Project Information
After finishing my Ming -ish Chinese wine cabinet, I felt the need to make a small box as a present for my Taiwanese wife for Chinese New Year.
There are about a bazillion mistakes on this-all kinda fixed, and enough that I really should write a blog post for people making small boxes and fretting over small mistakes. I have a policy of basically never throwing out any piece of wood as a mistake unless it's just wildly messed up (and the board stretcher won't fix it!) and I followed it with this box.
There are a couple of things for people to know, though, that I think might help others.
1. Always, always, always, when making something with banding, make the thing (especially if it's small) so that the key detail fits the banding. In this case, I'd recommend making the box top first, and making the frame dimension so that the banding met at the corners exactly the way I wanted it to.
2. Really study the hardware you're planning on using, and make sure you really understand the installation. With this one, I did a fine job of insetting the lock. I just forgot that the little keyhole cover plate had to be nailed on. The end result was fine (thank you, cyanoacrylate manufacturers!) but the nails were too short to hold anything, and in the end, were glued to be decorative.
3. Never forget that sawdust makes great putty!
And finally, of course, no one looks at things like you do. My wife brags about her lack of visual memory. But you can bet she'd remember not getting a present for Chinese New Year. So instead of hucking the relatively small amount of wood and starting over, which would take another week, I figured delivery was more important than perfection!
The wood is African mahogany (Khaya) for the body, with a mitered mortise-and-tenon frame. The top panel is sycamore.
There are about a bazillion mistakes on this-all kinda fixed, and enough that I really should write a blog post for people making small boxes and fretting over small mistakes. I have a policy of basically never throwing out any piece of wood as a mistake unless it's just wildly messed up (and the board stretcher won't fix it!) and I followed it with this box.
There are a couple of things for people to know, though, that I think might help others.
1. Always, always, always, when making something with banding, make the thing (especially if it's small) so that the key detail fits the banding. In this case, I'd recommend making the box top first, and making the frame dimension so that the banding met at the corners exactly the way I wanted it to.
2. Really study the hardware you're planning on using, and make sure you really understand the installation. With this one, I did a fine job of insetting the lock. I just forgot that the little keyhole cover plate had to be nailed on. The end result was fine (thank you, cyanoacrylate manufacturers!) but the nails were too short to hold anything, and in the end, were glued to be decorative.
3. Never forget that sawdust makes great putty!
And finally, of course, no one looks at things like you do. My wife brags about her lack of visual memory. But you can bet she'd remember not getting a present for Chinese New Year. So instead of hucking the relatively small amount of wood and starting over, which would take another week, I figured delivery was more important than perfection!
The wood is African mahogany (Khaya) for the body, with a mitered mortise-and-tenon frame. The top panel is sycamore.
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