Project Information
This box was a present for my Mother for Christmas. Construction details as follows:
Box Material: White Ash
Top Material: Osage Orange
Splines: Osage Orange
Bottom: 1/4" ply
Finish: Danish Oil
Box Dimensions:
Length: 8 3/4"
Width: 8 3/4"
Height: 5 3/8"
Lid: 1 1/2" thick.
Sides: 1/2" thick.
Special feature: Book matched top.
Comments
This was my first time using White Ash. I love the stuff. It machines great and hand planes even better. I went to my local hardwood dealer and got some offcuts of different species to see how they worked and if I liked them. I will definitely use White Ash again.
The Osage is a different story. That came special from Chicago - my friend and I found a woodlot where a tree cutting company dumped logs for firewood. We found some nice logs and decided to take a chance. I resawed them and let them dry for 2 years. I needed something for the top of this box and thought I would break out some of the Osage. This also was my first attempt at book matching anything. I need to tune up my band saw because I had to plane these down more than I cared to to get the resaw marks out. I think the grain came out really nice however.
I tried to get the grain to "wrap" the sides of the box and that came out pretty good too.
What I Learned / Things to Consider
1.) Make sure you include some kind of lift. I didn't because I ran out of time and I really regret skipping this step.
2.) Take the time to figure out how to make the lid stop and not flop all the way open. Again I was in a rush and skipped this step. You could use a simple chain stop or even use better hinges with a built-in stop (I think Brusso makes some really nice ones for ~ $20 or $25 / pair.
3.) Use hand planes as much as you can. I used my new Lie-Nielsen low angle block plane to chamfer the top and bottom edges and what a joy!!! There is something so fulfilling about using hand tools. Practice, practice, practice!
Thanks for looking.
Box Material: White Ash
Top Material: Osage Orange
Splines: Osage Orange
Bottom: 1/4" ply
Finish: Danish Oil
Box Dimensions:
Length: 8 3/4"
Width: 8 3/4"
Height: 5 3/8"
Lid: 1 1/2" thick.
Sides: 1/2" thick.
Special feature: Book matched top.
Comments
This was my first time using White Ash. I love the stuff. It machines great and hand planes even better. I went to my local hardwood dealer and got some offcuts of different species to see how they worked and if I liked them. I will definitely use White Ash again.
The Osage is a different story. That came special from Chicago - my friend and I found a woodlot where a tree cutting company dumped logs for firewood. We found some nice logs and decided to take a chance. I resawed them and let them dry for 2 years. I needed something for the top of this box and thought I would break out some of the Osage. This also was my first attempt at book matching anything. I need to tune up my band saw because I had to plane these down more than I cared to to get the resaw marks out. I think the grain came out really nice however.
I tried to get the grain to "wrap" the sides of the box and that came out pretty good too.
What I Learned / Things to Consider
1.) Make sure you include some kind of lift. I didn't because I ran out of time and I really regret skipping this step.
2.) Take the time to figure out how to make the lid stop and not flop all the way open. Again I was in a rush and skipped this step. You could use a simple chain stop or even use better hinges with a built-in stop (I think Brusso makes some really nice ones for ~ $20 or $25 / pair.
3.) Use hand planes as much as you can. I used my new Lie-Nielsen low angle block plane to chamfer the top and bottom edges and what a joy!!! There is something so fulfilling about using hand tools. Practice, practice, practice!
Thanks for looking.