Project Information
Yet another box. This one was built as a proof of concept to test out my idea on cutting the large cove on the lid. It is made of some scrap Mahogany and Poplar.
The first thing I did was cut the legs to rough size and then using a jig to hold them in place I used the table saw to cut the arcs. That was fairly simple and the little jig of plywood and scrapwood that I knocked together held them good for the machining.
I then made the box using my homemade miter sled on the table saw to make the miter joints. After the box was glued up I cut a 1/4" groove in each corner for the legs to sit in. After sanding I glued the legs to the box using woodglue.
Next I got started on the lid.
SAFETY WARNING! THIS INVOLVES CUTTING WITHOUT A BLADE GUARD AND ONLY USING ONE FENCE. EXTRA CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO SUPPORT AND GUIDE THE WORK PIECE. I USED GUIDES AND PUSH BLOCKS FOR EVERY CUT!
For this one I simply laminated two 3/4" thick pieces of Poplar together to obtain the final thickness. After cutting it to final dimensions I once again used the table saw to cut the cove. The difference is that I clamped a wooden fence over the blade so that the edge of the fence ran through the center of the blade. Then with the table saw running I raised the blade to what would be the final height of the cove cut (1 1/8"). This resulted in half the blade being buried in the fence. I then lowered the blade and taking very small cuts, maybe 1/16" - 1/8" of an inch at a time I ran each side through the blade using push blocks and guides. It took many times through and on the last one I took off only 1/32" and ran it very slowly to get a smooth surface but after it was all said and done I had the cove cut lid I wanted.
After completing the cove cuts on the lid I used the router table to plow out a rabbet that would allow the lid to fit into the top of the box. And even though my initial rendering did not call for a handle I made a quick one out of a piece of Mahogany.
The finish is simply three coats of hand rubbed satin poly.
In case anyone wonders, the computer generated picture is strictly for comparison of the initial concept to the finished project.
The first thing I did was cut the legs to rough size and then using a jig to hold them in place I used the table saw to cut the arcs. That was fairly simple and the little jig of plywood and scrapwood that I knocked together held them good for the machining.
I then made the box using my homemade miter sled on the table saw to make the miter joints. After the box was glued up I cut a 1/4" groove in each corner for the legs to sit in. After sanding I glued the legs to the box using woodglue.
Next I got started on the lid.
SAFETY WARNING! THIS INVOLVES CUTTING WITHOUT A BLADE GUARD AND ONLY USING ONE FENCE. EXTRA CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO SUPPORT AND GUIDE THE WORK PIECE. I USED GUIDES AND PUSH BLOCKS FOR EVERY CUT!
For this one I simply laminated two 3/4" thick pieces of Poplar together to obtain the final thickness. After cutting it to final dimensions I once again used the table saw to cut the cove. The difference is that I clamped a wooden fence over the blade so that the edge of the fence ran through the center of the blade. Then with the table saw running I raised the blade to what would be the final height of the cove cut (1 1/8"). This resulted in half the blade being buried in the fence. I then lowered the blade and taking very small cuts, maybe 1/16" - 1/8" of an inch at a time I ran each side through the blade using push blocks and guides. It took many times through and on the last one I took off only 1/32" and ran it very slowly to get a smooth surface but after it was all said and done I had the cove cut lid I wanted.
After completing the cove cuts on the lid I used the router table to plow out a rabbet that would allow the lid to fit into the top of the box. And even though my initial rendering did not call for a handle I made a quick one out of a piece of Mahogany.
The finish is simply three coats of hand rubbed satin poly.
In case anyone wonders, the computer generated picture is strictly for comparison of the initial concept to the finished project.
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