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Poplar Box, dovetail version

2939 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by LeftyBayside, Oct 5, 2019

bandit571

Discussion Starter · Oct 2, 2019

Not quite a repeat

Ok, last Poplar Box was with finger/box joints at the corners. Taking almost the same sized Poplar boards, but using handcut, through Dovetails for the corners..first, cut a few pieces on the mitersaw..

Thought I could cut them all at once, and get even sized parts…2 for the ends, 2 for the sides…

One of the sides, even after 3 double-checks, came out a bit too long….we have ways. Then the hand plane routine, again…edges that didn't quite match up, from the same board?

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Almost like the board was wider at one end? Once all the edges matched, then the ends needed a bit of work, too

While the other end of these 2 boards sat on the rods in the vise, the Stanley No. 3 worked on the other ends, then flip end for end, and repeat. laid out all 4 sides..

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Then set 3 of them aside for a while…..got the layout toys laid out, most of them…

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Set one of the long sides in the vise…bevel set to the angle I use for dovetails..

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Be sure to mark which is the waste. Marking gauge set to the thickness of the mating board, combo square is too. i use the combo square to mark pencil lines that I can see to saw…

I start with a 1/2 pin on both edges, and work towards the center…except…I off-set a hair, to make a wide dovetail about where the lid will get split off. then lower the side in the vise, wax up the saw..

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That blue knife will get used later, for "knife-walls". I lower the board to get rid of chatter while sawing, easier to start the saw cut, too… then just have a seat on the shop stool…..

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And, make some sawdust….then set up a way to chop the waste out, again

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Chop 1/2 way down from this face, leaving the tab for support, for when I flip the board over, and chop the rest out….I run a knife wall as a "baseline" for the chisel to start in.

I do the outside face first, to avoid any blow-outs when I chop from the inside…a little clean up, unclamp, set this on the mating corner, all sides are marked as to "inside" or no markings. Line the two insides up, mark where the pins are. Bandsaw works for me, as I can better see the cuts, and make sure I leave as much line as I can, by cutting to the waste side of the lines. The more "line" you leave, the tighter the joint will be…

A few extra cuts IN the waste, helps when I chop the waste out. That double line? Shows about where the inside or outside groove will go….fat dovetail will get split in to 2 joints. Then a dry fit..

then rinse and repeat 3 more times…

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One "gap"? And it will close up during a glue up…
End of Part 1….stay tuned….things are going to get groovy….

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bandit571

Discussion Starter · #2 · Oct 3, 2019

Feeling groovy, and doing the Stanley 45 dance

OK, pills taken, bathroom break done…wander back to the shop…taken the assembled box apart. reach for the Stanley 45….only to discover it is still set up from the last box….so, in order to do grooves for the plywood top and bottom panels to sit in….some changes were in order…

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Those long rods would just be in the way, and, that cam rest would not fit….set the cam rest aside, change back to the short rods. Re-assemble the plane….

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Took maybe 5 minutes, including digging out the rods from the case, and returning the excess parts to the case, and setting the case back on the shelf…..

Needed a simpler jig….had a lot of grooves to mill, less time spent changing the jig(s) around for each, the better..

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First tried a single screw in the block of scrap….scrap was too small, and wanted to rotate…went to a longer scrap, added a second screw. Set it to where the edge of the parts would overhang the bench a bit. Then, one screw at each end of the part…one could even stay put, and just use the 4th one to lock the parts in place. Right in-between two pins or tails…I could change the "locking" screws to allow the shorter or longer parts into the jig.

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Depending on which part needed grooves next…grooves are 1/4" wide, 3/16" deep ( or so) and 1/4" in from the edge of the boards…

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Also, after the first couple passes, rub the groove's sides with the old candle, just a dab on each wall, right near the start point….plane will slide much better in the groove. 8 grooves were now done….need 4 more…but..

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This groove is for the inside of the lid. Short rods won't reach this far back. 5 minute break, re-install the long rods, and the cam rest…

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At least it is only a few grooves, instead of 8..

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Lid grooves are placed at that wider dovetail…when the outside groove is made to split the lid off, dovetail should look like the rest..in theory…we'll see..again, cut 2 plywood panels to size…maybe joint a rough sawn edge, if needed…

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Test the fit…then spread the glue, and grow a forest of clamps..

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Was a busy day?

Noodles are a little too crunchy.
Let this sit a day, or so….then try to split the lid off…..that will be the next episode….

Stay tuned..

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bandit571

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 4, 2019

Flipping a lid

Box came out of the clamps….looking in need of a clean up..

Sanders and plane….then lay out where the groove will be…

Somewhere about there, I think…just barely over the inside groove, towards the bottom of the box. Reset the 45

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While I was set the fence…decided to clean that up a bit. Fence has a "Fine Adjust" feature, that was filling up with crud. Opened the fence all the way, clean things out, lock it back in place. Then reset the entire fence to make the groove ….

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Quickly found out the box was in the vise a bit too high in the air, lowered it down for a better cut, without the vibration thing….decided to work my way around, one side at a time. Long sides were placed on the bench, with 2 planing stops, one one the vise to tighten down the box….didn't want it to hop around..

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Once all were done, wound up here

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And use that sharp knife to cut around at the "top" of the groove…

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Lip was again a bit too thick…rather it would be that, than too thin…then adjust until the lid fit all the way down

Set out a small tray of tools and hardware…

Visegrips to hold a small nail to act as a pilot hole drill….and the help turn the screwdrivers…..that soon got changed. Ground the swivel head off the larger screwdriver, and then chucked it into a drill. Then got out a longer nail, got rid of it's head, so it will get chucked in the drill as a well..I left the smaller screwdriver as is, to hand-start each screw, after I waxed the threads.. Hinges and corners first..

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Box held in the vise, to keep things steady. Corners brass uses 2 screws, one per side…so, when I rotate..

To install a handle and the next pair of corners..more screws…rotate again..

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To install a latch, and the next two corners. Then rotate, and do the last handle, and the last screws…whew.

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Was going to apply a coat of stain…no brushes IN the shop? Means a late-night run to Wall E World…
next episode? Stain and a tray?
Stay tuned..

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bandit571

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 5, 2019

Stain, tray, shellac.....

Lets see….stained the box, using the same stain as the last box. Gunstock by Minwax…

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Then decided a tray would be nice…cut a chunk of Poplar to about the correct length..

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Yeah, yeah…finger prints and a price sticker…good thing this board is too thick, at 1/2", wanted to get as close to 1/4 " as i could…set a couple stops below that 1/4"...

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Instead of resawing, a plane would be used….tried the fancy #62, first..

It would make such nice, thin shavings…but, I needed a 1/4" planed off, be here all day, plane was too long, and too heavy….so

Millers Falls #11…a little shorter, much lighter, and could really remove wood…fast…then a smoother to clean things up…

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Then the bandsaw to rip some parts to width out of this now thin board…

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Strip of plywood to determine how wide…one board was left wide, to make a handle…was going to try some fancy corner joint….didn't really work out….went with glue and nails, instead…including a plywood bottom..

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There was a problem….some of the pieces were tapered in thickness…planed them all to about the same size…

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Wanted something the tray could sit on in the box…couple 1×1s, glued on the ends of the box should do the trick..
set the tray inside..

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And close the lid…and let all the stain dry, overnight..

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So…this morning, I applied a couple coats of Amber Shellac…

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Even the handled ends look better..

Enough that this is now posted as a Project….Thanks for following along…

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LeftyBayside

· #5 · Oct 5, 2019

bandit571 said:
Stain, tray, shellac.....

Lets see….stained the box, using the same stain as the last box. Gunstock by Minwax…

Then decided a tray would be nice…cut a chunk of Poplar to about the correct length..

Yeah, yeah…finger prints and a price sticker…good thing this board is too thick, at 1/2", wanted to get as close to 1/4 " as i could…set a couple stops below that 1/4"...

Instead of resawing, a plane would be used….tried the fancy #62, first..

It would make such nice, thin shavings…but, I needed a 1/4" planed off, be here all day, plane was too long, and too heavy….so

Millers Falls #11…a little shorter, much lighter, and could really remove wood…fast…then a smoother to clean things up…

Then the bandsaw to rip some parts to width out of this now thin board…

Strip of plywood to determine how wide…one board was left wide, to make a handle…was going to try some fancy corner joint….didn't really work out….went with glue and nails, instead…including a plywood bottom..

There was a problem….some of the pieces were tapered in thickness…planed them all to about the same size…

Wanted something the tray could sit on in the box…couple 1×1s, glued on the ends of the box should do the trick..
set the tray inside..

And close the lid…and let all the stain dry, overnight..

So…this morning, I applied a couple coats of Amber Shellac…

Even the handled ends look better..

Enough that this is now posted as a Project….Thanks for following along…

Well done. Like those brass corners too!

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Poplar Box, dovetail version

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