Box Lid

Get Doug Stowe’s book on boxes… it is a treasure trove of information… he also has a DVD that is invaluable in box making.

-- Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Fine Woodworking online has a box-making video workshop. The box Matt Kenney makes has a floating top. He does so by routing slots (with a 1/8” bit) near the top on the inside faces of the box sides as well as slots around the edges of the top. He also separates the box from the lid by table-sawing just under the thickness of the sides and then separating with a hand saw.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/box-making-video/

If you’re not a subscriber to FWW online, sign up for their 14 day free trial so you can watch the series. Though Matt is a little bit of a handtool freak and enjoys “challenges,” the box-making workshop should definitely answer your questions.

-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.

Groove the inside of the box pieces say 1/4” down from the top edge at a depth of maybe half the thickness of the parts. Make the groove wide enough to fit your panel or shaped edge of panel. When you miter the parts and assemble them, put the panel in the groove. You might want to prefinish it to keep it from getting glued in. It should have a little clearance on the ends and a little more on the sides for wood movement.

Is that what you mean by a floating panel? You could put a bottom in the same way.

Then when you cut the top off make sure you are far enough away from the top edge to miss the panel groove by a little.

-- Michael Murphy, Woodland, CA.

yes I do the bottoms the same way. What do you mean by prefinish?

Finish the panel before glueing up the box to keep it from getting glued in and/or to make it easier to finishand if it shrinks a bit you don’t have unfinished wood showing.

-- Michael Murphy, Woodland, CA.