Project Information
I will be heading to Japan next month (March 2013) to visit family in Tokyo and need to bring a gift. (Gift giving is a big deal in Japan.) Although I have not made many boxes, I really like the asian-style boxes made by a local woodworker in Bellingham, WA named David Selditz. This box is fashioned after a set of plans he published a few years ago. The box is figured maple, the lid is cherry, and the handle is bubinga. The handle is supported by two tiny pieces of 1/8" brass rod.
I cut the maple for the sides to width, planed it to thickness and then beveled the sides on the tablesaw. I clamped the workpiece to a long piece of plywood so that I could slide it along the rip fence all the way past the tablesaw blade to cut the bevel while keeping my hands clear. I then smoothed the sides and created a soft curve using a No. 4 smoothing plane. After cutting the sides to length and mitering the corners I glued up the box using a bunch of clamps and cauls, keeping the pieces in order so the grain would wrap around the box.
I built two jigs to cut and sand the curves in the lid. The first jig held the lid at around a 13 degree angle and I sanded a curve in the bottom of the lid using a sanding disk in my drill press. The second jig held the lid at an angle so I could cut the curves on top. I removed most of the material with the bandsaw and then smoothed the curves with a 3" sanding drum at the drill press.
I finished the box with many coats of blonde shellac. After brushing several coats, I sanded to 320 grit and rubbed the rest of the coats with a pad until I achieved a smooth finish. I then applied a coat of paste wax. Now if I can just get it to Japan in one piece.
I cut the maple for the sides to width, planed it to thickness and then beveled the sides on the tablesaw. I clamped the workpiece to a long piece of plywood so that I could slide it along the rip fence all the way past the tablesaw blade to cut the bevel while keeping my hands clear. I then smoothed the sides and created a soft curve using a No. 4 smoothing plane. After cutting the sides to length and mitering the corners I glued up the box using a bunch of clamps and cauls, keeping the pieces in order so the grain would wrap around the box.
I built two jigs to cut and sand the curves in the lid. The first jig held the lid at around a 13 degree angle and I sanded a curve in the bottom of the lid using a sanding disk in my drill press. The second jig held the lid at an angle so I could cut the curves on top. I removed most of the material with the bandsaw and then smoothed the curves with a 3" sanding drum at the drill press.
I finished the box with many coats of blonde shellac. After brushing several coats, I sanded to 320 grit and rubbed the rest of the coats with a pad until I achieved a smooth finish. I then applied a coat of paste wax. Now if I can just get it to Japan in one piece.