One of my first boxes

Nice first attempt. I hope my first attempt comes out half as well.

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

Very nice box Charlie. A very good first attempt.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Hi Charlie -

This is a real nice box, first attempt or not. A couple of tips based upon what you said.

1. Edge routing a channel in thin bowed stock can be done if you take the bow out. On small pieces, clamp the thin stick between two thick pieces to straighten it. Then cut your channel. When you glue and clamp the bowed piece it should set up straight. Routing “on the flat” can be accomplished in similar fashion if you cut your blank about 1” oversized and glue the 1” boarder to a flat piece of scrap. After you cut your channel, simply cut the glued-up border off with your table saw.

2. If this is the first time you used the PC jig, I’m sure you carefully went through the manual step by step. However, its going to take a few uses to really understand it’s geometry and adjustments. And a few more uses before it really becomes intuitive. My first jig was a PC. And I bought it thinking I would learn from it before I invested in a higher priced variable spacing jig. Then after about 6 months of working with the PC, and after really understanding what the jig was doing, and the geometry involved, the lightbulb went on! You CAN cut variable sized and spaced dovetails and fingerjoints with the stock PC, even though it’s not designed to do it. And you can also cut board lengths in excess of the width of the jig”. I never found the need to buy a more expensive jig.

If you like, I can put together a long winded e-mail explaining the procedure. But a telephone call would work much better. I can give you my contact information, if you like. Same offer for any other PC jig owners out there.

-- Bob

Bob, thanks a lot for the tips and the lesson offer. I might take you up on it when the time comes. If you tell me too much now, I’ll forget by the time the project comes along. :-) I have figured out a lot about the jig since I built this box a couple of years ago. Like you, I haven’t felt a need to buy one of the more expensive adjustable jigs. I remember how pleased I was with myself when I finally got to the point where I could lay out the four sides of a box and intuitively know how to put them in the jig without scratching my head for a while!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Nice work, Charlie!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

That’s pretty nice for a first attempt, Charlie. No wonder they look so good now.
Tom

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Charlie, that’s a box to be proud of. It has a vey nice look to it. Well done!!!!

-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"

Charlie, I know that you already know I just love small wooden boxes – first attempt – WOW – you will never see my first attempt – I used it to warm my house by way of the fireplace. LOL

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

Great first effort. I’m on my fourth effort. The first three or in tyhe burn pile.

Thanks, Everybody!

You will notice the title is ”One of my first boxes.” There are a few others gathering dust or storing nails in my garage. You will never see those.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Charlie, I really like this box. I think the hardware accents. I really like it.

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

Charlie, this came up in rotation, and it is a beautiful box! If you don’t mind, I might try to do a rough copy of it to store chess pieces.

-- North Texas

That’s a great lookin’ box Charlie!...

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

Hi Charlie,

This was archived long before I came on board but I am glad it came up on my list. This is a nice box and the inlay adds a lot of visual interest to it.

Thanks for the inspiration.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.