Boxmaking

Desk box, keepsake box, any other kind of box, what’s the difference?

This one is convenient for desk use because the lid stays attached and tilts open easily into a stable position. Flip it open, grab a pen, and move the work along.

It’s another American Cherry box, all from heartwood. Like most cherry I’ve come across, there are a few dark stains here and there. Those are from bird pecks. Birds harvesting insects from the bark leave marks which end up as nearly black marks within the grain of the wood. If I were to look for peck free cherry, I would find little useful material.

Three things are distinctive with this box. One, is the mitered dovetails. They provide a very nice miter on the visible edges while retaining traditional dovetails. The miters are perfect hiding places for the grooves that retain the bottom. No more fussing with trying to plane a stopped groove! In another 2 or 3 boxes, I won’t be calling this feature distinctive, but the norm.

The tilt top is a first for me. It’s simple, fitted on wood dowel hinges. The hinge pins are placed so as to keep the top edge flush with the tops of the sides and ends. A notch cut into the front of the box completes the flush fitting. The lid is lifted from a curved edge that protrudes about 1/8″. I made that curve match the oval of the carving. The placement of the hinge pins also allows the lid to rest at about 95 degrees in the open position. Nice!

The third distinction, not really new with this box, is what some call a “3 corner grain wrap.”  The grain flows around the box, matching at all corners except the last, and even there it’s not far off. How is that done? Carefully!  First, resaw a piece of wood that is as close as to the length of one side plus one end as possible. Open up the book matched pair. Mark carefully in either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation: end, side, end , side. The marked faces are the outside faces of the box. Keep the parts in the correct order when cutting the joinery and assembling. See; simple! (In the photo, each piece includes it’s A, B,C,D marking plus a script “f” for “f”ace.)

Note to self: that pink chalk finds its way into the grain and is hard to remove. Find another marking method.

The only other “design decision” was the size of the dovetails and which orientation for the pin boards. I made the choice on achieving a balance of end grain areas in relation to the size of then ends or sides. Dimensions: outside – 9″ x 6″ x 2 3/4″  inside – 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ x 2 1/2″.

The rest is the pleasure of assembling and especially carving. Finish is hand rubbed shellac and paste way, very satiny. The box is available on Etsy.

Here are pictures of the grain wrap….

   

A box I’m building has a flush fit lid. Holding the lid in temporary positions for various marking and fitting operations needed some temporary “posts” to prop it at the right heights.  How to prop it up? Wood? Sure, why not? I cut lots of wood.

However, is there something that can be shaped faster? Oh yeah. A package that arrived a few months ago used Owens Corning “Pink Panther” foam insulation as padding.

Perfect. It’s about an inch thick and easy to cut with a knife. Pink posts standing in the corners did the job nicely, and are quickly cut to new heights for final fitting.

Ponce on that!

Transferring carving patterns to the work piece is a challenge. Carbon paper used to be the normal process. Today, the stuff is becoming incredibly rare and expensive. Staple’s smallest package is 100 sheets for $16. I only need a few sheets, not 100. Beyond that, it’s also much drier than the old messy stuff we had long ago and does a really poor job of transferring.

Mary May offered a helpful tip in her latest newsletter, but it uses laser printer output, more modern than carbon paper but not as popular as ink-jet printers.

Dad, in his sign painting days, used paper patterns riddled with tiny holes and a ponce bag to force colored chalk through the holes. You might have to go to both a fabric store and an art supplies store to get a ponce bag and the tool to make the holes (ponce wheel). Looking around, I found enough stuff already on hand to make my own tools.

Hole making: they’re just pin holes, use a pin. Chuck it in a pin vise (on hand from times when I made models) and go to it. Hint: put a piece of corrugated cardboard under the pattern.

Ponce pad: they’re simply fabric bags full of chalk. An old handkerchief, some chalk used for striking lines (hello carpenters), and a bit of string is all one needs.

It works! For simple patterns, the chalk marks are enough, and last long enough to do the carving. For more complex patterns, I go over the design with a pencil.

Last hint: Keep your patterns and pattern making tools all on one place so you won’t have to play this song when you need a pattern again.

Not a box

I sweep the shop floor once in a while. These are the shavings and dust that come from resawing and shaping the wood for the current box. I enjoy doing it all with handtools, and enjoy even more having outlaw country or soft jazz replace the noise of whining tools and dust collectors. Besides, these shavings have many more interesting shapes than the dust in those cyclone bags.

My primary interest in boxes, whether joined or turned, is to have a base for carving. Carving is the real interest. Boxes are the “canvas.” Yet, that doesn’t mean the boxes have to be simple or plain, or some kind of outsourced junk. I make every box, by hand, using only hand tools.

This cute little box is the result of a salvage effort. The evening before leaving for an excursion a few months ago, I resawed a Cherry board, reducing it from the standard 7/8 inch thickness to two boards slightly over 3/8″ each. I left the two boards on the bench. On returning a few weeks later, I found both boards cupped. Even though the original board had been in my shop for several months, I guess it wasn’t fully acclimated and my forgetting to sticker the resawn boards aggravated the tendency to cup.

I tried a few “remedies” advised from various internet sources with no delight. So, I cut the boards to narrower widths and flattened them. The result was boards now 1/4″ thick, very nice for a couple of small boxes. This is one of them.  By the way, the color contrasts on this box result form using Cherry heartwood for the bottom and lid, and Cherry sapwood for the sides.

Joinery: It’s simply described as mitered dovetails. The intention is to provide good looking miters, instead of plain, semi-beautiful, butt joints, on visible areas like top edges. Actually making them is a bit more work than the simple description implies. Getting the miter perfect is an acquired art.

Carving: That’s the real reason for the box. I don’t pretend this to be thorough instruction, but an illustration of some of the steps. This sweet little flower is a classic design that shows up in a lot of architectural carvings. It’s made like this:

1. (no photo) Define the straight outlined edges using a 1″ chisel canted about 30 degrees.
2. (no photo) Define the edges of the center bud. — #6 6mm gouge
3. Remove material all around the center bud. — #3 6mm gouge
4. Define the  outer part of the four diagonal pedals. — #4 14mm gouge
5. Define the inner part of the four diagonal pedals. — #3 6mm gouge
6. Carve the leaves.  — #3 6mm gouge
7. Continue carving the leaves. — #3 6mm gouge & #6 6mm
8. Define the edges of the leaves. — #6 6mm gouge
9. Remove material between edges of leaves and the frame edge. — #3 6mm, or flat skew chisel
10. Pierce the eyes in the leaves. — #11 3mm micro gouge
11. Complete the eyes in the leaves. — #11 2mm micro gouge
12. Round over the pedals. — #3 6mm gouge
13. Round over the center bud. — #3 6mm gouge

          

Finish is shellac and high grade wax, hand rubbed to a satin surface.

The box measures 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ (4.4cm x 4.4 cm x 4.4 cm) outside, and 1 3/16″ x 1 3/16″ x 1 3/16″ (2.8cm x 2.8cm x 2.8cm) inside.

Lastly, I added a slotted and fabric covered “cushion” so the box can be used as a ring box. It’s currently available on Etsy, if anyone is interested.

Really lastly …. the size of the box is mostly irrelevant. This little one requires as many steps as a larger one, and is exactly as much fun to make.