Project Information
I went on a bit of a bender making these boxes the last few weeks! While waiting for something to dry (usually the finish), I'd begin cutting parts for another one. A viscious circle!
Slight changes from before.
The basics
Dimensions (interior) are 6" x 8" x 2-3/4", wood is 1/2". Frame/panel construction for the top and tenoning jig cut finger joints for the box corners. The base uses half lap joinery.
The wood
The top uses a curly maple veneer. I had bought a package of this wood almost a year ago for about $50. The exact same item is now about $75 (ouch!)
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The dark wood is Ipe, very straight grained Ipe. A recluse neighbor passed away about 18 months ago and another neighbor bought the house and land. The garage and sheds were packed floor to rafters with "stuff". Many strange things! Anyway, he gave me some pieces of wood he found, one of which was a dense block about 14" x 4" x 5" with the word "american Mink" imprinted on the side. Fellow LJs helped me identify it as Ipe.
Very nice straight grain on all faces (wood like this does't exactly grow on trees).
The box sides are jatoba. I got a few 2"x 3/4" x 24" pieces of this from the same source, maybe some kind of easel? I liked the wood and when I saw Lumber Liquidators had "Brazilian Cherry" (jatoba) solid wood flooring on sale, I went ahead and bought a bundle of 24 square feet.
Nice wood! 18" - 72" strips, 3" wide after trimming away the tongue/groove, and 5/8" thick after milling away the grooves on the bottom. Worked out to just under $4 bf. I had just missed out on 3 bundles of leftover teak for even less….
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Back to the box
The top miters are splined with maple, corners are pinned with round head copper rivets.
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These rivets should turn a nicer brown as they age. Plenty long enough to strengthen the joints and cheap too 8^)
I scored the sides and used epoxy to secure them. A #30 bit made for a perfect slip fit.
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You can see the top has a taper on the underside that allows for it to lean back a few degrees when opened (rivet heads act as stops)
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The interior has mega ring storage in the bottom. I always shuttered at the price of ring inserts so I made my own. (anyone know a cheap source?). The top tray uses jatoba (3rd and 4th intro pictures).
The base piece has half lap joints and simple 2" square "pads" for feet.
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Thanks to all for commenting on these binge-induced boxes I've been making!
Slight changes from before.
The basics
Dimensions (interior) are 6" x 8" x 2-3/4", wood is 1/2". Frame/panel construction for the top and tenoning jig cut finger joints for the box corners. The base uses half lap joinery.
The wood
The top uses a curly maple veneer. I had bought a package of this wood almost a year ago for about $50. The exact same item is now about $75 (ouch!)
The dark wood is Ipe, very straight grained Ipe. A recluse neighbor passed away about 18 months ago and another neighbor bought the house and land. The garage and sheds were packed floor to rafters with "stuff". Many strange things! Anyway, he gave me some pieces of wood he found, one of which was a dense block about 14" x 4" x 5" with the word "american Mink" imprinted on the side. Fellow LJs helped me identify it as Ipe.
Very nice straight grain on all faces (wood like this does't exactly grow on trees).
The box sides are jatoba. I got a few 2"x 3/4" x 24" pieces of this from the same source, maybe some kind of easel? I liked the wood and when I saw Lumber Liquidators had "Brazilian Cherry" (jatoba) solid wood flooring on sale, I went ahead and bought a bundle of 24 square feet.
Nice wood! 18" - 72" strips, 3" wide after trimming away the tongue/groove, and 5/8" thick after milling away the grooves on the bottom. Worked out to just under $4 bf. I had just missed out on 3 bundles of leftover teak for even less….
Back to the box
The top miters are splined with maple, corners are pinned with round head copper rivets.
These rivets should turn a nicer brown as they age. Plenty long enough to strengthen the joints and cheap too 8^)
I scored the sides and used epoxy to secure them. A #30 bit made for a perfect slip fit.
You can see the top has a taper on the underside that allows for it to lean back a few degrees when opened (rivet heads act as stops)
The interior has mega ring storage in the bottom. I always shuttered at the price of ring inserts so I made my own. (anyone know a cheap source?). The top tray uses jatoba (3rd and 4th intro pictures).
The base piece has half lap joints and simple 2" square "pads" for feet.
Thanks to all for commenting on these binge-induced boxes I've been making!
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