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#1 ·
Canary wood Box

The box is 4" square and made from canary wood and walnut, with a birdseye maple and walnut top.

This started as an idea for the wifes Christmas present and grew to a little monster.

I first decided on the box size being determined buy the length and thickness of the piece of canary wood. the piece was about 28 in long 4 1/2" wide and 1/2" thick so 4" square gave me some screw up room.

At this time I figured I would use a 1/4" piece of plywood for the bottom and I cut a dado about 3/16" from the bottom on which would become the inside of the box.

I then laid out, numbered and cut the pieces on the miter saw to enable me to put them together so the grain will continually wrap around the box. I then cut the 45 degree angles for the corners on my table saw.
I did not want to leave plain plywood showing on the bottom so I veneered and dyed a piece of aromatic cedar veneer to it and set it aside to dry.

SO in this down time I decided to make the lid out of a piece of Birdseye maple scrap that did not have but 1 or 2 birdeye in the whole chunk. so I used rubber bands to mock up the box and got my dimension measurements for the inside of the lid Knowing that the exterior would be 4" square. This is where I should have started drinking but decided to stay sober as the lame brain crazy started coming out.
I cut the lid and decided that is was too plain and said I have done a little inlay marquetry I will inlay some walnut in an interlaced square pattern for some nice design detail. (this added a couple days to a simple project but did turn out nice)
Wood Rectangle Triangle Hardwood Wood stain

Wood Rectangle Floor Wood stain Gas


Wood Floor Rectangle Gas Automotive exterior


So as I was waiting for the glue to dry on the top inlay it was back to the box. I mocked it up again with the bottom installed. at this point I used Watco Danish oil on what would be the inside and clear coated it with lacquer. and of course sanded it to 600 grit prior to finishing and also in between coats. I also sanded and did the same finish on the lid while I was waiting for the inside of the box to dry.

Before finishing the lid I also chamfered all the edges to 45 degrees and sand it to 600 grit as well.

Next I waxed the inside of the box for ease of removing glue squeeze out. I then assembled, glued the box and clamped it together with nothing more then rubber bands. This was a mistake to do this now as I decided later to add a thin strip of walnut across the top edge of the box. (this should have been done before cutting the original board apart.)

once the glue dried I spent hours trying to figure out how to spline it but did not want to do straight splines, or dovetailed splined and was too late to do a 45 spline down the centers of the corners. Then I had the not so bright idea of using a small walnut dowls drilled through. But I really did not want to see the dowels either. Now came another great test of patience I decided to try the greene and greene technique of using rounded square plugs. (this is very time consuming and tedious and will probably never do them again, well unless someone pays me a ton of cash. lol) That is the spline secret tit is doweled and hidden by the square plugs.
Wood Table Tree Plant Rectangle


Wood Rectangle Flooring Gas Font


The plugs were not installed yet.
When I laid out the spline hole locations I laid out the square plug locations then drilled through the centers of the location to be able to hide the plugs.
to cut the plug holes I used a 1/2" hollow mortis chisel and hammered it in until it stopped and the used a forestner bit to drill to the depth I wanted. I then used a hand chisel to clean out and square up the holes. (this took a long time and was very tedious and there was lots of Cursing those Greene and Greene guys. lol)

It was after doing the splines when I decided it needed the walnut trim piece on the top edge of the box. so I glued it on with 45 degree miter cuts on it as well then sanded and chamfered the entire box on the router table.

I then sanded all sides an glued in the square plugs and filled the gaps with hand made putty. (Saw dust and glue to match the wood coloring) I then sanded all the putty smooth and finished it with Watco then about six coats of lacquer and then polished with steel wool and clear paste wax.
 

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#2 ·
Canary wood Box

The box is 4" square and made from canary wood and walnut, with a birdseye maple and walnut top.

This started as an idea for the wifes Christmas present and grew to a little monster.

I first decided on the box size being determined buy the length and thickness of the piece of canary wood. the piece was about 28 in long 4 1/2" wide and 1/2" thick so 4" square gave me some screw up room.

At this time I figured I would use a 1/4" piece of plywood for the bottom and I cut a dado about 3/16" from the bottom on which would become the inside of the box.

I then laid out, numbered and cut the pieces on the miter saw to enable me to put them together so the grain will continually wrap around the box. I then cut the 45 degree angles for the corners on my table saw.
I did not want to leave plain plywood showing on the bottom so I veneered and dyed a piece of aromatic cedar veneer to it and set it aside to dry.

SO in this down time I decided to make the lid out of a piece of Birdseye maple scrap that did not have but 1 or 2 birdeye in the whole chunk. so I used rubber bands to mock up the box and got my dimension measurements for the inside of the lid Knowing that the exterior would be 4" square. This is where I should have started drinking but decided to stay sober as the lame brain crazy started coming out.
I cut the lid and decided that is was too plain and said I have done a little inlay marquetry I will inlay some walnut in an interlaced square pattern for some nice design detail. (this added a couple days to a simple project but did turn out nice)
Wood Rectangle Triangle Hardwood Wood stain

Wood Rectangle Floor Wood stain Gas


Wood Floor Rectangle Gas Automotive exterior


So as I was waiting for the glue to dry on the top inlay it was back to the box. I mocked it up again with the bottom installed. at this point I used Watco Danish oil on what would be the inside and clear coated it with lacquer. and of course sanded it to 600 grit prior to finishing and also in between coats. I also sanded and did the same finish on the lid while I was waiting for the inside of the box to dry.

Before finishing the lid I also chamfered all the edges to 45 degrees and sand it to 600 grit as well.

Next I waxed the inside of the box for ease of removing glue squeeze out. I then assembled, glued the box and clamped it together with nothing more then rubber bands. This was a mistake to do this now as I decided later to add a thin strip of walnut across the top edge of the box. (this should have been done before cutting the original board apart.)

once the glue dried I spent hours trying to figure out how to spline it but did not want to do straight splines, or dovetailed splined and was too late to do a 45 spline down the centers of the corners. Then I had the not so bright idea of using a small walnut dowls drilled through. But I really did not want to see the dowels either. Now came another great test of patience I decided to try the greene and greene technique of using rounded square plugs. (this is very time consuming and tedious and will probably never do them again, well unless someone pays me a ton of cash. lol) That is the spline secret tit is doweled and hidden by the square plugs.
Wood Table Tree Plant Rectangle


Wood Rectangle Flooring Gas Font


The plugs were not installed yet.
When I laid out the spline hole locations I laid out the square plug locations then drilled through the centers of the location to be able to hide the plugs.
to cut the plug holes I used a 1/2" hollow mortis chisel and hammered it in until it stopped and the used a forestner bit to drill to the depth I wanted. I then used a hand chisel to clean out and square up the holes. (this took a long time and was very tedious and there was lots of Cursing those Greene and Greene guys. lol)

It was after doing the splines when I decided it needed the walnut trim piece on the top edge of the box. so I glued it on with 45 degree miter cuts on it as well then sanded and chamfered the entire box on the router table.

I then sanded all sides an glued in the square plugs and filled the gaps with hand made putty. (Saw dust and glue to match the wood coloring) I then sanded all the putty smooth and finished it with Watco then about six coats of lacquer and then polished with steel wool and clear paste wax.
Cool little box.
I like the end result and thanks for sharing your process.
Designing on the fly like this makes it interesting.
Thanks for sharing.
Jon
 

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#3 ·
Red Oak Sandpaper Storage cabinet

This cabinet is made from leftover red oak, Luan, birch plywood and plexiglass that I had in my shop.

Shelf Wood Shelving Rectangle Wood stain


It is approximately 17"T x 7 1/2"W x 6" deep.

I would have liked to make it a little taller to handle a couple more shelves and slightly deeper to have been able to recess the back panel.

The Box I first sent the oak through the joiner to ensure I had 1 flat square edge. I then cut the board to the proper widths on my table saw then to final lengths on the Miter saw. The lengths were close but no exact as this was going to be a shop storage cabinet with no specific location to fit in.

Once the sides were cut to length I used the Rockler box joint jig with a 1/2" straight cut bit on the router table to cut the box joints. This was the first time using this jig and it is an excellent product, Although I got in a hurry and for got to rotate one of the boards on the last corner which resulted in a messed up corner that I had to redo and fill with putty later on.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Pattern Plywood


At this point I dry fitted the box together and used a Woodpecker center scale ruler to find the inside center of the box to start laying out my shelves. After finding the inside center I used the same ruler to get the center of the top and bottom sections above the halfway point and repeated the process to get all my shelves laid out at equidistance's.

Note: I did not worry about blade width when laying these out as I would put the mark in the middle of the 2 dado blades.

I then inserted a dado blade into the table saw, spaced to accommodate the luan shelving thickness to allow them to slide in with minimal friction. After cutting the dados I then inserted a regular Freud blade into the table saw and cut the shelves to size.

Brown Light Stairs Wood Rectangle


I then dry fit it together to check clearances.

Next I cut the back panel out of Luan to cover the entire box back with a slight over hang which would be trimmed later with a trim router and flush cut bit.

Wood Wooden block Wood stain Material property Hardwood


At this point I sanded and finished the inside of the box carcass using Danish oil and the shellac using a French polish application technique and final rubbing with clear wax once the shellac had dried. I then glued and clamped the carcass till dried. I measured from corner to corner to ensure the box was square before leaving to dry.

While the box was drying I sanded and finished the shelves and back plate in the same manner as the inside of the box, then set then aside to dry.

At this point it was onto the door Panel

I measured the box and cut the stiles to slightly longer length and then the rails by adding an extra 1/2" to the measurements to accommodate a 1/4" tongue on each side of the rails. I dry fit these together and measured for my insert and cut the 1/4" thick plexi on the table saw and once again dry fit it together. I then sanded and finished the interior of the frame to prevent scratching the plexi later. I have a picture frame jig I used to clamp the door square as the glue was drying and I set it aside as well.

I removed the clamps and then sanded and finished the box carcass.

Note: Before sanding I used a chisel to remove excess glue bleed and then sanded to 150 grit. Next I made some wood putty with sanding dust and tightbond 2 and filled all gaps and let dry about an hour. Then sanded to 220 grit.

I then rounded off all edges with a 4" edge rounding plane and sanded them with a 220 grit sanding sponge then finished the exterior of the box and set aside to dry.

I then went back to the door and I used a trim router with a round over bit to cut the door handle groove, sanded and finished it then set aside to dry for a day or more.

As they were drying I cut some 2" tabs out of Birch plywood and rounded on the bench top disc sander then finished and glued to the shelves.

When everything was dry I installed the back plate and used the trim router to trim it to size with a flush cut bit. I then used a Dremel tool with a plunge router base to cut out the hinges on the door and box then installed them on the door first then the box side, I just find this way easier for me.

Note: Take your time as the hinges will always need slight adjusting.

I then used a forstner bit to countersink some magnets into the box front corners and some washers on the door to hold it closed. I cleaned everything then reinstalled the shelves. The shelves were made removable to 2 reasons 1. for ease of getting a drill and screwdriver in the box to mount it to the wall and 2. so that I f I wanted a really large amount of a particular grit I could remove a shelf for more room.

Wood Shelf Wood stain Hardwood Shelving


Well I hope you enjoy the read and education that I gave myself. Feel free to comment or ask any questions as I hope I will have answers.
 

Attachments

#4 ·
Red Oak Sandpaper Storage cabinet

This cabinet is made from leftover red oak, Luan, birch plywood and plexiglass that I had in my shop.

Shelf Wood Shelving Rectangle Wood stain


It is approximately 17"T x 7 1/2"W x 6" deep.

I would have liked to make it a little taller to handle a couple more shelves and slightly deeper to have been able to recess the back panel.

The Box I first sent the oak through the joiner to ensure I had 1 flat square edge. I then cut the board to the proper widths on my table saw then to final lengths on the Miter saw. The lengths were close but no exact as this was going to be a shop storage cabinet with no specific location to fit in.

Once the sides were cut to length I used the Rockler box joint jig with a 1/2" straight cut bit on the router table to cut the box joints. This was the first time using this jig and it is an excellent product, Although I got in a hurry and for got to rotate one of the boards on the last corner which resulted in a messed up corner that I had to redo and fill with putty later on.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Pattern Plywood


At this point I dry fitted the box together and used a Woodpecker center scale ruler to find the inside center of the box to start laying out my shelves. After finding the inside center I used the same ruler to get the center of the top and bottom sections above the halfway point and repeated the process to get all my shelves laid out at equidistance's.

Note: I did not worry about blade width when laying these out as I would put the mark in the middle of the 2 dado blades.

I then inserted a dado blade into the table saw, spaced to accommodate the luan shelving thickness to allow them to slide in with minimal friction. After cutting the dados I then inserted a regular Freud blade into the table saw and cut the shelves to size.

Brown Light Stairs Wood Rectangle


I then dry fit it together to check clearances.

Next I cut the back panel out of Luan to cover the entire box back with a slight over hang which would be trimmed later with a trim router and flush cut bit.

Wood Wooden block Wood stain Material property Hardwood


At this point I sanded and finished the inside of the box carcass using Danish oil and the shellac using a French polish application technique and final rubbing with clear wax once the shellac had dried. I then glued and clamped the carcass till dried. I measured from corner to corner to ensure the box was square before leaving to dry.

While the box was drying I sanded and finished the shelves and back plate in the same manner as the inside of the box, then set then aside to dry.

At this point it was onto the door Panel

I measured the box and cut the stiles to slightly longer length and then the rails by adding an extra 1/2" to the measurements to accommodate a 1/4" tongue on each side of the rails. I dry fit these together and measured for my insert and cut the 1/4" thick plexi on the table saw and once again dry fit it together. I then sanded and finished the interior of the frame to prevent scratching the plexi later. I have a picture frame jig I used to clamp the door square as the glue was drying and I set it aside as well.

I removed the clamps and then sanded and finished the box carcass.

Note: Before sanding I used a chisel to remove excess glue bleed and then sanded to 150 grit. Next I made some wood putty with sanding dust and tightbond 2 and filled all gaps and let dry about an hour. Then sanded to 220 grit.

I then rounded off all edges with a 4" edge rounding plane and sanded them with a 220 grit sanding sponge then finished the exterior of the box and set aside to dry.

I then went back to the door and I used a trim router with a round over bit to cut the door handle groove, sanded and finished it then set aside to dry for a day or more.

As they were drying I cut some 2" tabs out of Birch plywood and rounded on the bench top disc sander then finished and glued to the shelves.

When everything was dry I installed the back plate and used the trim router to trim it to size with a flush cut bit. I then used a Dremel tool with a plunge router base to cut out the hinges on the door and box then installed them on the door first then the box side, I just find this way easier for me.

Note: Take your time as the hinges will always need slight adjusting.

I then used a forstner bit to countersink some magnets into the box front corners and some washers on the door to hold it closed. I cleaned everything then reinstalled the shelves. The shelves were made removable to 2 reasons 1. for ease of getting a drill and screwdriver in the box to mount it to the wall and 2. so that I f I wanted a really large amount of a particular grit I could remove a shelf for more room.

Wood Shelf Wood stain Hardwood Shelving


Well I hope you enjoy the read and education that I gave myself. Feel free to comment or ask any questions as I hope I will have answers.
Nice, functional storage. I might rip off your design for my own shop.
 

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