Curved box lid

Maverick44spec · Jun 2, 2012

What's the best way to make a curved box lid? I have a customer that's wanting a box with one, and I have no idea how to do it. It's not a sharp curve, only a slight one. I'm using solid (3/4"-1/2" thick) aromatic cedar, so would some kind of steam bending work? How else could I do this?

Thanks in advance.

dkirtley · Jun 2, 2012

Coopered. It is how they made barrels. You rip wood into strips, bevel the edges and glue up the lid and smooth it. The number of pieces depends on how much you want to maintain the thickness. More pieces is a closer approximation of the curve. Less pieces is more faceted.

hairy · Jun 3, 2012

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/episodes/season5/502/

This is 1 piece.

Maverick44spec · Jun 6, 2012

Thanks for the help guys, I'm going to try a few things and see How they work for this. I'd like to keep the board solid if possible, but if not that's fine too. I'm going to look more into the design and go from there.

patron · Jun 6, 2012

i don't know that cedar bends too well
it is very delicate wood
and often has checks and cracks
that go unseen
till you put the finish on
faceting is the way i would go

derekcohen · Jun 7, 2012

There is a pictorial step-by-step on my website: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Cooperingaboxlid.html

Here is a variation of that method ..

Regards from Perth

Derek

Belg1960 · Aug 26, 2016

Derek, in the tutorial for the letter opener display box you wrote, "The lid tilts back and rests in the same plain as the base. As a result, it lies flat and does not lift up the base." I don't get how thats possible or what I need to do to make the base not lift?? Thanks for any info.

derekcohen · Aug 29, 2016

Derek, in the tutorial for the letter opener display box you wrote, "The lid tilts back and rests in the same plain as the base. As a result, it lies flat and does not lift up the base." I don t get how thats possible or what I need to do to make the base not lift?? Thanks for any info.

- Belg1960

It simply rests on the side of the lid (the hinge is at the base) ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Belg1960 · Aug 29, 2016

So the display part is heavy enough not to let it lift. Thank you.

AandCstyle · Aug 29, 2016

Paris, here is a box that might be acceptable to you and your client. The bottom of the top is done with multiple passes over a dado head, IIRC, and the top of the top was cut with the TS blade slightly angled. The inside could also be done as a cove on the table saw. The top was rounded after the TS cuts with a plane and then sanded. HTH

Curved box lid

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