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Project Information







Overview
Dimensions: 6 ¾" x 10 15/16" x 4.5"
Materials: Cherry, Brass
Finish: Boiled Linseed Oil
Interior: Two removable trays, each with 4 sections
Top: Basket weave
Hinges: Cherry
Inspirations: Shaker, Fibonacci

The design of the box and materials were inspired by the simplicity of traditional Shaker furniture and boxes. The wooden hinges and clean lines reflect this influence.

The hidden influence used in this design is a mathematical formula known as the Golden Mean or Fibonacci Numbers. This formula quite literally is the math behind the art. Leonardo of Pisa (aka Fibonacci) was an Italian mathematician back in the 1200s. He developed a sequence of numbers that are found to occur in nature in an almost eerie frequency. The sequence is simple, add the two previous number to get the next number. Here is an example:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233…

0 + 1 = 1
1 + 1 = 2
1 + 2 = 3
3 + 2 = 5
3 + 5 = 8

Why is this important? Nature has found that in many cases the most efficient configurations or forms are consistent with these numbers. So what does this have to do with design and art? Our brains tend to find things designed around the ratios of these numbers to be pleasing, therefore, artists for centuries have intentionally designed paintings, buildings, music, and other art forms around these ratios. A quick example is in photography. Have you ever heard of the "rule of thirds"? This "rule" states that you should try to set up your subjects, horizons, and other focal points along a set of imaginary lines in the picture. The lines divide the picture in thirds vertically and horizontally. The reason, because a perfectly centered subject is not as pleasing to the eye as one that is slightly off center. A picture may help here:



The picture is divided into 9 rectangles. The camera is positioned to have major objects along the imaginary lines. Again this rule is in place to help make the image more pleasing to the eye. So, how do we get from the Fibonacci string to rule of thirds and then to a basket top box? The picture below is a rectangle that has squares in it that are the numbers in the sequence above 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8. The entire rectangle is 8 units x 13 units (13 is the next number in the sequence). The dividing line between the 8 square and the rest of the squares is dividing the entire 8×13 rectangle into 1/3rd and 2/3rds.



So now we are starting to connect nature to math. You can see the nautilus shell has the same spiral pattern as the Fibonacci squares. You will see the same thing in many flowers, pine cones, ferns, shells, claws, etc in nature.
Now, lets discuss the connection to the box and design in general. Lets start with the inner trays. You will notice that they are similar to the picture above with the progressively smaller boxes. In this design the smaller 1, 1, boxes were omitted because they would be too small to be functional. Next lets look at the overall size of the box. The Fibonacci ratio is 1.618. This is the average of the change from one number in the sequence to the other. For example, the diagram above was 8 units x 13 units. If we take 8 and multiply it by 1.618 we get 12.944 or approximately 13. The wood box dimensions are 6.75" x 10.94". If we take 6.75" and multiply it by 1.618 we get 10.92". So the box is close to a perfect "Golden Rectangle"

Lastly, let's look at the basket weave. The frame around the top is 1" wide. Lets change that 1" to quantity (8) 1/8ths of an inch. In keeping with the Fibonacci sequence, we want to use things that are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13… In this case, the strips of veneer in the basket are 2/8", 3/8", 5/8", and the frame is 8/8". The vertical strips are all 5/8" wide. The horizontal pattern is:


Hopefully, this explanation above was helpful. The subject matter is a difficult one to explain without going too technical. Below are some additional links to look at that help with the explanation. A search for Fibonacci, Golden mean, Golden ratio, or Phi, will all result in a long list of information. The last link is a basket weaver that uses Fibonacci in her baskets and even has a book out on the subject.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonaccinumber
http://www.world-mysteries.com/sci17.htm
http://www.brsbasket.com/statement2.html

Gallery

Comments

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That's a really beautiful box. Great craftsmanship. I love those wood hinges and the woven top. I like to use the Golden ratio in my designs. Thanks for all the extra info that I didn't know. Good post.
 

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Ok, that's a really cool lid design. Your design follow-through (i.e. the actual construction of said lid) was really on par, too. (No need to mention the tight miters and great hinge construction, is there?)

The whole package is very toit (toit like a tiger!).

But how did you get the box to FLOAT like that??
 

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I've seen many boxes here on LJ but this one is a real standout, love the basketweave. Thanks for sharing.
 

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The box is great, wood hinges are something that I need to try. Way to go with the Golden Mean, it's a grest story behind the box.
 

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This is a gorgeous box. I am a fan of anything made from cherry. I love the wooden hinges as well.

thanks for sharing.
 

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Great box and fascinating lesson.
 

· In Loving Memory
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3,873 Posts
Great box. The top and hinges are really great.
 

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Great looking box -

Does it have some sort of foot or base, or did you prop it up for the picture?
 

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179 Posts
FANtastic Box- unique hinge design and the weave top is outstanding - excellent post very informative with a great project!
 

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86 Posts
Really nice box, well proportioned (as you intended) and a very pleasant colour and finish.
 

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291 Posts
Great looking box and excellent comments on the golden ratio! Does it have hidden keys in the miters for extra strength?

God Bless,
Hawg
 

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That is just nice on so many levels. Thanks for the math tutorial, too.
 

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Thanks for this info and great box work. Very useful and appreciated.
 

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309 Posts
Very nice. Can we get as detailed an explanation on how to prepare, weave and finish the top now?
Thanks for sharing this very cool box.
 

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295 Posts
Everything about the box is class by itself but the mathematical explaination dominates the show. Fantastic.
We will now look at objects with a different angle.
Sharad
 

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This is beautiful. I have used Fibonacci Numbers for some of my boxes in the past. It does usually make for a really nicely proportioned box. I saw this and said, 'wow, that's really nice.' Your explanation of the careful planning explains the reaction.

But it's not just the proportions which make this box sweet… your execution is flawless, and you've incorporated some really outstanding details. Those wood hinges are tight and small. Just the right size to show the care and craftsmanship you put into this piece without saying "HEY LOOK, I CAN MAKE WOODEN HINGES!!!"

The basket weave top is so cool. You don't see that very often and I guess I would have had to see it to believe that it would be a good idea. But you really made it work, especially the way you down-played the figure of the sides. The gently-sloping grain of the subtle cherry was the perfect choice to let the overall design and basket-lid do the talking. In other words, some crazy exotic wood on the sides would have been tacky here.

You made all the right choices. This is really sophisticated, timeless and beautiful. Thanks for the detailed post and great photography. Favorited.
 

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Wow,
Thanks for all the kind comments. I will answer some of the questions and give some backstory on the actual build.

The box is propped up in the pictures. I wanted to show the grain all the way down to the bottom of the box and wanted what is called a "drop shadow" The light tent that I used is actually too small for this box. You can learn more about the photography in the blog I started today:
Taking better pictures

The design for this box came from a couple of different places. There is a progression. My first attempt at a nice box was for a customers/friends at NATO. I made a pen box with the NATO emblem on the top.


Well while working on the NATO box I realized that I could weave the veneers easily and I made up a little 4"x4" weave of cherry and maple veneers. My wife loved the box and saw the weave and wanted her box to have the weave on the top. I tried my best to make this work on the "raised panel" type of top I had but the edges didnt work as well as I wanted. I told myself I would build another box with the top a bit more refined. You can see the progression from the NATO box to this one.


So next when I renovated the living room of my c1735 house this summer I used shaker furniture to decorate. I "cheated" and got the furniture unassembled and unfinished here: Shaker Workshops

Here is a picture of the table and candle stand style floor lamp in my newly renoved living room.


I loved the look of the cherry and wanted to make a box out of cherry. So the cherry and the weave came together.

The wood is a beautiful piece of quartersawn cherry that I picked up at a local Rockler store. I really tried my best to wrap the grain around the corners as perfectly as possible and I am really happy with the way it came out. I initally had a plan to make the top sit inside the rabbet in the top of the box walls but I was concerned that the space left for the weave would be too small. Now the rabbet just looks like it was designed that way for the hinges.

The corners have a loose tenon like a biscuit in them that I routed into place using my benchtop milling machine. I could have used another tool but I love the control I get with that thing.


The trays were made using a dado blade on the table saw

I had seen wooden hinges on a number of boxes and really loved the look of them. I fugured that the Shakers would be the type to make wooden hinges so I gave it a shot. It took me 6 hours to make the hinges but I am so happy with them. I just wish I had decided to go with the wooden ones before I went to Rockler and bought the expensive brass ones. Oh well, I can use them on the next box. If I were to make the hinges again I coule probably make them in quantity and make a dozen in an hour or so.

The top was actually really really easy. I drew the design on autocad, then I printed out the pattern 1 to 1 scale, I used spray glue to stick it to a 1/4" thk piece of MDF. I then drilled holes for alignment posts, cut the veneer with a rotary paper cutter, and weaved the pattern. The actual weaving takes about 5 minutes and is very simple with the posts. The key step here is to sand the edges of all the similar pieces at the same time and to put the finish on before you start weaving.

In the picture below I put the center piece in, the posts numbered #1 and all the horizontal pieces of veneer. I would then slide in another piece of veneer from the edge and hold it in place with an alignment pin. All the pins are just snug so I can easilly add/remove them as needed. Once the whole lattice is in place I used a little CA to lock the pattern together. Be careful with the CA because it will make the cherry shiny. You need to lock the pieces together somewhere that will be embedded in the frame later.

I wanted the inside of the weave to be a single piece of veneer so I used the spray glue again and laminated the weave to the solid piece of veneer. The frame dado was cut to allow for this laminated panel to slide in and move if necessary. It is really snug and does not need/should not use glue.



I am making another box almost exactly like this one that has another cool twist. Stay tuned for that one.

I wrote up the fibonacci text above because I was thinking of submitting to one of the woodworking magazines. Now I need to polish the how to and finish the article.

Tim
 

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Wow… Thanks for the explanation. I would request, if I may, two things:

1) How did you make the weave?
2) Did you make the hinges? If so, how?
 

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1. The weave is made of cherry veneer. I cut the veneer with a Fiskas rotary paper cutter (My wife is a scrapbooker and she does not know I used it) I cut all the pieces to size, sanded them stacked together, and then applied two coats of boiled linseed oil. From there I used the jig above. I put the center piece in with the 4 pins labeled #1. Then I put the horizontal pieces in alternating over/under. Then I would slide the next piece in from the side (with the horizontal pieces passing over the board in the opposite configuration as the center board). Once I got it into location I put the pins in to lock it in place.

2. The hinges - I did the hinges by rabgeting the edge of a board (for the thin section where the screws are) Then I used a scroll saw to separate out the pieces and create the lobes of the hinge. If I were to do it again (and I am sure I will) I would rabbet the board for the thin section, I would then use my box joint jig to create the lobes of the hinge, then I would rip the board to width and finally I would use a japanese backsaw in a wood miter box to separate the pieces. A template for drilling the holes and Voila we have a hinge factory.

I am building another one of these boxes in the next 2-3 weeks. I will take more pictures of the weave and hinge process.

Tim
 

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Beautiful looking box. Great detail and explanation on how to. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom
 
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