| Project by MsDebbieP | posted 250 days ago | 1260 views | 1 time favorited | 50 comments | ![]() |
The Learning Curve
After several difficulties with several routers I decided that there is more than one way to do what I want to do and I don’t have to use motorized equipment!
A trip to Lee Valley resulted in the purchase of a Router Plane (against the advice of the salesman who thought I should stick to an electric router).
So the plane came home and after a brief practice with the tool I thought I’d better make something with it to show that it was a good investment.
My woodworking skills and experience are limited but I (fortunately) don’t have the perfectionist gene when it comes to my hobby and so there was no pressure to create a piece of treasured art.
The Process
I did a quick search of wood pieces lying around and tried to find something for the lid that would fit the 1/4” or 1/2” width of the plane blade without having to do too much problem-solving.
I found a piece of Aromatic Cedar (perfect thickness for the dado I would be making) and some walnut which would be great to make the rest of the box.
I cut the pieces of wood to make a medium-sized box. I wasn’t too particular about the size. I just wanted to practice making a dado. (In hindsight a little more thought would have been good as the box is quite shallow and I’m not quite sure what I’m going to store in it!) For the lid, I cut my cedar to keep a raw edge and a little twig for the handle.
Next, I set the mitre saw to cut the depth/edges of the dado. I then used a little dollar-store chisel to knock out most of the wood in the dado and then brought out the plane. Since the wood pieces were so small I couldn’t use clamps, so I just made a wood stop for the pieces to rest up against and off I went. It didn’t take long to get the feel of it and I swooshed off the excess wood and I think the results are pretty darned good.
Next, I had to put the box together and out came the DowelMax. Again, with a few “hmmm’s” and a few “doh’s” I figured out the how and where’s and I was soon putting the pieces together.
Since the lid just slides in and out, I decided to add a rare earth magnet to the box / lid to make sure it stayed closed and the treasured contents (whatever they might be) would be safe inside if the box should fall.
A wipe down with some wipe-on poly and that was it – a box with a sliding lid.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Your Online Shop - Your Support Is Greatly Appreciated - Your Woodworking Showcase - 3 Ways To Help, Financially - Your Woodworking Community

























50 comments so far
jockmike2
home | projects | blog
3830 posts in 637 days
posted 250 days ago
Not bad me lady, not bad at all. keep on keepin on. Actually I wish I had one in my kit. mike
-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com
Bill
home | projects | blog
2508 posts in 552 days
posted 250 days ago
Well done Debbie! It looks like the dado came out really smooth and the right size.
I bet there will be more boxes now.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
miles125
home | projects | blog
837 posts in 396 days
posted 250 days ago
I like it! Great use of materials at hand.
-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""
SPalm
home | projects | blog
658 posts in 273 days
posted 250 days ago
Good for you. I like the handle.
You didn’t do dis dado in Dallas, did you Debbie?
Steve
-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon
Jeff
home | projects | blog
941 posts in 485 days
posted 250 days ago
Way to go Debbie! I’d say it was a triumph. I agree, the dado looks quite smooth and square.
-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN
CharlieM1958
home | projects | blog
3538 posts in 609 days
posted 250 days ago
That’s a nice looking dado! And the box looks like it is the right size to keep your passport in. You need a good place since you are such a world traveller these days.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
jpw1995
home | projects | blog
347 posts in 689 days
posted 250 days ago
Way to think outside the box while cutting a dado inside the box. I’m not sure that makes any sense, but very nice job! I have to admit that this is the first router plane I’ve seen. It looks like it works great. Did you enjoy using it?
-- JP, Shelbyville, KY
Max
home | projects | blog
4905 posts in 664 days
posted 250 days ago
Great job. I really like the use of the limb for the handle. That is pretty inventive!!!!! And that Dado is really great.
-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT
Bill
home | projects | blog
2508 posts in 552 days
posted 250 days ago
I think you should add pictures of your router plane as well. Give us more tools to admire.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 250 days ago
thanks everyone.
(haha Debbie Does Dadoes in Dallas..)

The plane was fun to use – a lot less stressful than the routers from you-know-where!
here’s a pix of the plane.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Dadoo
home | projects | blog
1398 posts in 381 days
posted 250 days ago
Nice box Debbie! I really like the handle too. But you should realize that by adding a rare earth magnet you might find that some of your gold chains are not gold at all! “And then she took an axe, he was sleeping so peacefully…”
-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!
Calgirl
home | projects | blog
188 posts in 286 days
posted 250 days ago
Well Miss Debbie,
Cute, aeromatic boxes with unique handles have a way of multiplying. Seems to me that your box is a great place to store old coins and stamps from grandma’s old love letters in the attic!
Nice job on the dado’s proving your new tool was a good investment.
-- Forget the health food, I need all the preservatives I can get !
Russel
home | projects | blog
1027 posts in 330 days
posted 250 days ago
Very cool. I’ve looked at these router planes and thought they might be fun and now after reading and seeing what you’ve done, I think I might just take the plunge.
-- If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a darn fool about it.
dennis mitchell
home | projects | blog
2802 posts in 705 days
posted 250 days ago
“Just a box. Any box” Quote from some newbie, somewhere in the far distant pass. That is not just any box! I’m going to steal that live handle design and call it a dennis original.
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 250 days ago
I was going to title it “just a box” but changed my mind.
I thought you might comment on it :)
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
dennis mitchell
home | projects | blog
2802 posts in 705 days
posted 250 days ago
I just might at that!
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
Bwillie
home | projects | blog
103 posts in 497 days
posted 250 days ago
Love this box!
-- ICN, Bill, (http://www.beavercreekfitness.com)
Thos. Angle
home | projects | blog
3246 posts in 353 days
posted 250 days ago
Atta boy, girl!!! Huh? that’s handy dandy handle on a little bitty boxey.
-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon
WayneC
home | projects | blog
5693 posts in 488 days
posted 250 days ago
Very nice. I would say the Veritas small plow plane should be next on your list.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Douglas Bordner
home | projects | blog
2261 posts in 455 days
posted 250 days ago
But not just a box with legs. Go Girl! Your a boxhound fer shure.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
cajunpen
home | projects | blog
5256 posts in 457 days
posted 250 days ago
Very nice box MsDebbie – I like it. I like the dado that you cut – Thanks for teasing me with YET ANOTHER plane that I want to buy. I see that Wayne has already selected on for me :-)).
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
scottb
home | projects | blog
2742 posts in 718 days
posted 250 days ago
Great box!
What kind of salesman tried to talk someone out of a handtool purchase? – one that might lead to more and more planes being sold? was he thinking of the commission on all the router bits you’d be picking up? Inevitably you finished those dadoes faster (or just as fast) as you could have with setting up the electric router. – oh and you didn’t wake the neighbors or spend a penny on electricity!
Way to kick it old school!
-- The opposite of war isn't peace. It's creation. -- Wood T's: http://www.printfection.com/snbcreative
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 249 days ago
thanks everyone:)
and what will that plow plane enable me to do?
Scott, the gentleman, after I couldn’t answer most of his questions about what I would be doing, assumed (correctly) that my woodworking abilities were quite limited and that I’d be better off waiting for Rick to come home and use the router for me, than for me to waste a chunk of cash on a tool that I’d rarely use.
Letting Rick do the dadoes for me is of course an option but then I couldn’t say that I made the box myself… so .. not a good option for me. Thus, the investment.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Roger Strautman
home | projects | blog
482 posts in 524 days
posted 249 days ago
What kind of $ do you have on this type of artwork? Very nice Debbie!
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
Dekker
home | projects | blog
139 posts in 271 days
posted 249 days ago
Nice design for the box, with a great lid! Nicely implemented, with very clean dado – Goes to show hand-tools don’t sacrifice quality, they only require an investment in sweat equity.
-- Dekker - http://www.WoodworkDetails.com/
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 249 days ago
$$$ / art
you make me smile, Rog!
Dekker, and the hand tools relieves the stress level for me… I’m beginning to hate power tools. lol
(well, except my mitre saw and my drill).
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
herbr
home | projects | blog
135 posts in 459 days
posted 249 days ago
nice box-great dado smooth and clean. A nice way to cut dado`s I wasn`t aware of
-- Spread love with our work
shaun
home | projects | blog
356 posts in 296 days
posted 249 days ago
Now that’s pretty sweet there Ms. Deb.
-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!
mski
home | projects | blog
171 posts in 371 days
posted 249 days ago
Great Job!!! Love the handle lid, I love those Planes, never used one I like just looking at them.
-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL
RobS
home | projects | blog
1000 posts in 697 days
posted 249 days ago
Very creative and unique, two of my favorite qualities…Great job Ms. Debbie!
-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX
WayneC
home | projects | blog
5693 posts in 488 days
posted 249 days ago
The plow plane is another way to make grooves in wood quickly. It has a set of blades that make grooves of various widths.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Chip
home | projects | blog
1052 posts in 483 days
posted 249 days ago
Great piece Deb. As others have mentioned, I think the handle idea is especially nice. Terrific photos too.
-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.
Karson
home | projects | blog
11555 posts in 791 days
posted 249 days ago
Debbie. A great box and a great way to create it. You are advancing in leaps and bounds. Do you also wear tights, while leaping and bounding?
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
Don
home | projects | blog
2585 posts in 568 days
posted 249 days ago
Hey, Deb, I just have to give this box my blessing – like the natural handle, but just love the small wooden box from an overall perspective.
Is this the first time you’ve used the DowelMax? I purchased mine at the same time you did, but have only used it three times. Great tool, though.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/
Andy
home | projects | blog
296 posts in 299 days
posted 248 days ago
Very nice box Debbie!
There is something very satisfying about using hand tools.The peace and quiet and the connection we have with the wood.Also,its nice to have a backup plan when the power is out.Thanks for encouraging us to view things from an old perspective.
-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY
mot
home | projects | blog
4831 posts in 427 days
posted 248 days ago
I agree with Wayne. I think you’d make good use of the plow plane for cutting rabbets and grooves.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 248 days ago
thanks everyone :)
DowelMax: I’ve used it many times. Love it!
The Cape: I had to put it away while working in the shop – safety hazard, you know.
Plow Plane: I might have to save up for one and then go check it out.
Chip: and the box is made with Walnut !!!
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Bill
home | projects | blog
2508 posts in 552 days
posted 248 days ago
Nice to see you bought the larger router plane. I foresee many more boxes with dadoos in the future.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
YorkshireStewart
home | projects | blog
571 posts in 292 days
posted 248 days ago
Debbie, you said: ”so there was no pressure to create a piece of treasured art.” But I think that’s exactly what you’ve done. Well, I suppose the treasuring is up to you but I’d certainly do that. I love it to bits. And it doesn’t need to hold anything. You can just put it on your desk and enjoy it.
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.
Tony
home | projects | blog
520 posts in 421 days
posted 248 days ago
Nice to see people using hand tools and traditional methods for making things – much more satisfying than a machine, but sometimes it takes longer. Have fun
-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 247 days ago
thanks :)
It is currently sitting on the bottom shelf of my daughter’s table that I made her.
as for time spent: I would probably STILL be trying to get the dadoes made using the router. ... so the hand tool is much faster!
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Dorje
home | projects | blog
1695 posts in 388 days
posted 247 days ago
Debbie – I like it! What are the overall dimensions – approximately?
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 246 days ago
you are asking me a measurement question?? :)
um… about 6” wide, 4” deep and 3” high…
or there abouts. give or take a couple of inches here and there.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Dorje
home | projects | blog
1695 posts in 388 days
posted 246 days ago
What a perfect size!~
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 245 days ago
coulda been a little higher…
but.. it’s holding some rings right now ..and they fit nicely
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Lee A. Jesberger
home | projects | blog
2093 posts in 370 days
posted 245 days ago
Hi Debbie,
Once again, great job. Piece by piece, step by step, viola, your a cabinetmaker. At least that’s what happened to me.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Blake
home | projects | blog
1811 posts in 265 days
posted 237 days ago
This is a very cool box! I just came across it on the home page. I love the natural top. And great use of hand tools, not many people have the guts to use a router plane.
-- Dust collectors suck.
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 237 days ago
oh. that must be why the salesman tried to talk me out of buying it. :)
thanks Blake for the kind words about the box.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
bigb
home | projects | blog
5 posts in 148 days
posted 148 days ago
Ain’t handtools grand?? Quiet and no dust control needed…thanks for sharing..tho in picture, it first looked like a hot dog for a handle!!!! First looks, sometimes great fun!!!
-- Turn & turn somemore
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
10984 posts in 551 days
posted 148 days ago
Yes I do have to say that I’m preferring hand tools over the electric ones.
haha you have to be careful with thumbnails. = sometimes you miss the grandest of things because you can’t see what is really there.
And the, there are times that you wish you had just stuck with the thumbnail and your imagination :) haha
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)