# Making all sides of a box straight with limited tools.



## nfang (Sep 5, 2011)

I'm trying to make a music box using birch plywood and finger joints. It's 3"x 5"x 2" and the plywood is 3/8". So far I've cut (using a hand saw and chisels) and glued the sides together and I noticed that one corner is shorter than the other corners. If I set box on a flat surface, I think one side is about 1/8" higher than the other three sides. I have at my disposal, a hand saw, chisels, a random orbital sander and a router with some random bits. Can anyone think of a good way to make the bottom even. I should say, I'm pretty sure the top isn't even either.

I was thinking I could somehow clamp a guide and use the router, but my router base is really big and I can't think of how to clamp it in a way that is safe and won't get in the way. I have a friend that has a table saw, but I'm worried about tear out if I try to use it. It seems like sanding by hand might be the best way, but doesn't seem as accurate.

I guess I should mention that this will be the first box I've ever made.

Nick


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

That's an interesting choice of wood and joinery…
If the box is glued up, you could take some big sheets of sandpaper and glue them to a flat surface, and then sand the box bottom flat. 
You could then flip it and sand the top edges flat, but they might not end up parallel to the bottom so for that you may need to make some jig for the router. 
Edit: I Missed the part about the friend with the TS. Just throw some tape all the way around where you're going to cut and run that puppy through the tablesaw and get it done.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Just throw some tape all the way around where you're going to cut and run that puppy through the tablesaw and get it done.

+1


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## nfang (Sep 5, 2011)

Ha ha. Yeah, it was the wood I had on hand and I thought I would start with finger joints before trying dovetails.

I'll try taping it up and using the table saw.

Thanks
Nick


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## rg33 (Dec 1, 2012)

Hmm…Im trying to picture this. If the bottom is uneven but made of plywood, when you even it out by any means, sanding, cutting, routing, you will remove the veneer and what will be left will be kind of ugly. Unless of course you havent added the bottom yet and its only the ends of the sides that you are trying to even out. In that case using a TS like the others have commented is the way to go. HOWEVER, using the table saw, you will be referencing the fence and, unless you have some kind of box jig, you will only transfer the top side that is also apparently uneven causing you to have top and bottom parallel but not necessarily perpendicular to the sides which will also be problematic…
Do you have a straight bit for your router? If so you could use the woodwhisperers method at a tiny scale:
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/flattening-workbenches-and-wide-boards-with-a-router/
to make the bottom flat, once you are done with this then you can table saw the other side


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## Woodshingle (Oct 21, 2013)

I'd chalk it up to experience, burn it for warmth and start over.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Decorative firewood IMHO. Figure out where you went wrong and correct that misfortune on the replacement.


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