Gentleman's box WIP

**AlexS** · 13th February 2013, 09:11 AM

I made reasonably shaped dowels from some straight grained jarrah, but they were still too thick (despite having been pushed through a 1/4" hole), so I put them in a drill press and used a file & sandpaper to bring them down to size and round the ends. I also made some from some softer wood.
The position of the dowels has to be exactly right, so I measured & marked where I reckoned they should be and cut the ends off the soft wood dowels and temporarily glued them in these positions with hot melt glue.
Temporary stud.jpg
When I placed the lid in either the fully closed or fully open position, the temporary studs were in the correct position, so I marked it, removed the temporary studs and inserted the jarrah dowels, BUT...

...Because of the shape of the dividers, the lid wouldn't go from open to closed ore vice versa. I had thought of this when doing the original design and designed around it, but it skipped my mind when making and fitting the dividers, and I made them the full height of the front and back. This necessitated a work-around to re-shape the dividers.
First, I drew the revised shape that would allow the lids to open & close properly...
Divider marked for reshaping.jpg
...and made saw cuts almost to these lines to make it easier to remove the waste.
Saw cuts.jpg

I pared the waste almost to the line with a chisel, smoothed it with a small sanding drum in a drill and a card scraper, and finally hand sanded it.
Dividers reshaped.jpg

**AlexS** · 17th February 2013, 06:58 PM

Finished at last!

The last thing to do before oiling was to insert the lid magnets and go over the box thoroughly looking for any imperfections. There was on slight ding to be steamed out, then it was on to the oiling.

I'm trying Livos Ardvos oil this time, instead of the usual Kunos, because one of Australia's best woodworkers suggested it, but I think next time I'll go back to Kunos - I prefer the slightly glossier finish. Most of the box had had a coat before it was glued up, but some parts had been planed, sanded and steamed since then, so I gave everything a flood coat, which was wiped off after about 20 minutes. This was followed by two more light coats at 12 hr minimum intervals, and a coat applied with 0000 steel wool and wiped off. After this, I've given it a couple of very light coats, with the rag barely damp with oil, and will continue to do so daily until the day before it's delivered. As the saying goes, oil it once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and once a year on your birthday.

Putting the lid on is straightforward - screw the hinges in permanently, then put the studs in their slots, lay the lid in the closed position, grease the hinge pins and tap them in, and glue in tapered woollybutt plugs to conceal them. When the glue has dried, carefully pare the plugs down, sand them, give them a touch of shellac and some oil. The last job is to put wax in the grooves and a drop of oil on each hinge.

Here are the photos of the finished box.

**Sawdust Maker** · 17th February 2013, 07:16 PM

Alex

A really great box

thank you for sharing the journey of construction

I think I prefer the dividers as they were originally, I like that shape, but I understand the need to change them and think it was a really good recovery

**Humphrey9999** · 17th February 2013, 07:29 PM

Very nice, as always, and a great WIP.
Thanks Alex.

**groeneaj** · 17th February 2013, 08:23 PM

Brilliant work Alex

**TTIT** · 17th February 2013, 10:20 PM

Now I get it!!! Couldn't see where you were going with the lid but decided to keep my trap shut

Love the finished article

Looks brilliant!

**Cliff Rogers** · 18th February 2013, 12:08 AM

Nice box, can I have it to make a Cigar Box Guitar out of it?

**Christos** · 18th February 2013, 07:08 AM

I agree with the sentiments above. Great to watch this work in progress.

**AlexS** · 18th February 2013, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Nice box, can I have it to make a Cigar Box Guitar out of it?

If I can have the cigars.

Thanks for the kind words. It was fun to build, apart from the realisation that the lid wouldn't close with the dividers in their original shape.

**wheelinround** · 18th February 2013, 09:15 AM

Alex a pleasant journey

**AlexS** · 25th February 2013, 09:13 AM

Delivered on Saturday. Both the lady who commissioned it and the recipient, her partner, liked it, so we're all happy. She's asked me to design a jewellery chest for her now.
I've done 3 boxes for these people now, and enjoy working for them as they like to get involved in the designs.

**Sawdust Maker** · 25th February 2013, 10:08 AM

**Dengue** · 25th February 2013, 09:42 PM

Thanks Alex, very impressive, and a great learning resource for all of us.

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