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Playing with Boxes

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BrokenolMarine
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Playing with Boxes

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sun Jan 28, 2018 11:36 am

Finally decided to start on a box or two, and after getting started, discovered it would be two.
I started out using the finger jointed sides I rejected for the daughter's Christmas present to start the first box. I glued them up and set them aside. The blue tape keeps the glue squeeze out from the inside corners, minimizing interior cleanup.
01 mahogany sides.jpg
01 mahogany sides.jpg (307.07 KiB) Viewed 4140 times
Next morning, I played with ideas for the top, including mahogany with Curly Cherry Inserts, and various other cool inlays, and stumbled across a scrap of spaulted maple that I liked. Wasn't wide enough and it's odd shape interested me... so I thought it needed a filler. I cut off a piece of the thick walnut I had on the side work table and figured it would work.
02 might work.jpg
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03 side view.jpg
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To make the top square, I could cut it at angles and still use the live edges on the maple. I had cut the maple down the middle to split it, and run it across the jointer, after running the walnut down the jointer, I cut the angles, and jointed both edges.
04 squared up.jpg
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To make sure the joints would be strong and tight.... I pulled out the biscuit jointer I last used making a bench top for the new bench in the brand spanking new shop...last May.
05 biscuits.jpg
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Since the walnut was much thicker than the maple, I marked the difference and before glue up, blended the edge to that point. More blending after glue up.
The plane worked very well for this task.
06 blending.jpg
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Glue up was smooth, just take your time and align it all. Biscuits make it easy.
07 joining.jpg
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08 don't spare the sticky.jpg
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Glue up done, clamped and weighted should make it stay flat... will let it sit overnight and then start shaping.
One decision is already made.

I won't use this top on the mahogany box. That will get another top. I'll make a Walnut box for this top. I don't want too many contrasting woods to detract from the accent of the spaulted maple. So... there will be two boxes in progress.

Watch this space for developments.
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09 glued up.jpg
09 glued up.jpg (325.31 KiB) Viewed 4140 times
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
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Henry88
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by Henry88 » Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:39 pm

Well done BoM,
It must be a joy to work in such a nice shop.
Please keep them coming..............
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by BrokenolMarine » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:21 am

Thanks H88,

Yes, after decades in the small cramped shops, I finally relented and built a bigger one. It is a joy, and I try to spend as much time as possible in it. :D The good thing is, on almost every occassion, when Miss T has asked, "Honey can you?...." :roll:

I have been able to provide. :lol:
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

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BrokenolMarine
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Morning's Work

Post by BrokenolMarine » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:52 pm

I took the top out of the clamps, and after sitting and waiting for it to speak... "Speak Spot, Speak!" :( I wasn't getting anything. It wasn't talking and I needed to torture it a bit. :twisted: I rolled out the power planer and ran 'er thru until the walnut was even with the maple. I didn't like the transitions I had created so carefully with the hand plane. :roll:

Sometimes, you adapt and overcome.
01 out of the clamps.jpg
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Once I got that accomplished, the top started talking. :P That 10,000 rpms giving it a haircut must have gotten it's attention.
So, we came to an agreement and I pulled out the spoke shave for the smoothing of the natural edges on the spaulted maple pieces. I enjoyed this part, more spokeshave practice. Edge one:
02 roll edge 1.jpg
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Edge two:
03 roll edge 2.jpg
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After that was done, I ran the top across the table saw to square up the ends and get rid of the rough gunk hiding there. Just a little around the ears? ;)
04 trimmed the ends.jpg
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Now, I turned my attention to prepping some walnut for the box... to go with the top. I decided to use the same walnut board I used for the top insert, but the problem was... it was too fat.
05 too fat.jpg
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Book match solution... but rather than the band saw, I decided to use the table saw. First, I needed to get rid of the natural (live) edge. Ripped that off. Once that was done I ripped off just a blade width to insure the bottom edge was also square. Then, book matching is easy if you are patient. I made ONE inch deep passes, on both sides of the vertical board, and then increased by about an inch with each additional pass. This keeps you from bogging the blade, burning the wood, OR ... binding the cut and causing the table saw to turn the wood you are book matching into a big heavy arrow and shooting it into whatever is located behind the table saw. A tool box, the wall, or ... :roll: ... You.

A dozen one inch passes later, the book match was done.
06 tablesaw bookmatch.jpg
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The main dust collector had done a good job but the shop still had fine walnut dust in the air and I was out of there until the ceiling mounted unit cleared the air. Next up, box building in walnut, AND building a top for the mahogany box already on the bench. I'll figure out something for that. (No, seriously, I will. Wasn't that where you guys came in? :? )
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
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dave77
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by dave77 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:23 pm

That spaulted maple sure is pretty, looking forward to seeing it with whatever finish you put on it.
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by BrokenolMarine » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:00 pm

Out in the shop for a while this morning, working on the walnut box for the walnut and spaulted maple top. I will of course, glue up and fit the pieces a bit better, but here is a test fit. ;)

I ran the four pieces in gang across the jointer to smooth the bottom and tops, first, but they ought to fit nicely.
01 Smoooth.jpg
01 Smoooth.jpg (253.23 KiB) Viewed 4088 times
A view from the front side.
02 test fit.jpg
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A view from the back.
03 back side.jpg
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Once I glue the sides and top together, there will be some final fitting of the top to blend, and I'll cut the top loose.. you'll see. 8-)
Last edited by BrokenolMarine on Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

Henry88
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by Henry88 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:46 pm

Priceless...............
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:03 am

Out this morning and back at it. Have a new "toy" to try out, so after gluing up the walnut box to go with the walnut/spaulted maple top, I thought I would give 'er a go. I asked a blacksmith friend of mine about obtaining a piece of heavy metal to make the plate, and he said he would make me a nice heavy dowel forming plate as long as it was no rush. He worked on it between the horses, making goat milking stands, and all the other work he had to do. He stopped by on Monday evening and dropped it off and ... boom. Loved it.
01 dowel forming plate.jpg
01 dowel forming plate.jpg (251.07 KiB) Viewed 4073 times
The forming plate? Basically, you take a piece of wood scrap, cut it to the size dowel you want, say you need "3/8", and drive it thru the appropriate sized hole. The sharp edge of the drilled hole cuts off the square edges and It comes out ... a dowel. :D The key is to round off the tip of the starting blank to make it start easier, and not hammer too hard. ;)
02 quick test.jpg
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another key is to get your wood square, and I just knocked out three test pieces and they weren't exactly 3/8's, but we see that it works. Think we could run into lowes and buy spaulted maple dowels? (Or Lacewood, Ebony, Black Cherry?)

I'll knock out some smaller short dowels to cut plugs from for accents on the box.
03 accents.jpg
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The plate already has a new home on the tool wall.
04 new home.jpg
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Oh, yeah... the glue up?
Here tis....
05 clamped up.jpg
05 clamped up.jpg (290.97 KiB) Viewed 4073 times
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

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BrokenolMarine
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:04 am

Once the box is set, I'll glue on the top, let that set, and then start shaping the combo so I can then cut the top loose again and continue the box.
It will make sense in the end. Just another box building technique.
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: Playing with Boxes

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:52 am

Got some work done after lunch yesterday.
Since the dowels I made were too thick to put into the sides, they needed to be smaller. I drilled an additional hole between the 3/8 ths and the 5/16 ths and then drove the dowels thru the intermediate hole and then the 5/16 ths. This reduced the size and gave me nice smooth sides and I should have enough plugs to put three on each side. One in the edge of the top when it's separated, and two on each side, although I might go with three for each corner of the sides. If need be, I can make another dowel. :)

Round the tip...
01 round the tip.jpg
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Drive it thru...
02 drive it.jpg
02 drive it.jpg (260.79 KiB) Viewed 4063 times
You end up with nice dowels for pins.
03 plugs.jpg
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After removing the box from the clamps, I test fitted the top, then applied the glue and clamped 'er up.
04 glue up.jpg
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05 glue up 2.jpg
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I came out last night to set the shop for low teen temps.... Turning Off the main heat and turning ON the backup.
I took off the clamps and checked the box.... it's was ready to be worked today....
I intentionally left a little overhang so it could be cut back to a perfect fit. The LAST thing I wanted was to try and make it a perfect fit up front and come up short. :roll: It's very hard to make the sides of the box smaller after it's all glued up. :twisted:
06 ready to shape.jpg
06 ready to shape.jpg (297.33 KiB) Viewed 4063 times
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

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