| Project by Alin Dobra | posted 785 days ago | 1021 views | 3 times favorited | 17 comments |  |
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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
17 comments so far
DAN
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6456 posts in 881 days
posted 785 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
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
Krisztian
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89 posts in 798 days
posted 785 days ago
Very nice work. Nice finish also.
-- Krisztian VA My website: www.vacarpentry.com
Don
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2590 posts in 1075 days
posted 785 days ago
Very nice work.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/
jockmike2
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7352 posts in 1145 days
posted 785 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. mwurm13@yahoo.com
WayneC
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6044 posts in 995 days
posted 785 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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4904 posts in 934 days
posted 785 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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7672 posts in 1116 days
posted 785 days ago
Fantastic boxes! And thanks for all the details.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
TonyWard
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285 posts in 1226 days
posted 785 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 786 days
posted 785 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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14171 posts in 1059 days
posted 785 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.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Kent Fletcher
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19 posts in 786 days
posted 778 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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25806 posts in 1299 days
posted 732 days ago
Great boxes. Fletch. I love your story. I guess you can be too rustic.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
piper
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89 posts in 975 days
posted 732 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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603 posts in 711 days
posted 695 days ago
Beautiful.
-- Jiri
rikkor
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11335 posts in 773 days
posted 695 days ago
I like your work, Alin.
woodyoda
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121 posts in 355 days
posted 347 days ago
Alin, really nice work…..what is the depth of these boxes? I’m trying to figure out why you need a 14” bandsaw….obviously, since I haven’t got my shop set up, I haven’t got my bandsaw yet. what depth does a 14 inch cut? I am also curious what you meant by an “eye” pattern. Yoda
dustygirl
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767 posts in 627 days
posted 347 days ago
Beautiful boxes.Thanks for the details on them.
-- Dustygirl..Hastings,Ontario.. How much wood can 1 gal chuck if 1 gal can't cut wood?