The Box

wow thats a great box. I agree how its hard to get the top and bottom to line up. with mine everything was all lined up and then i mortised for the hinges and it went off by about a 1/16 of an inch. From not on I always cut the top of boxes about a 1/8” to a 1/4” over and flush trim it. thanks for the post.

Nicely designed and built box, Russel. Don’t feel bad…I have the same issues with tops. :-)

My trick: After I install the hinges, if the lid is a bit out of line with the rest of the box, just sand all four sides flush with the lid attached. Even if that causes the whole box to be slightly out of square, it will be much less noticible than the top not fitting the sides.

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

Gorgeous box Russel. I love the inlay and lining.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

It happens to all of us Russel. There is less glued surface in the top section. One question … does the grain line up in the top and bottom ? It doesn’t look it from here. That’s how I have been known to screw mine up. Turn the top 180 degrees so it’s bass ackwards. That will do it every time.

BUT that is one beautiful box. I got my start making humidors. How is that locking miter joint? I’ve always wanted to try one. Thank you for sharing that beautiful work.

-- Odie, Confucius say, "He who laughs at one's self is BUTT of joke".

Russel,

That is a beautiful box. And I love the cherry inlay.

Thanks for the post. I enjoyed looking at this one.

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

Been there done that.

Great looking box though!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Nice box. Love the inlay in the lid.

-- Bob

A very nice piece of work! if you don’t mind sharing a bit of info, would you post the dimensions of the box?

-- Scott1942

Thanks for the looks and comments guys.

Charlie, I thought about sanding the sides, but I don’t have a sander wide enough and I was afraid that if I didn’t do the whole width, I’d end up making it look worse. Previous fixes on other projects have not always been successful.

Odie, I thought I had the grain lined up, but looking at it closer, apparently I don’t. I was careful to have the grain go around the box, but when I cut the top off I obviously forgot that it should stay matched with the bottom.

Scott, the box outside dimensions are 11” x 9” x 5”. The walnut is 5/8” thick and the cedar is 1/4”.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Here is where I get my stash of cigars. Nice looking humidor.

-- Richard http://www.LearnFineCrafts.com

Russel, If you make the top separate, that is, not cutting off the lid from the whole box, mounting a liner that is slightly higher than than inside of the lower part of the box, then it helps to line up the lid. Now, if you glue up all six sides and then cut off the lid from the whole box, the lid still matches the box, the only problem then is the hinges. As long as your lid isn’t too heavy, knife hinges work great. A thin kerf in made and the hinges are inserted in the grooves. If it is heavy the only way to get a good fit is with a good and accurate mortice jig. Nice box and thanks for posting.

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford.

Nice Russ. I have been curious about trying locked miters. Can you tell us a little more about your inlay process?

-- Total Freakin Newbie

Bradford, I thought about making the lining a little taller. Of course I thought about it after I lined the box. I’m a bit behind the curve that way.

Spaids, the lock miter took a bit to set up but once I got it right it was a beautiful thing. The inlay was quite simple … I cut some grooves with a 3/8” dado blade and then sanded down some cherry strips until they fit.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

I really like effect of the inlay on the box.

The router workshop episode on boxes has a very helpful approach to getting a tight fitting lid by running a groove that was half the thickness around the inside edges prior to glue up. Leave the bit set up in place but move the fence forward by the depth of the lip you want and then run the groove around the outside of the glued up box. Off pops the lid and you are good to go. I will post a sample in a day or two.

This method works for lift off lids obviously, may not be as relevant for hinged boxes.

-- Shawn, I ask in order to learn

This would make a nice humidor. I like the inlay you did in the top. Did you find it difficult to set up that lock miter bit? I have thought about using one of those.

-- Dust collectors suck.

Shawn, that’s an interesting approach and I think I’ll give it a try on my next box.

Blake, the miter bit was tedious to set up, but not complex. Basically, you visually align the middle groove part of the bit with the center of the board. Then route both boards flat on the table. Flip one board and put the two together. If you have a smooth joint, then you’re aligned. If not, then adjust the bit up or down half the distance that the two joints are out of flat. I think the hardest part was setting the fence so that the proper depth was cut. But, once I got the bit set, not only did it work like a charm, but I now have a template to use the next time I use the bit, providing I use the same thickness board.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Great box. I’m always amazed at how many ways I can mess up a small box. I’ve got one in process now that is requiring some creative inlay and such to hide some blatant “uh-ohs”. Let’s just say that picking the right biscuit is a pretty good idea. :)

-- Jeff, South Carolina

russel
That is a beautiful box.

-- jeanmarc manosque france