Band saw box...is it that hard?

I like to use a 4tpi blade. Check out books on Amazon by Lois Ventura – good instructions. Youtube videos have their place but sometimes a good old fashioned book is better.

Also for a first box I would pick a design that has large sweeping turns and not sharp turns. Make sure your blade is properly tuned, blocks are properly set.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck.

-- "Our past judges our present." JFK - 1962; American Heritage Magazine

I’ve also been having trouble with my box testing. I don’t have a lot of time on the band saw. Been making some test boxes using some scrap construction 2×6 that I glued together. I’ve started getting better results with them by slowing way down on the turns and being sure to not try extremely tight turns, even with a small 1/8” blade.

My last couple of tests came out ok. I’m still searching for a design that I can pull off before I put more expensive wood to the test.

Make some blanks out of construction lumber and practice. Every one I screw up and throw in the trash my wife pulls it out and asks, “what did you throw this one away for?”.

Also, watch the tune up video by Alex Snodgrass, I think. Don’t be intimidated by how fast he cranks out a band saw box. Just pay attention to the tune up parts. And practice with scraps. Still practicing and having fun even when I trash it!

I recently started making band saw boxes and this is what I have learned: Design your patterns to have turns that have 3/4” radii. Remember that after cutting you will want to sand the inside of the box and the outside of the drawers and sanding tight turns is labor intensive. I use 1/4” wide bandsaw blades and have learned to feed the wood slowly. In order to reduce the inside sanding I also flock the inside of the box and the inside of the drawers. Makes for a smooth and quiet operation of the drawers. It also gives a good spacing of the drawers to the box that looks nice.

-- Website is https://craftingcouple.com/

I’m thinking my blade wasn’t adjusted right; Grizzly says the bearings should be touching the blade and I had them adjusted so they were barely against it. I did use the fence and the back of the box I attempted cut off nice and even; it’s the drawer where I had issues. I’m going to have some time this weekend and will try again; I’ll be glueing some scrap up today to make blanks I can practice on before I use better wood.

I usually use an 1/8” blade for BS boxes. You can make tight turns and the cut quality is better.

If you will be doing a lot of these consider an oscillating spindle sander. It will save you a lot of time in sanding.

Chuck: I picked up a Ridgid belt/spindle sander from CL. Still had the factory belt on it in pretty good shape. Runs great and I will use it when I finally get a finished box.

I may pick up a 1/8” blade once I get better with the saw.

Tom, I had much the same issues you did and I know my practice pieces sure helped me get a little better. I was using a lot of pine in my stuff. I was just to cheap to waste hardwoods. I’m thinking the pitch/resins it pine build up on the blades and add to the friction. I’m certain that the heat really leads to early metal fatigue. Combine that and twisting the blade in tight turns.. the weld separates. At least that’s were my issues were.

I borrowed a spindle sander from a friend and tried it in making the boxes pictured. I found that the hard rubber mandrel for the sanding sleeves to be too hard for my liking. I had trouble keeping the sanding smooth on the straight parts of the inside cuts . Ended up kinda’ wavy. I purchased a 1 1/2” pneumatic drum sander for my drill press and it works way better. No waviness and smoother curves. I returned the spindle sander to my friend.

-- Website is https://craftingcouple.com/

For a 1/4” blade, you can’t do much tighter than a 5/8” radius, and even that tight is kind of a PITA. The 3/4” radius curves Jim mentions is a good target size. If you want tighter curves, a smaller blade is needed, or you can use a stabilizer, which is how Alex gets those incredible turns in his bandsaw tune up video.

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

I was wondering what size blade you used to make the Locking Puzzle Bandsaw Box for your wife. Also, how did you do the cut to cut the lid for the inside box? Would a 1/8” blade on a 14” bandsaw do the job? What tpi? I’ve been usong 1/4 ” blades and don’t make really tight turns. Also, I take my time with the cuts so get pretty good results. Currently, I using up some ash logs that were killed by the emerald ash borer. It gives an interesting outside to the box once I take the bark off and clean the bettle mess.

I usually use an 1/8” blade for BS boxes. You can make tight turns and the cut quality is better.

If you will be doing a lot of these consider an oscillating spindle sander. It will save you a lot of time in sanding.

- ChuckC

I was wondering what size blade you used to make the Locking Puzzle Bandsaw Box for your wife. Also, how did you do the cut to cut the lid for the inside box? Would a 1/8” blade on a 14” bandsaw do the job? What tpi? I’ve been usong 1/4 ” blades and don’t make really tight turns. Also, I take my time with the cuts so get pretty good results. Currently, I using up some ash logs that were killed by the emerald ash borer. It gives an interesting outside to the box once I take the bark off and clean the bettle mess.

I usually use an 1/8” blade for BS boxes. You can make tight turns and the cut quality is better.

If you will be doing a lot of these consider an oscillating spindle sander. It will save you a lot of time in sanding.

- ChuckC

1/4” 6 tpi.

Can you give a little more info about the type of bandsaw you’re using?

I make and sell quite a few boxes through the gallery I am in and a few on my Etsy store, so I find myself making them a lot.
I use either a 1/8th or 3/16th blade for all the tight work.
I do all my drawer and body cutting on a Powermatic standard 14” bandsaw, with a 6” riser block, making my blade length 105”. Right now, it has a 1/8th” blade on it.

On my bigger Grizzly, where I keep nothing smaller than 1/2” all the time, sometimes 5/8”, I do the back cutting of the box body and front and back of the drawers, and resawing wood for other projects. Works out well and I can just keep going. My pinch point is I usually run out of smaller clamps when I glue up all the drawers and the bodies.

-- Tsunami Guitars and Custom Woodworking, Cleveland, TN

Thanks. I usually use a standard Powermatic 14” at school but there’s never anything narrower than a 1/4” blade on it since the kids will break them too easily. I may just buy my own 1/8th” blade (95”) and switch it out for the afternoon. Some day. I’ll have my own saw but for now, I have to use ones at my school.

Your finishes are beautiful!

-Byknchik, Manassas, VA