Making Great BOXES ry 0 myriad of ways te hondcraf! bexes of oll sizes and shapes while honing your skills on @ variety of appealing projects, Not only are these sturdy, functional containers perfect for storing keepsakes, they are also highly decorative. Along the way, you'll learn marquelry, aging techniques, intricate inlay work, and more as you make one great design after another. All it takes is a litle veneer to turn a simple contoiner info c beautiful home accent. You'll be able to conceal the particleboard, mediumdensity fiberboard (MDF), or plywood used fo construct the sides and lid. Try it yoursell by building boxes with o remarkable marquetry optical illusion and on intricate quilt moti Moke imaginative projects from a single piece of wood on the bandsaw, The Sweetheart Jewelry Box includes trays that swivel apen and closed, while A Cottontail That Flips Ou! is a rebbitshaped container with « top thet opens up to reveal tidy storage space inside [continued on back flop]Making Great Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New YorkFalitor: Peter J. Stepbane -Publication Data Available Library of Congress Cataloging, woatT6saset Published by Sterling Publishing Co.. Ine ANT Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016 © 2006 by WOOD mag Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing Ye Canadian Manda Group, 165 Dufferin street Toronto, Ontario, Canada MGK 316 Distributed in the United Kingdom by GMC Distribution Services Castle Place, 166 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England BN7 1S Distributed is ricorn Link (Australia) Pry. Lteh P.O. Rox 70 756, Austral ISBNS U78-1-1027.07636 ISBN-10: 11027407630 For information about custom editions, special sales, premium and ate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales 189 or spectalsalesttsterlingpub.com, corpe Department at 800.805.Contents Acknowledgments . Introduction .... Chapter 1: Boxes with Different Faces. The Great Cover-up: Veneering 101 4 Special Feature: Buying Veneers and Inlays... 1B Greate a Marqetry Mirage... 0.14 A Quilt-Pop Wood Box... parirton OD A Reepoake Box ‘ 28 Chapter 2: Bandsaw Boxes ....... 31 Four Basie Bowes... seemeea so i Making More Bandsaw Boxes 38 Chapter 3: A Bevy of Bandsaw Boxes. . . . AWhale of a Container... . eee J ABor witha Beak ........ 44 J Sweetheart Jewelry Box... cateierere ee AT One Cook Gatch-all...es cee recrseeerere Bl “Trinket Treasure Chest... -88 Shoot the Moon... s+. 38 JA Cottontail that Flips Out... 63 Chapter 4: An Assortment of Handsome Boxes . 4 Potpourri Box ay 4 AContomporary Keepsake ...............71 G Patina-topped Jewelry Box erat + Special Feature: Patina Techniquo Through Basic Chemistry .. 78 UStack’em Up! ...« . sesernte oi Daveiailed Jewelry Box... : 90 JA Standout Box With Fine Splines. ot ‘Chapter 5: Beautiful Boxes You Can Put to Use. .....6.s 00202 + LOL J.A Tool Chest That's Top Drawer -- 102 Colonial Pipe Box ML A Numy" Idea toraBor ....6.66.0.4 us BMagazine Keepers AE seria) DA Perfect Box for Your Photos 128 First-Class Letter Box. . 130 ABater Up! fora Baseball-card Box,........194 Classic Candle Bax. seieyececvee eve e140 A Flip-up Pen Box 144 Chapter 6: Boxes with Flaiz to Spare UA Beveled Beauty se U Crown Molding Boxes. 158 (1A Roomy Jewelry Box. a 162 i Aspen-teat Treagure CHER 6. seven eee 18s Patterns Appendix... ass Index Seinen teeter cite Metric Equivalents Chart . 191Acknowledgments My grearest appreciation goes so the pase and prescne design’ and editorial staff of the Meredith Corporation's Better Humes Gandeuse WOOD magazine for the technical advice, projects, tips, and eechniques thar you'll find in this book. A special chanks also co woodworking craftsman Jerry Pacrasso for his bandsaw skills: designer and baxmaker John Russell for his knowledge; and Sal Marino for his technical assistance with veneering. Individual project designers are also noted as appeopriate. Pinally, my gratitude to Administrative Assistant Sheryl Munyon at WOOD magazine, Jackie Keuck, Meredieh’s Art Library Manager, and Bob Furstenau, head of Meredith's Informacion Systems and Technology Department. for cheir efforts in helping assemble che macerial for this book Peter J. StephanoIntroduction Boxes: more than just storage f you've ever watched a toddler entertain bimself for bours playing with the cardboard bux the wew TV just come im, you Pave to agree that there's f something innately fascinating about boxes. Whether it's the ant what's inside ov the possibility of secret contents, who knows? But in addition ta being practical. decorative boxer of abl shapes and sizes—from tay baxes ta jewelry boxes t0 storage baxes—surround us in or daily lives, This book will teach the woodworker how easy H can be to create a wide variety of boxes that will both come in handy anid make great gifts!Making Great In some form or another boxes have always been a significant aspect of daily life cultures all aver the world. Sure. they began as strictly jlitarian storage cont with simple sides, be and lids. but over time, they have involved inte highly dee sas well, The mi peaple Arctic Scandinavia. for exam ple, require sturdy, functional boxes in which to store and protect their daily necessities — sugar, tea, flour, andl 50 on But no matter what the box’s purpose or raw material—be it bireh-bark, reindeer-skin, cach aml every container is adorned with orative ite nomadic 8: or wood— Boxes carving, leather lacing, or jeweHlike pieces of antler, ane becomes a much+reasuned pos. session handed down through generations, In Tess harsh environs, boxes also play important roles, Aya child, you learned carly on Ww organize and col lect your toys, crayons, art such in boxes. Asan adult you expanded and elaborated on this practice with je boxes, sewing boxes, bread elry boxes, reeipe boxes, and umerous others, It seems that the need for boxes never ends. That's why the editors of WOOD Magazine have compiled this book, dedicat ed to boxes and the tech- niques for building them: Although all boxes share the basic clements of botto sides, and (most of the time) a lid, you'll discover that there is a myriad of ways to ve at that configuration. apter 1 shows you how use Veneers to turn simple boxes into eyecatehing ones, In Chapter 2, you'll Jearn to create imaginative boxes at the bandsaw from single picce of wood. In the remaining chapters, you'll jump right ints boxes of your own from more than three dozea standing designs that range from the ut nto the utterly fanciful. Haye fun!1 Boxes with Different Faces W. you're making de come. in handy tim the basics of this woodworking “srick” and introduce you to 1wo box projects orative boxes, here's ome techuique that will iter time—teneering. This chaprer will you in which the technique works well.i Making Great Boxes THE GREAT COVER-UP: VENEERING 101 Woodworkers have been applying venvers and adding banding inlays to furniture for centu 8. but today there are some practical reasons to learn bow it’s done. Veneer will allow you to turn & bax made from inexpensive or featureless wood Into a real gem! You can even utilize particleboard, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), or ply- wood for your basic box, and teneering, youll be the only one who knows.Fores with Different Faces Next, place the workpicce to be covered on the weneer, allowing for at least 1° of waste all around, as shown in Photo A. foxes require the nfo match on neighbor. ing sides, so abel consecutive f veneer on the inside pieces face with large letters, Label the muting box sides, woo. Try to envision an application ‘order that will provide the best appearance. With a box, glue on the back veneer first, the sides sccond, and then the front. Add the top last Cutting veneer and inlay bandings standard or figured vencer with either as Lirp veneer saw or a crafis knife and a metal = straightedge: The veneer saw works best on denser woods, Pictured above are the asic tools used in vencering: veneer ncl masking tapes, a sponge, a crafts knife with a No.1 blade metal straightedge, metal push jon square, a sanding block, and a pencil You shoud be abke to find all of these at most art supply and hardware stores, Laying out the veneer First, select the veneer types that best suit your project Look over your vene fully to take advantage grain patterns or figure and to avoid any aws. If your vencer has uneven edges, trim them (0 create true ones6 Making Great Boxes Make your cuts on a thi, firm surface such as particle» bound. Sturt by ripeutting one nie or straight exlge en your veneer piece. When ripcutting, score and cut from one veneer end to the other, following your straightedge, Make nwo to four scoring passes as needed 1 establish a straight line before cutting, IF you use the saw, sore with just the front comer of the blade, Make final cutting passes by pulling the saw in from one end, with the teeth parallel tothe work surfice: Uf you're using a craits knife, just apply mone presstere on cach succeeding cut, following the straightedge anu score. Be care: ful thar wayward wood grain doesn’t pull you off course, If using a © blades often, (Remember, dull blades can lead to mistabes.) New you are ready #0 cross (Cut sejusire comers, which iy particularly important when cut ting pieces for an assembled face (more on this later), Align your true veneer edge with the ine edge of the cutting surface. With a metal square or combina ‘ion square held firmly against the true veneer edge, begin a square erosseut by scoring: the wood with two to four passes, cuiting in from each edge toward the center of the wark toavoid breakout, as shown in Photo B. Similarly. make final saw and knife cuts by applying neater presstire on the tool For miter cuts, use a combi. nation square, scoring toward the cemter, then c udded pressure, as shows in Photo €Cut inlay, first miter-eut a length of 4 x pine and nail or glue it toa piece of particleboard, Pl strip of inlay as shown im Photo D. Then, take a sharp block plane blade, holding the flat side against the mitered pine and over the inlay. Strike the blade with a crisp, clean cut ea let For a Jointing edges for perfect seams Many veneerir projects will call for joining pieces edge 10 edge. To do this, sandwich matings vencery tightly hetween two edge jointed boards, allowing less than ! of the vencers te stand proud of the board edges (see Photo F), Clamp where needed to prevent movement along the Ppated veer ely Nowe sind or block-plane the edges carefully without bending them over. Make several Passes, removing the exposed veneer until it is lush with the board edges. Joining like veneers to make bigger pieces To join vencers edge to €% lay the pieces goodside up on a flat surface. Check that they mate well with no gaps between. Then, pin one piece down, pressing pushpins in through the veneer and into the work surface, angling, them away from the joint Locate the pins $2" from the mating edgc, spaced 4-9!" apart, depending on the lengtly the picces. Be careful nat to: it the woo. #lice the jain ing piece smugly against the inned piece, and pin it down ts shown in Photo F Boxes with Different Faces Atter taping these pieces together (see the next see tion), flip them over and apply thin bead of yellow wood worker's glue on the under- side seam for added strength8 Making Great Boxes Keep in mind that you should Not tise Nexible vencer (which has a wood veneer thickness for any inlay work or assembled faces. Otherwise through when sanding inlays flush to nding surface. Apply ype to the 4 remove once the piece is luc nd side, and, in place, Taping veneers together Qbce you have dey-titted your pieces. you're ready to Lape them together into a bigger sheet or an assembled decors tive fice. To do this, start with two joining pieces of veneer Spot-tape them together checking for alignment and euianeke Hes waleractoaiee pe here, wetting it with a dampened sponge ‘Then apply a fulllength piece, as shown in Photo G ‘When making an assembled ice consisting of several picecs, tuft from the mieldle of the assembly: and work outward, Liping up one piece completely before moving to the next. Roll out the tape fora good bond Gluing veneer to a substrate Select a glue from the ‘Veneening Glues at 4 Glance chart on page 9. OWe used a solventchased Contact cement here.) If you tise a contact cement, first thin it by 20 percent with con thinner, then apply two evenly spread coats to each of the mating surfaces with a dispos able brush, With yellow, white, or ureaformaldehyde glues, you may get by with one thin, even coat on one surface, OF, on miore poraus surkaces, you ‘could roll out a thin coat on each mating surfice Then, cither center the Veneer over the substrate material, oF View verst whichever is easier ni care fully press the veneer in placeBoxes with Different Faces 4 With an assembled face where veneer or assembled face ing pressure across the entire Precision centering isa must, (See Photo J.) Remove these veneer surface. Ta do this first mark posit as you carefully press the apply 2-mil plastic. then = flat the mating side of the veneer yeneer dawn piece of particleboard over the as shown in Phota I. Work ‘Once the veneer is in glued veneer using as many from one end, allowing, for place, roll it out, starting clamps and weights as needed even waste all around. If using from the center as shown in The plastic will prevent any contact cement, use dowels or Photo HL Ir you're using a slip sheet (kraft paper. for something othe: th instance) while apply ie squeezeout from bonding to the particleboard 13 the cement, apply uniform clamp: VENEERING GLUES AT A GLANCE APPLICA TIONS GLUE TYPE PROS/CONS ‘Lana open time; stiahtly gummy, dowsn’t sand 95 waite Slose-gained woods tmaple chem ec): | yo ax yolaw ght uaighing or clamping a lea sed lee pena | Teel geeny asa ng por ‘ofan can fs hes atl pressed fo place ‘ Shoat ape time (5-10 mina and earl tek YELLOW WOODWORKER'S | Die einen cots eee fe pales | #25 me than wie gl ta move veneets into GLUE (ALIPHATIC RESIN) | sist small projects caus peretrate pmales | isc uniform clamping requited tor a and paras of figured veneers ‘ Best ube tee poparuack (Roxb) vancors or | Sats on contac elininates presses and clamps: CONTACT. CEMENT smal projects: avai anlage projects with | sight chance of defartmabon a highly figure (SOLVENT-BASED ONLY) Fighlyfigheed woods due te contol pate s| woods sip shect required dung applieaton sie poet le unaven bonen positonarg veneer | Best alaround gh teed through e afta UREA-FORMALDEHYDE RESIN | (standard and pap {partcledoars, 5 0 ree requiredit Making Great Boxes Py ow wt od Burl, crotch, and other figured veneers frequently got wavy due to wood stress. They also have.cracks, checks, and pinholes that need correcting. eet oe Laer eae eee se softening solution (available wherever you buy veneer), Brush it onto both sidos and lot it stand a few minutes. Next, press out the veneer in 8 sandwich of fiat boards and kraft paper, placing a weight on the stack oe auc a necessary Remember, the results are temporary—you'l only have a 48- hour working window before waviness returns, You'll have to correct cracks betare application, too. You can do this by first applying a piece of masking tape to the weneer’s good side Cee ee ae ce ees ‘matched sawdust, and gently work It into tha crack from the back side, EE a ee Trimaming and cleaning up Holding a metal straightedge along your workpicee and using a crafts knife, trim the excess prior to adding a neigh: boring piece. «Sec Photo K.) Score and cut as deseribed ear lier. Black-sand the remaining Fine edge flush Ta remove veneer tape mblies, allow the glue 0 set overnight, Then, moisten 1-2" of the tape ut a time to activate the adhesive, Next carefully lift up the moistened: 7 ass tape with a thin, rounded eralts knife or putty knife blade. (See Photo L) Try to void mak Bucket of send ft neghled canBoxes with Dilferent Faces Finally, with the tape veneered projects, Oil-based avoid using lacquer on veneer removed and the edges block- clear finishes, such as bonded with contact sanded flush ancl slightly polyurethane, work best on cement—it reacts with this cased, finishsand the veneered — veneered projecis, However, glue, causing i€ 10 loosen, surfaces using a sanding, block r finish sander, as shown in Photo M. Re careful not to (ui) sand through, Maye from 180. through 240grit On assembled faces, start sanding the outside exiges, moving steadily toward the center. Be aware that inlay typ ically: stands proud of aeljain ing veneer surfaces, so you'll need t© sind it flush. Remove ny sanding duist with a elean cloth of vacuum, and you're ready for finishing How to finish Because glues take time to fully cure, wait at least 72 hours before finishing, zBMaking Great Boxes Pie AND INLAYS One of the mos! enjoyable parts of working with veneer or prefabricated inlays is bury- ing it! The range of choice If you can't visit a woodworking specialty store, Veneer is traditionally sold by the square foot or by a sheet of 2 particular size. Inlays are usually sok by linear foot or by the piece. Following descriptions of the differs types of vencer. Standard (or raw) veneer Made when a cutter knife slices across the face af a soaked half kag, this so Alat-cut veneer offers pattems that range from taper- ing grain 10 a distinctive cathederal look, (See below) The riw veneers are then dried and stacked in flitehes sequentially sawn pieces of nearidentical grain patterns are placed side by side in a veneering project such as in a cabinet door 0: drawer front.) Vhicknesses of standard vene from !24° to Sheets come in random widths from 3° w 12°, and berweea § ind 10! long, Costs range [ona 3.50 to $2.75 per squ : Figured veneer Like standard veneer. figured vencer is flat-cut and stacked in. Aitches, bout figured y the shoaviest in the veneer line- neeryane up—they consist of only the most fanciful grain patterns. Woodworkers tend to favor these mast because of the wide variety: of possibilities for dec orative projects, from box Lops to drawer fronts, y BUYING VENEERS 8 is incredible, and the combinations are practically limitless. you can always shop by catalog. These vencer slices come from tree parts where extreme ‘grain pallerns are manifested — growths, roors, and places where trunks split imie La branches, Fram these we gct burls, curly, quilted, and crotch swoods. But one thing to remem: hers that figured vencens tend to be unstable, Often, sheets of figured vencer are wavy, com ining. cracks ane pinholes. These imperfections will neces. siete fatiening and some minor repair work before you apply it (See the Shop Tip on page 10.) Though the thickness of fig: ured veneer is the same as that of other flavcut veneer, pieces tend to be smaller, start round 10. © 10°. Prices are higher een for standard veneer, with premium walnut andl elm burls costing more than 54 per Crdsquare foot. To get the best lok and to avoid problems in the vencer, allow for 56 per cent waste whe ordering Quartersawn veneer This veneer type comes trom, logs quirtened lengthwise: through wiieh cuts are made ait aright angle to the annul growth rings. The process yickds vencers with straight, parallel grain lines and high wood! stabik ity, Quartersawn veneers, such soak. create a pleasant, consis tent design and can olten be seen in mission furniture pieces, Sheet sizes ane the same as those of standard veneer, but expect higher prices Dyed veneer Made from fine-grain, Aatcur hardwoods, dyed veneer fea tures solid, rich colors pene- truting through !2"thick sheets. Colors include black. red, orange, green, blue, and yellow. Dimensions range between 6! and 1)", with lengths up to 3. Priced around $2.75 per square foot, weod- workers often rely on dyed black veneers to serve as an ebony Ibokilike, and ether dyed veneers to help create striking aceents and surfaces Other veneers Because of interest among builders, architects, and cabi- netmakers, manufacturers developed other veneer types with special advantages. The: in general, reduce application Hime and labor costs while cov ering larger areas anc! solving such tricky tasks as vencering, curved! surfaces. One such type is puper- bach or flexible veneer, The easieat special type to work with, this veneer costs about two (o-tliree times more than standard veneer. Sold in 18" to 48 widle rolls 8 Jong, paperback Veneer consists of & Soa" layer of smooth, factory: sanded veneer (such as wale nut) applied to a 5- or 1Oavat paper backing. It can be cut With scissers, though sanding through the thin veneer can present a problem. Far this reawon, paperback serves bet ter as attractive covering for jobs such as large tables and cabinet sides, Another variety of exible vencer, peebaaudstick or _pressuivesensitive venver, Was an adhesive bucking that sticks to a substrate’s surface when pressed or ironed in place, This veneer requires a very clean, surface during application otherwise, failure may result Rotarrcur venver takes shape when logs spin on large lathe while a sharp bork zontal knife peels off lang, thin layers of wood. The kavers sare CUL and died, and later go inte the making of plrwoods The final look features repett tive cathedral patterns Decorative inlays Inlays come in two types, inlay bandings and inlay faces. The former begins as solid wood Bores with Different Faces WW Decorative inlay taces, ations made up of iF MOTE Contrasting woods, Strips are cut from the laminations and thea sanded to lax’ thick, The resulting multicolored stmps, mexsuring between Hs" and 1 lev two you spice up projects with attractive accents and borders. Strips are sold 3 lengths and are priced by the running foot, The wider and more Complex they are, the higher the price usually is Inky Faces, by contrast consist of marquetry pieces, pictures, or designs made from various veneers. With these: you may find images of shells, flowers, sunbursts, and so on Applied as an inkiy or overlay glued onto 4 wood surface) inlay faces are available for Prices ringing from $3 to $50. each. More elaborute faces look great on box tops.i Making Great Boxes CREATE A MARQUETRY MIRAGE are optical illusions arising from the refraction if light passing through wesive desert beat and on cold Mirage different air iayers. Sure, y w but om a box? H see them in bot ter seas... Nate: the full-size patterns for the project shown bere cai be found om pages 175-177, ugh the he walks you building af one such box, Be sure ta heed his tips Yes, says New Yorker John Russell, He's been creating decades. $a, follow alon along the wayFINISHED Size Pan TW _L Mati oy, ie ae a Bende a uae Cire, ie we Material Key: N-oahegany ‘Supplies: jus, sca sind, lish Start by building a hollow cube Froma% x 514% 36° piece of stock, resaw and plane a blank to 44" thick for the sides (A) and ends (B). Plane a 22“long piece of the remaining stock to.1s" thick for the liners (CG), and set it aside, Cut the sides (A) to the dimensions fisted in the Materials List, With simgle blade from your dado set in your tablesaw, cut gnacves with the grain in the edges of the sides (A), as shown in the ‘Comer Detail of the Box Assembly Miter-cut the = | diamonds x. Vex Ve x6? Build the jig shown in the ee Miter Jig drawing at right. vee ier cena Angle your miter gauge 45° from center, Position the jig against the titer gauge so the adjustable stop is 4" away trom the blade as shown in the draw- ing, Drill pilot holes and screw the jig to the miter gauge titer gauge Adjustable sos ee plat nate ie oven MITER JIG TG TOP VIEW Cut a piece of walnut to Sek x 1B" two pieces of maple to % totes x 20" Make ais stfip, These strips will be used! 4 18", and four picocs of oak miter-cut at one end of each for the diumoneds (C, D, E). @ 5 sas Raise the blade on your EXPLODED VIEW oOo tablesaw ‘/" abave the if é surface of the jig base seep rare top exe shown in Photo A, place the mitered end of ‘one of the strips against the stop, and miter-cut a test diamond. Position the wood diamond on the Full-Size Diamond Pattern ¢(petge 25) " groove i Goo frome bottom edge BASE Using the miter ut the diamond pieces to size from the hardwced sims“ Making Great Boxes A KEEPSAKE BOX Ifyou ueed a great example of a handsome box that you can create with veneer you're found it Use quartersawn oak venee for tbe sides and top banding that surrounds a veneer of madrone burl banded by inlay. Or, choose other species for a different spectat effect. Start with the Rout Ss! rabhets 4" Glue and clamp on the basic box deep in the front ars box top and boom ©), back as shown in the Remowe ay squeeze-out Cut the box front and jay Assembly dlrawing back (A), sides (B), and Finistesand the box with the dimensions in the Materials fick ao kes paneer peennesnien oe oe List. (Maple was used checking for square veneers and inlay, Maintain this projet. rs all aroundBowes with Different Faces 27 Ti halen Tar oe ae pore we FE FULL-SIZE 1 Trochadses HANOLE Part sarees 22 a0K Reni ae keer A weawe | w | Be i 5 suey w | ae he cove routed along ibe sudbonom fob | e - ©. tam. top: e Ay ie fw De aA 7 © Be a erence [= Se 7B F wane | = [ae ‘Paint cove black sear ee Ha . | th jet i“ 1¢ Vie" lone ‘1H 9p bom, ih peas Bt, [ow a 9620 FH wood sew = gt t > doa ——ine ry bo hing ae et ¢ als brass eomry bo hinge eee pet : ue iey: sth! iw | ae | oe lovle one vi re w “Cut parts marked wity* oversize, Trim 30 finished ea ee oe ree ae EXPLODED ‘Materials Key: Mt-saple, OV-auariirsaim oak viEW ‘veneer Emagine but veneer -rigy soaer een ” ‘Supplies: ‘<' dows! See er aie Nate: Allow it i ‘waste all around ‘or White ok venase on sides and ends TOP VIEWS Making Great Boxes Jazz up your box with veneers and inlays Feel free to select any combination of veneers fan inlay thutt you like. or go with our choices, spelled out in the Materials List (Cur the veneer sides (D), and front and back CE), leaving 4" extrt all around (refer to the cutting instructions sturting on page 3 for these and! all subse above the table. Adjust the fence 1” from the bit and rout the hinge mortises as shawn in Photo ( needled to complete the mor tises, Testfit the hinges and I the pilot holes for Adjust the fence as the screws. Carefully finsh-sind the box and wipe it clean with a cloth Wait 2 hours after gluing width Fut tne mortises for the 11-4" je the hinges in the op Bones with Different Faces > before applying a finish. We brushed on three coats of olyurethane, sanding berween coats with gray ultrt fine pads, Then we masked around the coves and painted these arcas with black enamel. Finally, with extradine pads, we smoothed the surfaces with paste wax.) Once the finish dries, screw the hinges into place 5 Exploded View drawing, Drill "dowel hates in the handle nd box fid as shown. Cut two. 12, glue chem inte the hanelle, then glue the anette tothe lid. Seroll saw and sand the lid handle to shape using the pattern in the box hinges, Test 98 to check the deptBandsaw Boxes B andiawn boxes may seem complex, but they're actually quite simple atl you need to get started are a sturdy bandsaw and a few good ideas, But before you get ahead of yourself, start with the four simple box pragects presented on the following pages.Peper Deter & Peace Peer Pee ee 9 eon thick wood. You'll alway: Te ee een as Poa ec eee aoa cS Se eae jides will keep the blade Damen aa ead m bawing sideways. a er tera Seren nen instructions on the fellow- a a ee Se see Bee ad eam oi angle to the table. (For See tight cuts, fou'll also Greet ees a similap &" blade.) | Wert erteens Stakt by cutting both some Se softwoods and hardwoods ns, you'll move on to fear Pete a etiam et eens Sees ee eed eerieBandsaw Boxes 33 FOUR BASIC BOXES Following the step-by-step illustrations here, you'll be able to make all of these boxe: You wont find any dimensions, ibough, because you can make them as large or small as you like, depending on your needs and the stock available. Burled wood laoks great for these, or you can give them a more moddera look by laminating a block from a combination of different species—say, a wainut stripe glued between blocks of maple. When using plaingrained file or whetstone against the igniting a fire. If you plan to wood, be sure to make your hack comers.as the saw cuns, also use a 6" blade, round its entry cuts with dhe grain This helps keeps the blade back, too. ‘These CUS are easier to cor negotiable through tight ceal when you glue and tums, Hold the file or stone Note: a full-sized pattern for lamp them later on firmly on the table, and lightly the beart-sbuped bax can be fore! on page 40, Remember, use sharp touch it t6 the blade. Afecays bandsaw blades, ancl round remove dust from your hand: off their hacks by touching a saw fo prevent sparks from Saw out-center, and gue ——‘oalban sentom inn original “Snape ang sand smooth nity oul closed fnantation, and glue itback on, the autaide af bax 2 Basic Box With Sliding Lid . STEP STEP 2 step 3 Saw off bottom, then sav oft — Saweut center and Position bottom in ts original With ape in place, Tif suits mtgstocking cuts blue entry cut ciosed, Conemiton, and glue t back on, Smeatn outside et box.| Making Great Boxes 3 Basic Box With Lift-Out Tray STEPS Glue certor ‘Semmes in Step 210 btn Bottoms, ay STEP 2 Eton cutcentes at taste" bo used ‘a tay bot, STEP 1 Saw ofl bottom box. Tul center, ‘ard le ery eat ebosad, ‘Glue bottom ‘Bax beck on et blades STEP 6 = ray Give section STEPS ‘STEPS ‘Saw out two sections ‘Saw out center sacton perenne ty fg oresta tay support Glue enyctss closed Glue ery cut closed. ‘STEP 2 Cat lock pa fram box, xn sel se STEP y Apply panome. and sew of benom, Set i Bathorn ooiae we otace | entareun a sa here: sTEPs ut intesor trom bo, Sand crnoath aadtape Wpcsiion OTN, eesred, Cin outside of box fashana ‘wacteBandsaw Boxes 3 MAKING MORE BANDSAW BOXES Youve got ta hand it to Patrasso—with bis bandsaw, be caw create three boxes from a single block of burl in no time flat. This section will explain his tips and t it, too— but remember, practi slorado boxmaker ferry miques so that you can do e makes per. Jerry Seems to have the art of the block for “sike Stack” to be bandsawing great boxes down used! hater. Smooth the just Loam exact science. After all, Stwn face of the block. (4 sta he estimates that over the tionary disc sinder with B-grt yeurs he’s made about 10.000 paper will swork well) Recheck of them! And as you'll see that the block és square making three boxes with hinged lids isn’t as hard as On a 4 © 54 piece of you might imagine, especially stiff paper (like card when you do it his way. (Each stock), mark three eon- of the boxes fits together a centric templates a8 shown in shown in the Exploded View the Box Blank Template draw~ drawing on page 36.) ing on page 38 You will use the templates later to mark Jerry starts with a block the bandsaw cuts onto one ] of wood that s about end of the block 334» 314 = 6°, The block should be square and flat in all Note that Jerry allows three dimensions. First, he bandsaws two '4' thick pieces offone of the 5! 6" sides of for a bandsaw kerf and sand between each template ‘An aml or another sharp object will serve as apivol powntformarking the ofthe block Also, rhe If dlearance on the template. hinge clearance lidlip and Jery Patrasso with a boxelder bur! that he discovered in-a public park land saved from a certain fate as fire wood, ing. Cut the three templates te shape with a pair of scissors, but do nof cut along the lid lip cuts or the cuts below the hinge pins. Mark the locations f the lid lips, lid clearance, ind hinge pins on the card stock templates Using the templates, you can determine how much Hold the black firmly on the table hans hand and ‘guide theMaking Great Boxes FRONT VIEW FULL-SIZE PATTERN SIDE VIEWA Bevy of Bandsaw Boxes 5 o you think you're ready to test your bandsaw skills? The sev on the following pages were developed tc saw a workout. They are sure to br ew pi give you and you bours of enjoymen! be creating some pretty neat and rnusnal gifts yo t—pliss, yo =1 Making Great Boxes AWHALE OF A CONTAINER The bow shown here is so simple to make that with the right bandsaw, Shamu Dimself could build it. 1 was made fron: 1¥."tbick waluut stock using a vs" bandsaw blade. (You also use a scrolisaw—just note the blace-start bole location on the pattern.) Feel free to use any type of wood you like, but be cuts in the order described here. ‘an sure to make th Referring to the full-sized Side View pactem shown eppasise draw the red outside Cutting line, designated no, 1, 9 one face ofa Iss = 15; 6" piece of stock. Saw around the line Sand the cuges as necessary Stand the werkpiece on its hottom—the fattest edge—and mark a cutting line along the curved upper surface 0" from the back shown by the green fine (no. 2) in the Top View drawing, Saw along the line to cut off the thitt back piece. Set the back aside for later use Now: draw the removable keys—the yellow lines shown as no, §.an the Side View par tern. Saw the keys (the mouth and the tail), Set the keys aside and tum the workpiece onto the flat bottom again Draw the purple cutting line for the lid (no, 4) onta the cuirved surface, facing up. Saw along that line, them slide the lid piece off and set it aside With the lid off, draw the blue interior curing line (no. 5)as shown, Next, carefully saw through the baek atan angle to access and cut Gut the center section of the body After removing the center sec tion, glue and champ together the access kerf in the back On the cutout part, draw a ling about sis" below the keyed edge and parallel to it shown by line no. 6 an the Inner Lid ancl Supports deaw ing, Cut off the inner lid, the saw the ends from the rem: pwn by the line(s) labeled no, 7 n ing piece where st To assemble the box, first glue the thin back piece to the body with woodworker's glue, Align the front end and edges, and clamp, Remove any squeezc-out in the key slots or the interior Glue the inner lid supports into position at the front and back of the interior cavity You can use woodworker's luc or cyanoacrylate adhe- sive for these parts After the glue dries, sand as necessary. Set the inner lie into place, slide the lid onto the body, and drop the keys into position, Sand the out side of the box. Remove the keys and lids, and then apply lear oil finish to all paris taking care not to fet it burke tup s0 thick that the parts won't fit together. When dry, reassemble the box,A Bevy of Bandsaw Boxes 8 INNER LID AND. SUPPORTS: nner ies Inner lid supports Inne Cut inner tid upports iso . EXPLODED VIEW Teil Far inner 7 BB Ji support — Front inne a sup FULL-SIZED PATTERNS TOP VIEW (CURVED SIDE UP) Tailii Making Great Boxes A BOX WITH A BEAK It’s @ bird! It’s a bandsawn box! I's a woodworker's whimsy! Whatever you want 10 call Russell Greenstade's fanciful creation, you'll surely find it a lot of fun to build... and to bave around the bouse. Picco eat ‘on pages (78-480. Using rub ‘Transfer the centers far ieee rhe fine ber cement o¢ a. spray adhesive. the leg holes fram the Pe achere the top-yiew pattem to top-view pattern to the eae bottom of the blank. Deill the eye, hinge, and leg hales in the body. the top edge of a fied x 1 blank, (Phis bird's bey was cue from ocebale.) Bandsaw the out. ine of the par teen, Reatiach the cuboff sides to the blank ': swith double-faced tape. as arid they sauivait eds teas Gals shown in Photo:A Slice the the blank te provide flat surfaces for Cuboff picces back ta make a pattem allachment and sawing, Mat surface as shown Fasten the sideview pat tem to the bkink. Align the end of the til on the side pattern with the tail endef the blank The pate The: side-wiew patter wil should hang over ihe sides of ASI he taped-or side. Cut smooth the blank at the tip of the ‘curves Out to the ip of the beak beak, as shown in Photo B. To Sam ashamp comer, ct & trom bath directions. Carefully ach cul al the pattern fineBandsaw the outsicle B sarc oi shown in Photo C. A ve" bandsaw blade was uscd for both the inside and out- side cuts in the project shawn. Saw slightly outside the pattern line, then sand to the line. (We sanded to the pattern line with a 1" beneh- top strip sander.) on the pattern. band- 6 saw the inside of the box as shown in Photo D. Free the lid with a final cut in from the back of the body, as shown in Photo E. 7 box and the lid. A spindle sander will de ‘most of the job, but you'll need to hancesand the cor ners with a sandpaper: wrapped dowel. Peel off all ‘of the patterns, Following the arrows Sand the inside of the Ari bandsaw blatte-wi corners in the oo help you sam ABevy of Bandsaw Boxes 45 HANOLE wing. . 861" hoie er, i ao x Ve" ante peg 8" brass rod Plog ge hole sat deen on inside face ile ‘deep, centered ve dowel 8° ang Leas whole 4" deep FEET eke the final gut io free the lid as a smooth ofthe curve tna — the sharp ineid onmeg dow the top of tA Bevy of Bandsaw Boxes F SWEETHEART J You're sure to win your loved one's affection rotate open to display fine earrings, ri makiug an eye-pleasing dresser-top showptece. Get started Cut and sand the Reetscien acs From ti«"-thick cher pieces to shape Finished Size vith this unique gift. The lid and trays d necklaces, and they swivel closed, for the base (A), two a4" blade. Then, follow — pieces to $12" square for the ing the centerline tes hick bird'seye maple to, grain, bandsaw the base and Drees |e | Su square for the lid (C). sin half, nly pas overszee. Then tm eat te . : Iingh ie aeatng Wo me rote retooee 2 lark centerlines on the MEDR var ocr ciecete bottom surface of the male, P-Py wend four blanks as shown in SNE the Parts View drawing. Then Gn cos ee arnal ord owe using a combination fins, cork square, mark 45° refer- 4 ence lines on the bot tom surface of the two trays and lid blanks, Using a compass, mark a 34)"tadius and 2°-radius cir ele on the base blank. See the Parts View for reference. Mark 2-raclius and 2¥¢"radius circles on. the tray bkinks (B). Mark radius circle on the He lid lank (). Mark the center: points, and drill the pivot holes as shown, in the Parts View drawing. For the base pivot hole, first drill a $6" hole bs" deep on the bottom side, ill a 6 hole centered inside the +" holeis ng Great Boxes Tandsaw the inner More machining, the outside cages of the murked circle on the erate Aataile pieces Mush, Switeh to a palm tray and base pieces 1 : sander, and remove sanding ‘cut the interiors to shape Cut the pivot dowel 10° marks left by the dise sander 3116! Jong. Dryafit (no Reeat ome onthe glue) one end of the Use a splash of laequier Kerfed areas, and glue dowel into the hele on che thinner or acetone to the tray and hase halves weaken the double ack together, making sure the rest af the dewel until the faced tape joints. New, sepa the top and bottom edges ane ‘fav's rotate easily ann it rte the parts, and remove the flush tape and sticky residue. nd the edges of Tos ‘Cutting just outside 2 the trays and lid flush, Cut a Veblock router: Se pa eonereniaiked use doublefaced (car table fence like that -cirele, bandsaw the ped) tape to adhere the trays shown in Photo A. The hase, two trays, and lid to ‘andl lid—one on top of the fence will provide support shape. Later, sand the outside other—with the outside edges when you're routing the base exlge of the base to the fush and the pivot pin inserted and lid coves and help keep marked circumference lines through the pivot pin holes in your fingers safely away from fo finish the Shapiie the trays and into the deep the spinning router bit, Rout a hole im the lid "cave along the top outside Using your largest diam: edge of the tid (C), Then. eter drum sander, sand 3 with the assembly switch bits and rout a 12" cove the inside of the hase upside down and rest along the top outside edge of ing on the lid, dise sind’ the and trays, sanding to the inner marked circle To make the bottom (D) for the base: (A), position the base on a piece of "thick stock (we used! plywood), Marking alo the inside of the base wall thinsfer the shape to the 4 stock. Cut and sand the base bottom (D) until it fits saugly inside the hase and the bot tom edges are Mush, Glue the hottom in place. Repeat the process for the (wo trays, irk the stopdowel centerpoints an the bottom side of the trays ancl lic, Drill the holes, (A), To minimize ‘6 rout the bass and lil paves, fil your router with a W-blogk lence to halp keen fingers salely away from the rotating router bit