| Project by Alin Dobra | posted 371 days ago | 604 views | 3 times favorited | 15 comments | ![]() |
These are bandsaw boxes made using the patterns in Lois Keener Ventura’s book “Beautiful Bandsaw Boxes”. The first one is called “Lotus”, the second “Cetacean Migration” and the third “Airborne”. All the boxes are made from solid cherry with maple handles.
While these boxes are an eye catcher (all my friends are impressed), they are also a very good way to improve your bandsawing skills. “Lotus” is a little hard to execute but the other boxes in the book are reasonably accessible. You do need an 14” bandsaw and a small blade mounted (3/16” preferably). There is a lot of sanding involved but the final result makes it worthwhile.
The “Lotus” box was a gift for my wife (10th wedding anniversary). Since then I cannot give her any wood gift since it would pale in comparison to this box.
Most of the surface of the boxes can be sanded using a oscillating sander (I use the Ridgid oscillating sander that oscillates a full belt not only a spindle). For the twisted curves of “Lotus” you have to send by hand though.
It took me a long time to figure out how to efficiently sand such thick wood. What I found to work reasonably is wetting the surface with paint thinner and sanding until all thiner is removed. This way you make sure you touched the entire surface. If care is not taken, you will discover when you apply finish that you have scratch marks all over the place.
After cutting the curves on these boxes with the bandsaw, any other curves you have to cut will seem simple. One thing to keep in mind when you make the cut is that it is more important not to have jiggling in the curve rather than follow the pattern precisely (nobody will know where the pattern lines were anyway and the boxes will be unique if you make small variations). You have to resist the temptation to make sharp corrections to the curve. You also have to learn to read the tangent to the curve and to push the wood directly into the blade. I noticed that I have a tendency to push sideways the blade which results in burned wood and uncontrollable cutting. You have to avoid stopping as much as possible (cut as much of the curve in a single breath) in order to avoid a lot of sanding or marks that are hard to remove (for the inside drawers).
You can use scrap wood to make the block for the box but, if you want a good result, use a single board that is carefully folded upon itself. “Eye” patterns will form on the side that make the box look more interesting.
These boxes require a lot of wood and a lot of glue (not to mention endless sanding) but I think the result is worth it.
There are some tutorials on the web that give more details about how to build these boxes:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/buildsawbox
http://www.shopsmithhandson.com/archives/jan_feb_05/html/money_maker.htm
You can buy Lois Keener Ventura’s book from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Building-Beautiful-Boxes-Your-Band/dp/1558705228
I hope you will try to build some of these boxes.
Alin
-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida
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15 comments so far
DAN
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3211 posts in 467 days
posted 371 days ago
Hello Alin
Very nice boxes and well written story. I’ve never made bandsawn boxes, but after reading about your process and seeing your good work, think I’d like to try it ! Thanks.
Regards
DAN
-- ..... art for lifes sake
Krisztian
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83 posts in 384 days
posted 371 days ago
Very nice work. Nice finish also.
-- Krisztian (from Hungary) VA
Don
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2586 posts in 661 days
posted 371 days ago
Very nice work.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/
jockmike2
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4136 posts in 731 days
posted 371 days ago
Beautiful boxes Alin, welcome to the Lumberjocks, I can see why you would want to keep those boxes. My wife would’nt let get rid of any of those. They are all deffinate keepers. jockmike
-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com
WayneC
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5685 posts in 582 days
posted 371 days ago
Great boxes. Thanks for sharing them with us.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
mot
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4837 posts in 521 days
posted 371 days ago
Those are really nice!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
CharlieM1958
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4191 posts in 703 days
posted 371 days ago
Fantastic boxes! And thanks for all the details.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
TonyWard
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162 posts in 812 days
posted 371 days ago
Alin,
Well executed. Can you see a time when you create and post your own designs?
t.w.
-- Bandsaw Box Plans
Alin Dobra
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316 posts in 372 days
posted 371 days ago
t.w.
I’m probably about there. If you look at another project I just posted, you will see that I make wood bowls as well. The bowls are exclusively my design and they are all unique. The only thing about making these boxes that I do not like is that I do not use my designs. Nevertheless, the designs in the book I mentioned are very beautiful and I’ll probably keep on making them for some time.
Alin
-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida
MsDebbieP
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11918 posts in 645 days
posted 371 days ago
gorgeous boxes and well-written description!
Thank you for sharing and for the resources.
I’m curious to see what your own designs will look like when you get to that point.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Kent Fletcher
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19 posts in 372 days
posted 364 days ago
I’ve done a couple of them, using raw sections of wood, you know, the limbs and such. Made one out of a chunk of oak, gave it to someone from Michigan. She got it home, forgot what it was, tossed it on the fire and it burned before she realized here error. Her husband was a bit peeved, saying it nicely. I like your style, though, very impressive. And thanks for the resources, too!
-- Fletch, Texas
Karson
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12901 posts in 885 days
posted 318 days ago
Great boxes. Fletch. I love your story. I guess you can be too rustic.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
piper
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73 posts in 562 days
posted 318 days ago
Great job I also used the patterns fom that book and just posted some of my results I bought a fordem flexible shaft for the sanding it makes things a lot easier
-- piper
Jiri Parkman
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559 posts in 297 days
posted 281 days ago
Beautiful.
-- Jiri
rikkor
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7632 posts in 359 days
posted 281 days ago
I like your work, Alin.
-- Maplewood, MN