Pictured: A 12×5 x 5 inch tea box for 40 bags, or a card box for 8 decks, or a plain box with this unit removed. This box can be all the above. Hence the title about embracing diversity.

A foil wrapped teabag and a standard deck of cards have the same height and width dimensions. So, I thought I would design a box to sell that could be diverse and do both jobs. It should sell to two different markets…tea drinkers or card players. The Venetian blind dividers lift out as a unit for cleaning, or if you just want a plain box.

Woods: The top of the box is American Walnut with a Honduran Mahogany strip sandwiched between two strips of Hard Maple. (Another time I’ll go through this process, but the hints are to start with a thick board and resaw it after the glue dries.)

The corner splines are sucupira, and the sides are quarter-sawn White Oak.

Focus: The 8 Venetian blind dividers are held in place by an insert that looks like this (above). In this post I would like to look at a jig designed to make this insert.

Here you can see the basics of the jig. It is made like a standard jig for box joints. You cut the first slot, put that cut slot over the extended (piece of blind) peg in the jig, and then cut the next slot. Notice the jig rides on two rails, but also rubs along the fence to take virtually all of the play out of the movement. There is also a stop fastened to the fence so you don’t cut too far forward and endanger your hand or cut the jig in two. For safety the blade is buried in the 2×4 piece with a cap on it so you are not in any danger of cutting your hand as the blade travels through the jig’s fence. The protruding placement peg is on a separate piece (walnut) of wood to help adjust it easily…then it is screwed to the jig fence when the projecting peg is in the right position.

This view shows that I have written the directions for using the jig and the dimensions for the box build on the jig itself. That way if I build more of these next year I’ll know just what to do.

Since my blade is 1/8 inch thick and Venetian blinds are 1/8 inches thick, I get a nice tight fit for the dividers in the insert.

The finished product looks like this.

Thanks: As always thanks for looking, and a special thanks to all who take the extra time to make comments or ask questions. I do respond to all your comments and question made within 24 hours of posting so check back for answers and responses. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured is a (7 1/2×5 1/2×6 inch) jewelry keeper with a book-matched Black Olive veneered top and American Walnut sides and tray. The corner splines are White Oak. It features a lift-out tray, steel continuous hinge, and small dividers made from Venetian blind slats. The bottom has a cloth liner. Finish: one coat tung oil, 3 coats wipe on poly, 1 coat paste wax.

The lift is made with an angled spindle sander that is located at three points.

I have been using this three point lift on my boxes this year.

A friend has been commissioning boxes as gifts for her many grandchildren as college graduation gifts. Taylor is the latest to graduate with a degree in linguistics. After looking through many different woods and combinations of woods in the shop, my friend picked these woods as “just right” for Taylor. It is nice sometimes to craft a box with a particular person in mind.

If you look closely at the crazy grain in the olive veneer, you can see some wild figure…even in a format this small.

All comment, suggestions, and questions are appreciated. Please check back. I try to respond to all your comments in batches. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured: is an African Mahogany and American Walnut jewelry box (10 1/4” diameter lid, 7” sides, 8 1/2 inch high when closed) with a figured Movingui accent on the inside lid. It features a divided storage area in the bottom and a lift out ring and small item container. Finished with one coat tung oil, 3 coats poly, 1 coat wax. This box has found a home in a dear friend’s home.

Construction: The corner legs are set at a 45 degree angle and are attached with a vertical spline that runs in a slot the full length of the leg.

I have found that first gluing the vertical splines into both sides of all four legs, makes the assembly much easier.

Hint: If the slots in the sides of the box are just a little bit larger than the spline it will give you some “flex” and makes the assembly go much better. If the outside of your corner legs are even with the edges of the box you can insert the bottom and then tape the sides in place and band clamp the box together for nice tight joints at the corners. I notched the inside of the legs to accept the box bottom and also cut each corner of the bottom board at 45 degrees to fit into the legs. To make sure the top can fold back completely, and miss the legs as it does, I used a wide hinge and glued a small support block under the part of the hinge that overhangs the back of the box.

This is the lift-out tray.

Focus: Making the top. I used an expanding chuck in a center-drilled hole to turn the inside of the lid. A grip hole was then turned on the inside side. Then I flipped the lid around, inserted it onto the lathe using the expanding chuck and turned the top removing all traces of the first chuck hole. Obviously you start with a board about 2 inches thick and 11 inches square for this process. The Movingui sun in the inside top fills in the chuck hole on the inside with a close-fitting raised section on the back of the Movingui and this is glued in place. The Movingui sun makes for a nice surprise when you flip the lid.

Thanks: As always, thanks for looking and a special thanks to those of you who take the extra time to add a comment or suggestion. I will respond to all comments in batches during the next day or so. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured is a jewelry box (12 x 7 x 6) with nesting trays. The sides are sloped with a slightly curved sweep at the bottom. The outer box is made with American Walnut sides and Movingui top and corner splines.

There are two striped inner trays. The top one is made of African Mahogany. The bottom one is made of American walnut. Both have a continuous inlayed stripe of 1/8 inch maple-walnut-maple running around the whole tray. I purposely cut into the top of the inlay on one corner because I liked the effect that you see on the forward corner.

There is a continuous hinge, inset in the back, and cut to fit. It is finished with 3 coats of poly and one coat of wax.

As you can see the stripe runs around all four corners and meets up perfectly.

Personal Note: This is an early box that I made in 2008. I borrowed it back to photograph from my first and most loyal customer. This early sale started me on a path of making boxes to sell. Such small things can make a big difference. As you can see I was experimenting with many different ideas here. It was fun to see this box again…like unexpectedly meeting an old friend that you really like, but hadn’t seen in a while.

Focus: This stripe was made by starting with a board an inch and a quarter thick and two feet long. You cannot do this with a board much thinner as they will buckle as you apply clamping pressure later in the process. I laid the board flat on the band saw and cut an undulating curve down the full length staying about an inch away from the two edges with the bandsaw cut. The board is then separated and I inserted a strip of 1/8 inch maple, then 1/8 inch walnut, then 1/8 inch thick maple between the two halves of the board. Turn one half of the board up on edge and coat the bandsaw cut with a spread layer of carpenter’s glue. Quickly coat the first piece of 1/8 maple with well spread glue, then one side of the walnut now coat the bandsawn edge of the board. You only need to coat one side of the 1/8 inch inserts with glue.

For good results make your 1/8 inch strips wider than the board and about a foot longer than the board. The curved line will be much longer than a straight line. Start clamping in the middle. I warn you everything will want to slip around with the coat of glue on it. Screw clamps work best for this as you will need quite a bit of pressure. Now work your way to the ends by applying clamps and pressure first on one side then another. Don’t clamp the boards too tight too soon. Give the 1/8 inch strips time to bend, slide, and conform to the cut shape. Finish with a good tightening of all the clamps to compress the strips into the saw cut.

Give the glue a day to dry, plane the board’s two sides flat and parallel. First, trim both ends square, then resaw the board. With the sawn faces up you now have a stripe that matches end to end. Lay out your box or tray from the center point where the two halves meet. Starting from the center point measure out a short side and a long side on the left board, then from the center measure out a long side and a short side on the right side. When you finish and are looking down at the two boards butted up with the bandsawn side up you should have some scrap, a long side, a short side, the butt joint, a long side, a short side, and some scrap.

This is tough to do with words. I’ll do it with pictures as a turotial when my hip heals. Nice to know they are still stocking new parts for old guys.

Thanks: As always, thanks to all of you who looked at this project. A special thanks to all who took the extra time to comment or ask questions. I respond to all comments you make. My responses will be in batches during the next day or so. Please, check back on this posting.

Pictured is a box (10 3/4 x 5 x 5 1/2) designed to hold 8 decks of playing cards. The sides are crafted from an especially light colored piece of Black Cherry from Spencer, Indiana and the top and corner splines are European Willow from Western Asia. (Hence the title “will ow wood”) Willow is a delightful wood. The glowing soft yellow color makes a great contrast with cherry. The corner splines are a low level contrast with the cherry.

This box features removable dividers, a full length mortised hinge, a pencil holder, and room for a score pad to lay on top of the decks. An alternative use is as a small tea box for about 25 foil-sealed tea bags. Of course the dividers can be removed and you can use the box any way you would like. It is finished with one coat of tung oil, two coats of wipe-on poly, and a final coat of wax. Clicking on any of the blue words above will take you to a tutorial on that topic.

Focus: I want to again stress the importance of making boxes that serve a particular purpose. I made four of these with various styles and woods for a recent opening at a local gallery. To my surprise they were some of the first to sell. If you host a bridge club, play games with multiple decks, or want to have several kinds of card game decks stored in one place…this box works great. This style of box sells well or makes a nice gift for a card-playing friend.

Techniques: The dividers pictured in image 5 are made from recycled Venetian blinds. The front and back inserts are cut at the same time after being masking taped together. The pencil holder is a routed cove sitting close to the front side. I found it was much easier to not glue the dividers in at all. I cut the dividers a little short, slid the whole unit: (front and back inserts, and dividers) into the box and then spread the inserts apart. The dividers fit snugly, and it was easy to get the unit to fit tightly inside the box.

Thanks: I appreciate all of you who take time to look and have a special appreciation of all who make comments and ask questions. I make it a point to respond to all comments and questions so check back to see how I replied to what you wrote to me.

Pictured: a jewelry keeper (9 3/4 x 7 1/4 x 5) featuring a sliding tray with asymmetrical dividers and a lower body with a ring holder and further dividers. The top is Maple from a burl formed on the side of a 200-year-old maple tree (hence the title). The sides and tray are Black Cherry, and the corner splines in the tray and the box are Hard Maple. This box has a mortised and custom fitted piano hinge, rubber bumpers for the tray, and a stop chain affixed with bent cup hooks. The finish is one coat Minwax Tung Oil, 3 coats of Minwax wipe-on poly, final coat of Johnson’s Paste Wax. Click on any of the blue words above and it will take you to a tutorial on that topic.

Focus: With this posting I want to again stress the importance of making internal trays, dividers, and ring storage units in jewelry boxes. Purpose-driven boxes that are designed to do a job, sell well, and are appreciated as gifts.

Philosophy: My goal is to craft long-lasting, useful objects that are a joy to touch, a pleasure to see, and a delight to use daily. While most of my boxes are for sales, I craft each one with as much care as I would put into a box for a friend or relative. Even if you are making just one or two boxes for family members I would suggest we all can strive for the same goal.

Thanks I appreciate all of you who took time to look at this posting. I especially appreciate those who take time to make comments or ask questions. Comments and questions make these postings fun for me. I will respond to comments in batches so check back on this posting to see what rejoinders and answers I give to your comments and questions. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured: This jewelry keeper ( 11 1/2 x 9 x 5 ) is made from two trees that grew in Ghana, Africa. The top and corner splines are made of figured Movingui and the sides are figured Etome. This keeper features rounded corners, mortised piano hinges, an attached top, corner splines, a sliding tray, and dividers made of a wooden Venetian blind. It is finished with tung oil and wipe-on poly.

Focus: I would love to know what you think, but here is my view. I think too many of us are neglecting to build the insides of boxes. My goal as a wood crafter is to make long-lasting, useful items that are a joy to touch, a pleasure to see, and a delight to use daily. The best boxes are purpose-driven…that is to say they are meant to do some job, or make some task easier. For that reason I design most boxes from the inside out...size the stuff you want to put into the box and then build the box around that.

Not all, but most of the boxes I see are just boxes. In this economy buyers look at pretty boxes, but buy pretty boxes that will actually do something. Even if you are making a box for a family member or loved one it should be something that is useful and purpose-driven. Give some thought to what the box can do when you build it.

Trays are just boxes with no lids. I want my tray to look every bit as nice as the box itself. Size it so that it slides easily. Mine slide on “rails” that are closely fitted slats on the front and back side of the inside of the box. Generally speaking rails are half the height of the inside (top + bottom) space of the box. This box has a deeper than normal lid to allow larger items to be placed in the top tray.

Tray Sizing Hints: The best trays are 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. Don’t have your tray run the full length of the box. Let it slide and leave room on the side to easily insert your hand and lift the tray out of the box. Customers say this is much easier than reaching for a handle, it uses the space well, and lets them use either hand to lift out the tray. If the tray is not clearly longer than it is wide…make the tray square so you can put it back inside without worrying about how you picked it up. Since I use a stop chain, there is a rubber bumper on the chain side that spaces the tray away from the inside edge so the tray does not hit against or entangle the chain. Without this bumper the tray could get dumped out as you opened the lid.

Thanks: As always I appreciate all of you who take time look at my postings. I especially appreciate those Lumber Jocks who spend the extra time it takes to make suggestions or ask questions. I respond to all comments in batches later in the same day they are posted, so check back for rejoinders and answers.

Pictured: This is Derrick’s gun box (16 x 11 x 5) featuring a top made from a Movingui tree that grew in Ghana, Africa, and sides made from a Black Cherry tree that grew in Southern Indiana. The paired corner splines are made of Black Walnut. Finished with wipe-on poly using this method. Derrick at work. (Below) He used my shop, but made this entirely on his own.

It features a mortised, full-length hinge a cut-out in the gun’s shape; and an attached lid.

Focus: How do you cut out a shape for inside a box? To show the velvet covered cut out I had to run the contrast up and it distorted the color, but you get the idea. Derrick learned that he could cut out the outline of the gun in 1/2 inch thick foam using a utility knife. The outline was oversized by 1/8 inch or so to leave room for the cloth liner. He then attached the 1/2 inch foam to a 1 inch thick piece. He learned that a carbide burr spun by a battery powered drill gave him the control and speed he needed to “carve” Styrofoam. He dug out the space needed to accommodate the cylinder and barrel with the carbide burr. The whole Styrofoam piece was sized to leave a 1/4 inch gap on two sides and then the cloth was formed and glued on the Styrofoam and around the edges starting with the deepest area and working out to the edge again. I used a silmilar technique on this cutting board project. You could use this technique to make a formed space inside a box for tools, jewelry, or your rock collection.

Thanks: As always Derrick and I thank you for looking and a special thanks to all of you who take the extra time to leave questions or comments. I will respond to all of your posted comments in batches below this entry, so check back to see my responses.

P. S. Derrick also wants to extend his thanks for your comments and participation.

Pictured: A jewelry box with a laser cut, interwoven dragon scale top. In the top the lighter wood is Japanese Sen. The darker wood is figured Etome from Ghana. The sides of the box are African Mahogany from central Africa. The corner splines are New England Rock Maple salvaged from very old flooring. The sliding tray sides are made of Macore from western Africa. The bottom of the tray is veneer from a Californian Redwood burl. The dividers in the tray are salvaged wooden Venetian blinds. How is that for a collection of scraps?

Links: These are links to some of my various posting and blog articles on topics relating to building this box and other boxes. These links will answer some of the most frequently asked questions on these topics. Just click on the topic and scroll down through the posting. Finish... Hinges... Band Clamps ...Splines... Gluing

Story: I can’t claim any credit for the laser work on the top. This was done in a local veneer mill and is beautiful, precise work. I am fortunate to have friends who give me such wonderful scrap pieces to work with. Most of these woods were once-upon-a-time crating.

Focus: Recycling exotic wood into boxes is my way of extending the lives of these wonderful trees. I seldom buy wood, preferring to scrounge around for material. Of course, I am really fortunate to have some wonderful wood to scrounge through and friends to help me look. No matter where you live there is probably some source of wood scraps. If I can just find a board 2 to 3 feet long, 4 to 6 inches wide, that will plane out at 5/8 of an inch thick, I can make a box from that board…so can you.

Thanks, to all of you in Lumberland who take the time to look. A special thanks to all who take time to write remarks or ask questions. I will respond on this posting to all your comments over the next couple of days, so check back here to see my rejoinders and answers.

Pictured: A jewelry keeper (12 x 6 x 6) with a book-matched quarter sawn White Oak top and corner splines, and American Walnut sides. The square, sliding tray has White Oak sides and walnut splines. Finish method has one Tung Oil coat, two Polyurethane coats, one wax coat. It features a full length mortised in hinge, a finger lift for the top, a ring holder, and a cloth liner in the bottom.

Story: Ken has been coming to Boxguy’s shop for the past few months to learn more about crafting boxes. He wanted to make this jewelry keeper as a Christmas present for an old friend. Ken did a great job, and we wanted to post this to share with fellow Lumber Jocks.

Focus: With this post I wanted to focus on a method for being a box-making coach. It is a five or six day process. The basic idea is to have the coach make a box, but rather than have the learner just watch…the learner also makes a box. So I would do a step on my box and Ken would do the same step on his box. I run a board through the planer, and he does the same. My board goes through the drum sander, and so does his. You get the idea. Here are the general steps.

First Day: This is a long day…probably 5-6 hours of shop time plus whatever lunch time you need.

1. General, quick tour of the shop.

2. Look at some finished boxes and pick out what woods we like for our projects. Hint: Use different woods in your box and the learner’s box so you don’t get the parts mixed up during the process.

3. Each box starts with an index card with title such as “Ken’s Christmas Keeper.” Draw a quick line diagram of a box and label the outside dimensions written on the diagram.

Translate these dimensions into the length and width of the four sides plus at least one inch extra for squaring and cross cuts. For example, a 12 x 6 x 6 box takes a board 5/8 thick, 37 inches long (12+6+12+6+1 =37) and 6 inches wide. Keep this card as you go through the process. We will use these dimensions again when we cut the board into four sides.

Now select the rough board, and go to work. It takes about 30 steps to get the box to the stage for gluing up the carcass. In general…plane, sand, square, dado, and final sand the inside of the board. Cut board into side lengths, cut 45s, fit bottom, fit top.

4. Tape, glue and strap the box into form.

5. Break for lunch to let the glue dry.

6. Remove the band clamps, cut the splines slots and glue in the splines.

Second Day: Take the box through these steps: Smooth the sides, cut the top, carve the finger lift, add the hinge, fine sand all the sides, apply the first coat of finish…Minwax Tung Oil. This is a 4-5 hour day. Sanding takes time.

Third Day: Make internal parts such as tray, dividers, ring holders. Sand and apply second finish coat…polyurethane. 2-5 hours. (Good day to start thinking about the next box.)

Fourth Day: Sand and apply third finish coat…polyurethane. 1-2 hours. (Good day to start on next box.)

Fifth Day: Add cloth liner, chain, bumpers, wax and photograph project. 2-4 hours. (Move along the next box.)

General Comments: Keep the first project simple so that both the coach and the learner have a real chance to succeed. This process goes much better if you work together just one day a week. You will both look forward to your day to work together. Much less “Box Burn-out” that way. Always, always, always watch your learner’s hands. Stand close enough to move their hands if they are in danger. Keep them working safely. Don’t rush them. Don’t watch the clock and rush the process. Take time to talk. Resist the temptation to take over the process and get it done more quickly. Have fun, laugh together. The important thing is the process, not the time. If you can’t be patient…don’t be a coach.

Thanks: Ken and I appreciate all of you who took time to look at this post. A special thanks to all of you who take the extra time to add a comment or suggestion. I respond to all comments and questions in batches on this same post. So check back the next day to see my responses or answers. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured is a Kleenex box cover (5 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2) with a Striped Mahogany top and corner splines, and Ambrosia Maple sides. For the past few months my buddy Ken has been coming to the shop to learn more about making boxes. He made this Christmas gift, and did such a nice job that I thought I’d help him post his box on this site. Click on here and scroll down for construction details. Click here and scroll down for details about applying the finish to this box.

I can’t make money selling these because they take more time to make than patrons are willing to pay for a Kleenex box, but they are a great way to use up scrap and are a nice skill builder. It takes a board 5 1/2 inches wide, 1/2 inch thick and 23 inches long to make the sides and a piece about 6 inches square to make the top. You could still make one or two of these for Christmas gifts if you hustle. I usually make 5 or 6 of these just for fun and give them away as presents. Again, use this link and scroll down for construction.

Thanks: As always, Ken and I would like to thank you for looking and a special thanks to anyone who leaves a remark, question, or comment. I will post replies to all your comments so check back for my rejoinders and answers. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured: A teabox (10 3/4 x 6 x 4 1/2) that will hold about 60 teabags. The top is Movingui from Ghana and the sides are Black Cherry from a board I have had around the shop for almost 30 years. It features a mortised, full-length hinge, carved finger lift, corner splines, and lift-out dividers made from a wooden Venetian blind.

As you can see my shop is stocked with lots of potential boxes. Storing dried wood on end lets me leaf through it to get at boards. 14 foot high ceilings help.

Finish Steps: For me, one of the most exciting steps in making a box is the instant where I apply the first coat of finish. For the first time you can really see what the box is going to look like. I call it crossing the finish line. The wood shines, and the depth of the grain pops out. It is magical.

Like all finishes, preparation is the key. I don’t think you can rely on the finish to make rough wood smoother. You have to sand it.

It is quicker for me to have several sanders than to change paper. The steel plates and edge boards let the router spin down while I pick up the next grit.

First the boards are planed. Then run through a dual drum sander. Once the board is cut to width, rough length, and has the dado cut for the bottom board of the box…final sand the side of the board that will be the inside of the box. You can’t sand the inside of an assembled box. Start sanding with a random orbital sander using 80 grit to 120 grit to 220 grit to 320 grit to 800 grit. That is the sequence that works for me. The 800 grit is on a pad sander because the pad sander is easier to manipulate. The power strip plugs into a relay that automatically turns on the vac whenever any sander is turned on.

Once the box is made, I sand the outside surface through all the grits above, blow it off with an air hose, and wipe it off with a soft cloth to remove all the dust I can. Finally, I can apply the first coat of finish.

First Coat: Minwax Tung Oil. It is applied with a 1 inch foam brush. Allowed a couple of minutes to soak in and then wiped off with a paper towel. If you let it get too dry, it will grab the towel, just recoat the box lightly and wipe down. Allow at least two days for the oil to dry and harden.

Second Coat: Minwax Wipe-On Poly. Make a quick pass with 800 grit over all the flat surfaces and lightly rub all curved surfaces with 0000 steel wool. Blow off and wipe off dust and apply a coat of wipe-on poly with a new 1 inch foam brush. Dry the brush on a paper towel and very lightly go over the vertical surfaces with a dryer brush to pick up any runs. Let dry for one day.

Third Coat: Sand, rub, dust, coat with Wipe-On Poly for the second time. (I seldom need to do this step a third time, but if the wood is especially porous or rough grained I may.)

Fourth and Final Coat: Johnson’s Paste Wax. I keep a pad of 0000 steel wool inside my can of wax. It won’t dry out and I can simply remove it and put a coat of wax on the box. Rub fairly firmly, but not enough to go through the finish. Don’t over do it a little wax will go a long way, and you are going to rub most of it off anyhow. You want to let the wax harden for about two or three minutes. If you wait too long the wax is harder to buff out. Rub the box with a rough cloth like a towel or sweat shirt. The goal here is to spread the wax evenly and remove any extra wax. Finally use a soft cloth to polish the wax. Rotate the cloth and wipe fairly vigorously to let the friction help smooth the wax. You’re done, and I am exhausted from writing this.

Thanks: As always thanks for looking. A special thanks to all of you who take the time to comment or ask questions. Check back, I will respond to all of your comments in batches usually three or four times a day for the next couple of days. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured: This is a medium sized tea box (11×7 x 5 inches) designed to hold about 75 normal teabags. The distinctive grain you see in the top is a California Walnut Burl laid up in a cluster pattern. The sides are quarter-sawn White Oak with Black Walnut corner splines. The divider unit is made from recycled Venetian blinds. (Yes, I did go back and clean up the glue squeeze-out.)

Story: Over a century ago, large plantations of walnut trees were planted in California and farmers harvested the nuts these trees produced. As time went on, these walnut trees became less productive and were in turn harvested and replaced with new trees. The old trees were grafted stock with European Walnut roots and American Walnut trunks (scions). This fabulous veneer is made by digging up the old tree stumps and slicing veneer from the area where the two species of walnut trees were grafted together. As you can imagine, such veneer can be expensive.

The White Oak sides and Black Walnut corner splines came from trees that grew in Indiana. Like thousands and thousands of other trees, these were blown over by the tailwinds of Hurricane Ike in 2008. I like to think that making a heritage-quality box that will give a lifetime of useful service is a way of extending the life of these wonderful trees.

Title: I leave it up to your imagination to see what pictures you find in this crazy, mixed-up, and distinctive grain pattern. I see several. Look at the side patterns in the top as well. It is one of the mysteries of working with fine woods that you find yourself peering into the soul of some ancient tree when you apply that first coat of finish and see the grain “pop.” That is the first time you really know what the grain looks like. This is another box that was part of my opening at a local gallery last week, and I am very grateful to all of those patrons who support my work.

Thanks: As always thanks to all who take time to look at this posting. A special thanks to all of you who take the extra time to add comments or make suggestions.

Please check back. I will reply to each of your comments and suggestions in batches for the next few days.

Pictured: A medium sized tea chest (14×6 1/2×5 1/2) with crotch mahogany top, American walnut sides, maple corner splines, and internal dividers made from a Venetian blind. This tea chest features a mortised continuous hinge, chain pocket, and lift-out sweetener caddy.

Focus:
In this post I want to focus on the interior workings of this tea chest.

The Chain: As you can see, the chain is attached just behind the divider and the top is attached at a point slightly closer to the hinge pin than the bottom. This means the chain will fall behind the front attachment point and drop nicely into the small “pocket” to the left. The advantage of a pocket is that the chain doesn’t become entangled with the teabags, and the extra room lets you fit in the sweetener caddy.

The Caddy: I buy these in bulk at a local restaurant supply store. Clear goes with any color of wood. Cutting away the front segment of the chain pocket with a band saw gives me enough room to fit this caddy into the box. The space for a tea bag is not quite wide enough for the caddy.

The Dividers: These are made from recycled wooden Venetian blinds that I buy at Goodwill and the Habitat Restore. Using these slats saves me a great deal of time cutting, sizing, and finishing. They are all made accurately at 1/8 inch. I try to keep a variety of colors on hand. A matching touch up pen will cover any nicks and splintering. I cut slightly more than half way through the tops of the horizontal dividers and slightly more than half way through the bottoms of the vertical dividers. Then slide them together.

Hint: Use masking tape to hold all the same lengths together and then, using your miter gauge, make just a single pass over your table saw blade. Do not go over and back. Two passes will widen the slot and loosen the fit. A quality 1/8 inch blade will give you a snug fit.

I put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of the box, dry fit the dividers, remove the verticals one at a time and add just a small spot of glue in the slots before putting the verticals back in place. Wipe away any excess glue before it dries. The box will act as a jig to hold the dividers square and you can be sure they will fit back into the box after the glue is dry.

Thanks: As always, thanks for looking. A special thanks to all of you who take the extra time to add comment or make suggestions. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured: Derrick’s jewelry keeper that he made features a sliding tray, dividers, ring holders, 1/8 inch paired corner splines, inset top, 5 coats of hand rubbed finish, mortised piano hinge, and an elongated finger lift. It is made from local woods. The sides are Black Cherry and the top is a knotty section of White Oak. At 14×6x6, it is sized to hold the customer’s most frequently used jewelry and accessories.

Story: Now that Derrick and his wife have started their family, his time is more limited so Derrick joins me in the shop most Wednesday evenings. Derrick and I have been working together for over 5 years. At first I was the mentor, now I am just as likely to learn from what he can teach me. On Wednesday’s we float around the shop working independently, stopping now and then to compare notes and ask opinions of one another about designs and techniques. It is fun for both of us. Derrick has begun to build his own shop and to teach one of his friends about making boxes…so the cycle continues. Derrick sells his boxes in a gallery located near to him and has begun to develop his own following and clientele. He sold three boxes just this month and has orders for more.

Style: Derrick has developed his own sense of style. He loves knots and the grain that flows around them, prefers paired narrow corner splines, and has an elongated lift that he likes to use. I wanted to post this design so that fellow Lumber Jocks could see his work and perhaps have some new takes on their own designs. I think he is a real craftsman and has an excellent eye for what works in wood.

Thanks: As always Derrick and I thank you for taking time to look and a special thanks to all of you who make the extra effort to comment and ask questions. Critiques and suggestions are always welcome. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured is a jewelry keeper with solid Black Walnut sides and an Olive Ash veneer top. Hence, the name Black Olive. 15X7X7…it features a lift-out tray, and in the lower level a foam ring-keeper with more divided storage. Tray and box each have maple corner splines.

A Modest Proposal:

There are Lumber Jocks like Greg, Andy, Tom, Peter, Roger, and others who can sell boxes as works of art. In fact they are works of art that happen to also be boxes. But, most of us do not fall in that category.

This is my suggestion for Lumber Jocks who want to sell boxes or for those building boxes for personal use or as fun projects.

Build Purpose-Driven Boxes

My niche is that every box I make is purpose-driven. That is to say I make it to do a job…hold tea bags, wedding rings, playing cards, jewelry, a wallet…cell phone…keys, suggestions, a watch collection, pool balls, darts, a marble collection, wine bottles, cremains of animals or people, serving trays, letters for signs, shoe shine materials, TV tuners, knitting supplies, sewing equipment, tools, cloth cutting supplies, handguns, small instruments, glue bottles, sandpaper, sawblades, finish cans and brushes, tissues, children’s toys, shaving supplies, the list is endless, but always they have a purpose. I have made boxes to hold all of these things listed.

I don’t think I have made any boxes just to be pretty objects. In the current economy, I find that patrons are more likely to buy a box that does something, rather than box that just looks pretty. Don’t misunderstand, I am NOT for building ugly boxes. My goal is to craft useful and long-lasting boxes that are a joy to touch, a pleasure to see, and a delight to use.

I design every box from the inside out. I start with what it should hold or do. Then I craft the best looking, longest lasting, box I can make to do the job assigned to it. Well, that is my take on what works for sales and satisfaction for me.

Thanks to all of you who looked at this post. A special thanks to all of you who take the extra time to comment on the box or the commentary. That is the fun of this site. I will try to respond to all questions and comments in batches during the next few days.

Keep boxing and keep posting!

Pictured is a 15X6X6 inch jewelry box with a sliding, divided tray on top and a foam rubber ring holder and divided section in the bottom. The top and corner splines are figured Movingui from Ghana, Africa. The sides are Black Cherry from Indiana. It has a full-length mortised piano hinge, stop chain, and three part finger lift. Click here to see how to easily install these hinges.

So here are the numbers for this jewelry box. 190...price for this box at the upcoming gallery opening. 142...number of times the parts of this box were actually passed over a saw blade. 98...number of cuts it takes to make this box if every cut is right the very first time. (That never happens.) 42...cuts made to make the tray. 29...pieces of wood jointed to make this box and tray. 18...number of boxes I made for this opening. 5...number of times the inside and outside of the box were rubbed down with steel wool. (Cleaning, Tung Oil, Poly Coat One, Poly Coat Two, Paste Wax) 2...number of gallons of finish needed for all these boxes. 1...the number of patrons I need to buy this box.

I wondered why it was taking me so long to build the boxes for this upcoming show. Now I am beginning to understand. 2,340 ...approximate number of saw cuts it takes to build 18 boxes.

Thanks: As always thanks for looking. A special thanks to all of you who take time to make comments. That is the real joy of posting work on this site. I will try to post replies to all comments and questions in batches under this post. Keep boxing and keep posting.

Pictured: a jewelry box made from one solid piece of redwood burl. It is 12 1/2 inches tall, and an equilateral triangle with 8 1/2 inches on each of three sides. The finish is 4 coats of wipe-on poly applied with a one inch foam brush and carefully sanded with 800 grit paper after each coat. Then finished with Johnson’s Paste Wax applied with steel wool. The bark inclusions were filled with black epoxy and ground up alabaster then sanded.

Story: This box is a true collaboration. Most of the ideas were Greer’s a few were mine. We talked through the problems and concepts and methods of working as we went. Greer did almost all of the actual cutting in my shop and all of the sanding and finishing at his home. Making boxes with friends can teach you more than just woodworking. Working with Greer taught me that having buddies build boxes in my shop adds to the fun and is a great way to share learning.

Greer came across this wonderful burl in the course of his job as a veneer expert. It is a “core” left over after the veneer has been turned off the outside. There was a large bark inclusion in one side, and a crack or check in another area. Those flaws led us to the triangular shape as a way of salvaging the sound wood in the piece.

That shape in turn led us to the idea of spinning the sliced-up piece to get to the jewelry storage area. On a romantic note, Greer gave this jewelry box to the love of his life with an engagement ring inside. She accepted, and they are now a very happily married couple.

Construction Notes: You need a very definate sequence of steps in making this. It works a lot like making a band saw box.

1. Cut the three sides using a plywood pattern screwed onto each of the two ends. The plywood slides along on an extended bandsaw table clamped to the regular table.
2. Drill the long rod hole NOW almost the entire length of the piece so when you re-assemble the wood everything will line up perfectly. Stop a little short of drilling through the top of the box.
3. Slice off the top and bottom.
4. Slice off the back.
5. With the triangular “drawer” section still in one piece, round off the pivoting corner of the triangle.
6. Slice your “drawer” sections into drawers.
7. Use a Fostner bit to drill out the drawer storage section.
8. Insert a tight-fitting metal rod threaded at each end and draw up the drawers tightly with nuts before sanding anything.
9. We used a wide nylon washer between each drawer and tightened the nuts on each end of the rod pretty tightly, and it works very, very smoothly as the drawers glide and turn in and out.
10. Trim one of the end drawers a bit thinner to let the spacer-washers and fit-ups work out with the length of the back board.
11. We used screws in the bottom so we could take it apart and fit it together as we worked out the spacers and the top and bottom.

Thanks: to everyone who takes time to look at this. A special thanks to all who take time to make comments or offer advice. As always keep boxing and keep posting.

P. S. Greer asked me to thank all of you for your support and comments.

Pictured: This is a 9×7x6 jewelry box made of Movingui from Ghana and Black Walnut from Spencer, Indiana. The inside tray has divided segments on one side, and a foam and velvet keeper for rings and ear rings on the other half. The finish, applied with a one inch foam brush, is one coat of Minwax Tung Oil, two coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly, final coat of Johnson’s Paste Wax with a OOOO steel wool rub between all coats.

Story: I like working alone in my shop, but sometimes it gets a little too solitary…even for me. So when my buddy Ken wanted to make a jewelry box for his wife, or daughter, we worked together in the shop on this project. It was productive, but we also took time to talk about a variety of topics and had fun getting to know each other better.

Basically: We each made a box. I would do a step in construction and Ken would follow and do the same thing to his project. It seems to be a good teaching technique, and we each have a finished box at the end of the process. The nice part about this is that Ken actually built this box himself, but he knew exactly what to do. Because he was willing to take his time on the sanding and finishing stages his first box turned out very well indeed. He did a great job…as you can see.

Construction Sequence: The board is planed to 5/8 and finish sanded on the inside side. A dado groove is cut for the bottom. The four sides are cut to length. The corners are 45ed. The bottom inserted and the carcass is glued and assembled. The corner splines are cut and inserted and then the top is glued on. All the edges are rounded and rough sanded. The top is cut off, the hinge mortise is cut and the hinge is screwed in place. Finally the box is finish sanded to 800 grit and the finish coats are applied. The last step is adding the stop chain. Several of these steps are detailed in my blog. Link

Critique: This was a fun project for both Ken and me. The movingui grain is almost holographic in sunlight. We like the detail of the splines in the tray. It is a nice touch and makes that part of the box elegant. The dado blade tended to chip this particular piece of walnut so that was a struggle.

Thanks: As always thanks for looking and a special thanks to all of you in Lumber Land who take time to give comments or suggestions. That is what makes posting fun and worth doing.

PS Addendum: Ken asked me to thank all of you Lumber Jocks for the support and compliments you sent his way. He is very proud of his first box, as he should be.

Pictured is a White Oak and Black Walnut box styled after the lap-top desks and teacher’s desks from Colonial times. It has a lift-up lid and will hold an 8 1/2×11 inch piece of paper on the top and inside the box. I had to stain the wood a bit to go with the bedroom suit, and it is finished with 3 coats of wipe-on poly.

Dimensions/Material: Slant is 15 1/2×11, Flat is 15 1/2×3 1/2, Base is 13 1/4×10 x 4 1/4, Inner shelf is 12 1/4×4 All the sides are made of 1/2 wood. Top is 1/2 inch oak veneer on a Masonite core so it won’t warp or split.

Historical Note: Ben Franklin actually had a lap top desk he carried with him on trips. I have seen it displayed in a small museum in a bank in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. Franklin’s desk folded up and stored writing supplies like ink, paper, envelopes, sealing wax, and quills. It is a beautiful design. Link

Construction Tips: This builds much like any other box, except the shelf needs a dado groove in the back and sides. The pencil holder indent on top was done with a bowl-making router bit.

Design Features: I wanted a much more basic design than Franklin’s that would be fairly easy to make and would store odds and ends in the bedroom, be a good place to keep a calendar, and hold a pencil. To avoid losing things and to avoid pinching my fingers I want the hinge to run continuously from side to side.

For that to work I had to make several adjustments. The cross piece gives me a place to fasten the hinge to the top. The vertical pieces thicken the look of the top, and give me a place to finish connecting the hinge. I needed to grind away enough of half of the hinge so it didn’t hit the sides when the lid closes.

I also found that having a dip that was even with the box bottom let me get a better grip on paper I wanted to remove from the box. The front piece has a dado groove in it.

The shelf rides in a dado groove cut on the two sides and the back of the box. The front edge of the shelf has a dado to receive the shelf. It is an extra complication to add the shelf, but it is really handy to keep some things inside…but not have them sitting on top of the papers in the bottom. The clear plastic “bumpers” you see on each side keep the lid from slamming when it closes.

If you can build a box, you can build this lap-top. All the basic skills are the same. It even has corner splines.

Thanks: As always thanks for looking and I especially want to thank any of you who take time to make comments and suggestions. After all, that is what this part of the site is all about.