Purpleheart box

Nice box! I like the color combinations.

Very nice box and I like the lid handle.
What is the outside dimension of the box?

-- Regards, Woodworm - KL, MY.

I thing the outside dimensions are about 4” deep x 9” wide x 2” tall . I would go measure it to be sure, but the owner lives about 3,000 miles away. LOL :-))

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

You used router inlay kits for making the “heart in the hole” inlay I supposed. Does the kit work well – or you need to trim it for snug fit? (been thinking for so long to buy one).

-- Regards, Woodworm - KL, MY.

Very nice

-- Glenn, New Mexico

Beautiful box Brian. I really like the combination of woods as well.

Thanks for posting it.

-- Martin, Kansas

Woodworm: I had a cheaper one at first, that did not work as well, but I replaced it with a better one (I think the new one is a Whiteside) . Sometimes I get lucky, and the pieces fit snugly strait away. Sometimes I have to trim a little because it is too tight, or worse, too loose. When it is too tight, it usually take only about a minute or two to finesse the fit, and even when it is too loose, it is so by such a small amount that the gap fills with glue and creates such a small glue line that it is not noticeable in the final product . The other thing I usually do is create a slight bevel on edge of the positive piece, such that the bottom of the positive piece is smaller that the top. This makes it easier to get the positive piece to start fitting in the negative, but gets tighter as it is pressed in.

One other thing to keep in mind about router inlay is that it is limited to 1/16” radius (half the diameter of the router bit), so one has to plan for sharp corners. If the sharp corner is an outside corner, like the bottom of the heart, the router bit will leave the negative rounded, and this needs to be cleaned up by hand. More critical are inside corners on the positive, like the top/middle of the heart. In this case one has to stop short or too much material will be cut away on the negative. If you look closely, you will discover that I learned this lesson the hard way. ;-)

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

I love the style of that box… Terrific job!

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

Oh, yeah. I should have mentioned that it is worth getting the centering pin with the router inlay kit. Some kits come without it, and I suppose you can get away without it by always keeping the router in the same orientation, but it is just darn convenient to have that router bit perfectly centered.

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

Thanks Brian for the narative explaination on the use of router inlay kit.
I feel more confident now to have one to experience making inlays using it.

Thanks again.
Have a nice and safe day in day out working with wood.

-- Regards, Woodworm - KL, MY.

Very nice box. Purpleheart is cool. someday I will have to find some.

-- - You begin thinking less, and feeling more.

WispWoods: Surprisingly, Purpleheart is not that expensive, especially as exotics go. The price is usually about the same as Cherry or Black Walnut, often even less. The one down side of Purpleheart, so I am told, is that it turns an ugly brown when exposed too long to sunlight.

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

great piece

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day all Dug

Nice and elegant! and obviously I like Purple Heart…

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Niclely done Brain good design and great project

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon