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This is my entry for the single, multi-purposed 2×4 contest. This box is constructed from one construction grade 2×4x8' SPF (Southern Pine Fir) that was on sale for $1.97 at our local big box lumber yard. There were several funny things about the 2×4. First, it wasn't straight. It had about a 1" gradual bow over its entire length and had been passed up many times as others had picked through the lumber pile. Despite the bow it was nearly perfect. It only had one little knot, which was soild and tight, plus it was this creamy white color, not the typical yellow hue. I took it home and started on the plans. I had this concept in mind for a while, but for a much larger piece of furniture so I had to scale the idea way down. Once I had figured the overall shape/size, I then worked out a cutting diagram for the 2×4 to see if I could really get all the parts. It turned out short, so I had to scale my concept down even further. I ended up rescaling the whole idea once again when I found out my 2×4 which should have been 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" was really 1/8" less than that in each dimension. Once I knew I could make it work then I started cutting/resawing/planing/sanding to get the basic parts. The legs are a tapered bent lamination consisting of 4 layers that taper from just strong of 3/16 to 1/8" over thier length. I accomplished the taper by using my 16" disc sander and a fence I constructed. I made two bending/clamping forms from MDF and lined them with cork. I used plastic resin glue to adhere the lamination layers. The sides of the case are glued up panels that were resawn and bookmatched and are approx 3/8" thick. The back panel is bookmatched also, but is only approx 3/16" thick. The base and top are roughly 3/8" thick. and were glued up bookmatches as well. The door rails and stiles are 1" wide and just under 1/2" thick. The door panel is just strong of 1/8" thick and was bookmatched as well and is captured into the door rails/stiles by a 1/8" wide by 3/8" deep dado. The flairs on the top were shaped using a small panel raising bit in a router table. The flairs and the main part of the top were joined with a 1/8" spline, 1/4" wide cut from some thin strips left over during resawing. The sides of the flairs taper at 20+ degrees to continue the flow of the legs. The strecthers between the legs are 3/8" thick and roughly 1/2" wide. The legs and the door panel were colored using a combination of blonde shellac tinted with TransTint Bordeaux color. I wanted to mimic the deep red color of Bloodwood. The entire case was then sprayed with several coats of Watco gloss laquer. All that was left over from the 2×4 is a single little 1"x1" square about 1/16" thick along with a bunch of planer shavings and sawdust. I ended up working in millimeters most of the project due to the size and thickness of the joints. The overall size of the box is 17-3/4" tall by 15" wide x 8" deep. This was a fun project that really kept me on my toes since there was no room to make a mistake or make test pieces to cut.

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Comments

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1,236 Posts
Great design. Great work.
 

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Wow! Amazing what you saw inside a humble 2×4. Great luck on both of the contests… because you are entering it in both, aren't you?
 

· In Loving Memory
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Pretty cool! Nice design.
 

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Amazing that this came from the 2×4 Rich. A marvellous achievement in what's turning out to be a really great competition.
 

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Fantastic! When this is over I hope someone puts together a slide show of all the projects. I think it would be jaw-dropping.
 

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Not only was it construction grade 2×4 it was everyone else's reject!

This comes close to making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
 

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A very impressive piece of work. It's beautiful the size it is and I can imagine how impressive it would be at full scale. Very cool.
 

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and the bar gets raised again. Nice work Rich!
 

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Boy who needs exotic lumber anymore, lets all just use 2×4'S, Great work and design,,,,,EXCELLANT!!!
 

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unbelievable.

I'm picturing the misfit 2×4 waiting and waiting and waiting to be selected and taken home to be made into something. I see its sad reaction as it is tossed aside, over and over and over again.. And then the pride it felt when it was finally chosen and taken home. I can hear it saying "I am going to give 120% to this project. I'm going to be the best 2×4 there ever was." You have done it proud!! Stunning.
 

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The design of the box is just great and the staining/finishing work is stunning. As I have said with each of these projects- I will never look at a 2×4 in the same light again.

Kudos for the posting. This is really a beautiful project.
 

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You saved it! That little misfit 2X4 so sad in the pile of better lumber at the big box store. You brought it home and gave is a beautiful new life as a stunning new box that all the other 2X4's envied. "Sniff" What a wonderful story. "LMAO" Seriously a fantastic design and you have great insight to see a use for an old bent 2X4 like that, not to mention the planning and great execution. Great entry.
 

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Outstanding! Excellent design and resourcefulness. this should be a winner.
 

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WOW!
Truly a fantastic job.
I am humbled by your craftsmanship and the finish is extraordinaire.
 

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Unbelievable, that's just beautiful
 

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this is about as nice as it gets
 

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This piece conveys a sense of movement…..of life.Very good use of contrasting colors and lines.This is the result of a lot of planning and a very creative mind.Well done Rich.

This shows what is hiding in our wall studs, begging to get out.
 

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I'll be darned if I can figure out where some of you guys are finding so much wood in a 2×4!
 

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Gosh, that's wonderful!

I thought it would be unlikely that one project could win both categories until now.
 

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I was very surprised too in the end at how much wood can be in a 2×4! It gave me a whole new appreciation for how much wood I've probably wasted in all the other projects I've built. The whole key was thin kerfs. Lots of bandsaw work to resaw and rip pieces to width followed by extremely light passes on the jointer and planer (1mm or less) to joint and face pieces. Crosscutting and making the little tennons on the end of the door rails was done on my crosscut sled on the table saw. I got really lucky with this 2×4 in that 1) the store kept all their lumber inside a heated building so it was dry and didn't move all over the place after I cut it and 2) a lot of its grain ran perpendicular to the faces. When I was staring at the pile of lumber at the store this piece was laying on the top front of the bunk with a bunch of other pieces that had pitch pockets, some wane and bark on the edges, etc. Initially I passed it up as I started to dig through the pile but came back to it because it looked pretty good despite the bow.
 
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