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This is a second version of my design posted here.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/185330

Used Walnut for the box construction and Dalmata for the woven top. Decided not to use the keys in the miter joints this time, hopefully it will hold up just as well

The finish is several coats of sprayed lacquer. Wanted something easy to apply quickly.

Added a leather lining for the bottom.

Comments and constructive criticism is always welcome. Enjoy.

Gallery

Comments

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Beautiful work !....A definite "add to favorites".....Well done !
 

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Matthew, I like the looks of this top. Great job and nice effect. Good job on the photos as well.

If you don't mind sharing…I am curious about what steps you took in what order. Did you make the groove, assemble the box, and then add the weaving, or did you weave this and build around it? Were the strips soaked in water first, or were they thin enough to work without that step? Did you start with the ends and then add in the middle strip? In general, how did you get such nice results on the woven effect? Keep boxing and keep posting.
 

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Matthew, I like the looks of this top. Great job and nice effect. Good job on the photos as well.

If you don t mind sharing…I am curious about what steps you took in what order. Did you make the groove, assemble the box, and then add the weaving, or did you weave this and build around it? Were the strips soaked in water first, or were they thin enough to work without that step? Did you start with the ends and then add in the middle strip? In general, how did you get such nice results on the woven effect? Keep boxing and keep posting.

- Boxguy
Boxguy,

I gave a hint of information in my post of the original box… I'll answer some of your questions here also.

I make the groove in the top at the same time as I cut the groove for the bottom, pretty early in the build process. The strips themselves are actually pretty thick, but still flex enough to be woven with water or steam, although I'm sure that would make it easier. Assembly is probably the hardest part of the build. Basically I glue the miters and weave the strips all at once. This requires some glue with a longer set time, and quick hands. I've found the best method to be working with one of the side pieces off ( I use a band clamp) and then I slide the three shorter pieces in place, followed by bending and weaving in each of the longer strips. Probably not the most helpful explaination, maybe I'll do a blog for the next one.

Thanks for the kind words. This is probably the most unique and original of all my projects, so I'm pretty proud of this one.
 

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Matthew, You said, "The strips themselves are actually pretty thick, but still flex enough to be woven with water or steam, although I'm sure that would make it easier."

Did you mean to say,"The strips themselves are actually pretty thick, but still flex enough to be woven without water or steam, although I'm sure that would make it easier"?

I get the idea and the band clamp and missing end is a great technique. I take it that you put a temporary block in place to hold the box square while the clamp is applied. Looking forward to your weaving blog. You should be proud of this project and congratulations on a well earned Top Three. Thanks for the answer.
 

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It deserves the Daily Top 3 designation. Nice jobby.
 

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Matthew, You said, "The strips themselves are actually pretty thick, but still flex enough to be woven with water or steam, although I'm sure that would make it easier."

Did you mean to say,"The strips themselves are actually pretty thick, but still flex enough to be woven without water or steam, although I'm sure that would make it easier"?

I get the idea and the band clamp and missing end is a great technique. I take it that you put a temporary block in place to hold the box square while the clamp is applied. Looking forward to your weaving blog. You should be proud of this project and congratulations on a well earned Top Three. Thanks for the answer.

- Boxguy
Boxguy,

My mistake, you interpreted that correctly, can be bent WITHOUT water or steam. On my first version of this, the walnut strips were very flexible. For this one, the Dalmata wood is quite hard, so I wasn't sure if it would flex easily enough, but it turned out pretty much the same.

With the band clamp technique, I've found that if I slide the bottom panel in before weaving the strips, it will stay close enough to square until I put the side piece back on.
 

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Great looking box! What brand hinges did you use? Are they stop hinges?
 

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Great looking box! What brand hinges did you use? Are they stop hinges?

- ravensrock
Dave I use these hinges from Horton Brass, they are not stop hinges, but you can actually open the lid to about 90, and it will stay open. They are VERY good hinges, and much cheaper than some other brands.

http://www.horton-brasses.com/PB-405.asp
 

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I saved your v1.0 of this build to try myself. Now I've got two versions saved and am looking forward to a build blog. Great box idea
 

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Another beautiful simple design with magnificant striped top lid - deserves daily top 3.
 
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