    Jun 1999
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    Westleigh, Sydney
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    Default

    Here's my thread on making a coopered lid box that may be helpful. In it, there's a spreadsheet for calculating the sizes and angles of the staves.
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  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2016
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    Plymouth, MN
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    Default

    Here is how I have made curved tops for jewlry boxes.
    https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/386377

    Warren

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Kew, Vic
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    Default

    Hi Joe,

    I took a different approach as I wanted a way of repeating the process without having to cooper the lid every time. I built a former by cutting the shape from ply (or MDF), cutting on the bandsaw and finishing on the disc sander

    A1ACE671-3E1A-41FC-9AB5-F8AEFE141B6F.jpeg


    2CAFB2AF-9F19-40FA-8F81-2B02EA04DF44.jpeg

    The pieces were bolted together using threaded rod.

    69ACCCE4-35E5-4525-BF46-7A8B12948286.jpeg

    Note the photos in this post are from several different projects so I apologise if it seems a bit disjointed.

    Once the former was made, I prepared a “sandwich” made from (bottom up) cork tile, waxed paper, inner layer of veneer, two layers of 1.5mm bendy ply from the hobby shop, the top layer of veneer, waxed paper, cork tile. This was placed on top of the former and taped at the ends to stop it sliding around.

    it was then put into a cheap Roarockit vacuum bag and the air extracted with the little hand pump.

    A234561A-FE3E-4FAA-B6F0-E1F785BEFF00.jpeg

    The glue used was Cascamite - an urea formaldehyde glue which sets rock solid - you don’t want any creep with curved tops or they will flatten out. I imagine epoxy would work just as well.

    With 2x1.5mm ply plus the 2 veneers the top is a bit over 4mm. This is remarkably strong and rigid once the glue sets.

    If you don’t want the bother of the vacuum bag, just make a corresponding former to go over the top and clamp it.

    I’ve used this method to make box tops and other things like tea-light candle holders

    AE0FF72C-861A-4F2E-832A-D708FA6BC774.jpeg

    63BEA19B-7E87-48CB-BA08-8A6829BA24C6.jpeg

    Hope this helps, Joe. Looking forward to seeing your next box!

    Regards,


    Brian

  8. #7
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    Brisbane
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    Default

    That brings back some memories Brian. During my apprenticeship i made a number of arched door frames using the same technique with layer after layer of ply and we left the tails extra long so we could nail each layer and then cut it all off when the glue had set.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    Sydney
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    Default

    Hi Joe,
    I know this was an old thread that has been revived but felt I should add my option for a curved lid. The box was posted here many years ago. This box was made using the circular saw to cut the concave {underside} cove. The convex top was then drawn parallel for the lid thickness from the cove and surplus material was removed using a bandsaw, The final convex top was linished using a right angle jig on a vertical linisher.

    Cbox#7.JPGcbox9.JPGCbox#8.JPG
    And my head I'd be a scratchin'
    While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
    If I only had a brain.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Kew, Vic
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    Default

    Crikey! Hadn’t picked up on this being an old thread! Just saw starkw1’s post and assumed the thread was new. Oops!

    Brian

  11. #10
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Auckland, New Zealand
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    997

    Default

    if you are keen, have a look at this:

    https://trademe.nz/marketplace/busin...ing/2201766263

    - - - Updated - - -

    if you are keen, have a look at this:

    https://trademe.nz/marketplace/busin...ing/2201766263
    SCM L'Invincibile si X, SCM L'Invincibile S7, SCM TI 145EP, SCM Sandya Win 630, Masterwood OMB1V, Meber 600, Delta RJ42, Nederman S750, Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500, Ceccato CDX12



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