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I built this for my daughter's 3rd birthday. She recently dropped her piggy bank and broke it, and has just been dropping her money into a Tupperware bowl. My wife thought it would be a great idea for me to surprise her with a new bank. I knew right away that I wanted to do a magic box, so I found a couple (1) (2) on Lumberjocks that referenced a 1996 issue of American Woodworker. I made it a drawer instead of just a circle hole so that bills would be able to fit.

This is made from fir and walnut. I made the box 7×9x5", so it is pretty big and can hold lots of birthday money.

This is the first that I have ever used splines, and they came out pretty nice. I also wanted to tie the top and drawer in with the splines, so I made a walnut front for the drawer and tried my hands out on just a couple straight inlays on the top. I think it looks pretty nice for my first time. I was going to do a carve-out of her name on the lid, but didn't have time to do that. I will have to find another way to get her name on it (plaque or stickers maybe).

I finished it with 4 coats of Danish Oil followed by 4 coats of clear spray lacquer.

I see lots of room for improvement for myself, and am looking forward to making some more boxes in the future.

Gallery

Comments

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Nice job, simple clean lines and great contrast. I like it.
 

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Nice bank ! I like the walnut/fir contrast. The only "concern" I see with your design is that the wanut inlays in the top involve "cross grain construction", which likely won't be a problem here, but it's a good thing to think about it, especially on bigger pieces.
 

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MonteCristo - is the cross grain a problem for strength? It looks like straps here and adds a very cool touch. And of course, this is so small that strength would not be an issue. But this is an idea I can see taking larger where strength would matter.

Loren- I think she will get just about her entire college fund in there! Does she have to take the entire bottom off to pillage her savings? I like this a lot - and I could use a new bank. I might be taking this as inspiration :)
 

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Nice work, it looks very nice.
 

· In Loving Memory
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I like it. I recently posted 2 of these but I did the hole thing so bills won't fit :(
 

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Thanks for the comments!

I did think about the inlays on the lid for cross grain. I didn't have the right size boards to get my grain to match and the look that I wanted. I am hoping that since it is a small box that the expansion and contraction will be minimal.

The whole bottom has to come off to get to the money. I am hoping that it will be a huge deterrent to actually opening it up. I also thought about gluing the bottom on too and doing a hinged door on the back, but it was just simpler to screw the bottom on.
 

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Looks really good. You did a good job.
 

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Seen a couple of these lately. Gonna have to try one.
 

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Loren that is a great gift for your

wee Lassie.

Careful though, it looks as if it will

also take credit cards. :)

Jamie
 

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Very nice and definitely one I will try in the near future.
 

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Very nice present for her.Beautiful box
 

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I LOVE MAKING BOX PROJECTS THIS ONE LOOKS GREAT & WELL MADE, IM GONA TRY ONE
 

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very nice job. How do you get money out? I want to make one for my daughters also and this looks just right for them. Any more pics on the design?
 

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I don't have any more pictures of it. It is currently wrapped and waiting for my daughters birthday. The bottom is just screwed on, and is taken off in order to get the money out. The design of it can be found from the American Woodworker magazine, page 34. Link You can also follow the links I have in the description and read the comments on those projects and find links as well.
Thanks for looking
 

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Loren, this is a nice project. With current interest rates, this size looks about right. I like the simple lines and the decorative stripes. If the walnut works loose…glue it back. This is a box not a bridge. I especially like the idea of being able to use bills. Nice innovation.

Your corner splines look good. They will really help strengthen the box. A jig like this (click) will help you space them evenly along the sides. Here is a simple jig for making corner splines themselves. click Thanks for sharing your work with us and congratulations on your "Top Three" Keep boxing and keep posting.
 

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As long as your daughter doesn't figure out how to run your electric screwdriver, you are good to go!
 
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