Making a Small Wooden Box #6: Confessions of a Box Maker

I did not think it would be so difficult to make a divider, but I guess when you are looking at 0.025mm (1 thou) accuracy, I do not think I can measure less tha 0.01mm on my vernier. you certainly are a perfectionist.

By the way love the work on your web sites – Keep it up

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, eh Bob? This is one of the reasons I haven’t tackled the small box a whole lot. My desire for detail exceeds my skill at attaining it. Nice blog entry!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Don;

With guy’s like you running around loose, working to that kind of tolerence. I might have to go back to the plumbing business, where they only have two rules.

Nice work and photo’s!

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

well done!! Great determination.

Tom, I love that quote – here is the second part: anything that is worth doing, it is worth doing wrong. (For those people who don’t try because they know they won’t get it right.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Don,
That’s pretty tight tolerances. I guess that’s why you’re the “Box Master”. Good blog by the way. We are learning a lot.
Lee,
You forgot rule #3 in plumbing; payday’s on Friday.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

“My desire for detail exceeds my skill at attaining it” Mott – that is a keeper

I know what you mean Don, most of my problem solving (at least the problems that I can not solve off the top of my head ) is done in bed before sleep. There is a lot of science to back that idea up but I wont drone on with the details since it has to do with rats and mazes <laugh>.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

First of all, if it was easy, anybody could do it.
Secondly, I make all the mistakes I possibly can on the first one so I can hopefully not make them anymore.

When I first started making these magazine tables, the original was a wreck. ( I recently sold it for $50.00 to someone who wanted one, but didn’t want to pay the full price.) And I learned that by sanding the rough spots out of the legs I clamped the four legs together. I used the bench mounted belt/disc sander and found a new mistake. A little out of level and the legs got smaller and ended up looking bow-legged. Since I found out by individually sanding them to the point of “Fine Furniture”, they were niether bow-legged nor perfectly the same but the differences were so minute they couldn’t be seen. And when the craftsman can’t see the differences, then chances are niether can anyone else.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Nice series! I am learning a bunch. Keep them coming.

Don, I’m in the process of finishing up the carcasses of a couple of new boxes and begining the insides. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the thickness of the wood you use for the compartments. I was thinking of making them a bit thin and more refined but notice you keep yours fairly thick. Is this because experience has taught you they will hold up better of just a personal preference? I can understand it on the trays but was just curious about the permanently set components.

Thanks for any feedback you may have and, as always, your work is terrific.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Thanks Don for sharing your wisdom. I suspect that I’m not the only woodworker here that has improved their craft because of your work and wisdom.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Ah Don…from eyes so far away,

not the smallest of details go unoticed.

Yet to the Masters hands and eye to detail

my friend from down under, has had a good day!

This is a great and inspiring work at the bench that we all can learn from. I love seeing how you progress through the steps, and your thoughts on how to take each one. I promised not step through showing my wifes J-Chest, but I’m almost finished and will post the pictures when done. Keep the chin up, and next time you lay down to sleep…just sleep, you work too hard and are tiring me out :-).

Your friend

-- ICN, Bill, (http://www.beavercreekfitness.com)

Chip, you are correct, the dividers for this box are minutely over 1/4” thick. They do look a little on the heavy side, and perhaps I should have gone with something closer to 1/8” stock. I settled on this size because that is the narrowest dado cut I can get from my dado set using both outside blades with no chippers in between them. Remember, in a half lap joint, it’s this cut that determines the stock thickness.

My other choice would be a single blade curf cut but that just seemed too thin to me. I could also have cut the dados for the half lap joints on my router table, but again, the smallest router bit I have is a 1/4” router.

Also, the design of the lower dividers is such that the front and back rail support the upper trays. You will see that these two components of the lower dividers are higher than the others. To have made these narrower than 1/4” would provide very little surface on which the trays would sit, although I suppose I could have left these two parts at 1/4” and the rest at 1/8”.

Just thinking out loud here, but it gives you an insight into how I approached this project.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Master’s hands (Don’s)

-- ICN, Bill, (http://www.beavercreekfitness.com)

That makes very good sense to me Don. Appreciate the reply.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.