Thread: WIP - Small mitred box

Next, I bandsawed the material for the lids and bottoms of the boxes from the 150 x 40 piece, and machined and sanded them to their final thicknesses before marking and cutting them to length.
In the material for the sides, I cut the slots that the bases and tops will fit into. Because the tops and sides must fit exactly, I made test cuts on some scrap first. The slot for the lid must not only accommodate the wood, but also the leather lining. I've made an allowance for this, but may have to increase it later. On the bottoms, I've coved the underside, and I've chamfered the tops.
The foam padding for the lids is cut and stuck to the inside. These are stacked and weighted to dry, which takes longer than when gluing wood. I use Titebond II, which adheres well to the foam.
The foam recesses are stuck to 3mm ply backing, which must next be covered. This is done by coating the two surfaces (wood and leather) with Titebond II and leaving it for several hours to completely dry. The leather is then ironed onto the wood using a hot iron, with a sheet of brown paper protecting the leather. The iron should be as hot as possible, and the work done quickly, or you run the risk of singing the leather. The leather is then trimmed flush with the side of the ply backing.

The individual box sides are then separated, being careful to keep them in order.

I've found the easiest way to do accurate mitres is to use a disc sander. To do this, everything must be set up accurately. First the table is set square to the disc, then the fence is set square to the table. To set the fence accurately at 45 deg., I sand a pair of mitres on some scrap, then check that they make a right angle, adjusting the fence if necessary.
When mitring the sides, as you approach the marked line (this is why it's marked with a knife) a small 'feather' appears. When this drops off, the side is mitred to the correct length.
The sides are then marked on the mitres, the pencil markings are cleaned off with acetone and they are sanded to 800 grit. They are then given a coat of shellac, which is sanded after it has dried.

Good stuff Alex. I'm pulling up a chair.
Fantastic WIP descriptions. Easy for even a dummy like me to understand.

Looking good Alex, a quick question, are your sanding discs glued on or velcroed?

If glued, what method do you use to remove and replace?

Hi Acco. It's so long since I changed it I had to go and look. It's velcroed. I replaced the original stick-on with a velcro backer.

The padding for the inserts and lids was glued and pressed in moulds until the glue dried, then the edges were glued using the hot iron method described earlier.
To get neat corners on the insert, first glue two opposite edges, then make cuts on those edges, level with the other two edges of the backer. You can then glue the last two edges.
While glue was drying, I oiled the insides of the box sides. It's easier to do it now than when the box is assembled, and the oil makes it easier to remove any glue squeeze-out. I'm using Livos Ardvos oil, which skins if it is left for too long in the can. I keep it in a soft plastic water container bought from a camping shop. This lets you remove all the air and prevent skinning. I've previously used wine cask bladders, but that meant buying cheap cask wine, and there are some things I just won't do.

Thanks Alex

I'll be using 8mm barrel hinges, and the easiest way to make sure that the lid and base line up is to drill the holes for them before separating the lid and base. This is best done before the box is assembled. The drill has to be perpendicular to the table. The positions of the holes are marked with an awl.
After assembly, the holes in the bottom will be filled with matching plugs. I use tapered plugs cut with a Veritas cutter.

I've trimmed the waste leather from the inserts. The easiest way to get a neat job is to use a sharp chisel held against the back of the insert, and cut down into a cutting mat. This gives a flush finish on the back.

To stop any squeeze-out sticking to the box I put wax around all the joints, then tape the sides together. I also put wax on the corners of the lid and bottom panels. Before gluing up, I clean the mating surfaces with acetone.

Is looking good Alex

This is one of the most interesting box builds I've seen.
Great pics, too, Alex.

Great WIP. Looking good!

I'm in for the ride, too.....

Time to glue up. I clean the joints with acetone, which evaporates almost instantly. I used Titebond II, although for this job, TB original would work just as well. As well as gluing all the joint faces, I put a dot of glue in the centre of the slots on the short sides, to stop the lid and bottom panels sliding around, but still let them expand & shrink with humidity changes. Close the sides up with the lid & bottom in place, and close the last corner tight with masking tape.
I've put inner tube rubber on the faces of the band clamps, but this can leave black marks on the wood, so I wrap the boxes in glad-wrap before clamping. The clamps don't need to be done up too tight - just enough to hold the corners together and get a bit of squeeze-out. I leave them clamped up over night.
After taking them out of the clamps, I'll remove the tape, clean up the squeeze out and put the slipfeathers in.

Hello Alex. Coming along beautifully.

I noticed that you use 'a dot of glue in the centre of the slots on the short sides', to stop the top and bottom panels from moving around but still allow expansion/contraction.

I was thinking about this the other day and wondered whether a 1mm strip of balsa in the bottom of the slots all the way around would achieve this. (No glue with the balsa so it stays nice and springy.)
(The glue dot method sounds easier.)