Bird call box

I wanted to give a 5-yr-old grandson a bird call that I was given when I was about 5, but I didn’t have a box to put it in. So, I decided to make one. The birthday party was this afternoon, and by noon yesterday I still hadn’t started, though I had a picture in mind.

I took a scrap of walnut, and squared it up on the table saw. I ran the block across a 5/16”ogee router bit to make the profile. Then, I used a v-gouge to make the rectangular border. Then, I sketched the picture with a pencil, and attacked it with some carving gouges that should have been sharper.

When the picture was as good as it was going to be, I sliced it off with a band saw. I planed and sanded the matching faces. Then, I used a straight bit in a small hand-held router to clear out the waste. Then, I used a spoon gouge to remove a little bit more (just for looks).

Didn’t plan ahead for hinges, didn’t have anything appropriate on hand, and it was getting too late to go shopping. So, I used a 1/4” Forstner to drill holes at the back corners of the lid and the box. Glued a little magnet in each hole, double-checking to make sure they were oriented to attract.

Finished off with a few coats of clear shellac. The last coat finished drying as I was driving to the party.

A little primitive, but the picture is an H, and three birds.

-- Michael T, Pittsburgh, PA