01-24-2016, 12:47 AM
A little while ago, I posted about a box build that had taken on a life of it's own. The lid was nice but the box needed something. If anyone really wants to know, this was the thread.
First thread
For better or worse, here's what I landed on. I'm calling it done. I made a new box from scratch, this time out of birds eye maple. It's not trivial stuff to dovetail! One corner went together off the saw (the woodworking gods throw me the occasional bone). The rest I had to pare a touch, and I do mean touch -- "grain direction" is a relative term here. It's easy to send a chunk flying if you're not careful.
I gave it a bubinga base (to match the lid frame). It looked silly with the box on it. I shortened it (the feet on the front and rear extended way too far) and it's a little better balanced now. I have to see these things -- I could never work straight from a drawing.
Here's the box.
As I mentioned before, the lid shape was basically designed by the wood grain and the two little knots up front. The underside is mostly like it was, but I added a new, elongated recess. It's hard to see in this photo
but a little easier to see in this one, mated with a matching recess on the box. This lightened up an area that had looked slabby to me in the earlier version. Gouge work was a fun challenge on both of these unruly species. I ended up making a miniature curved scraper to smooth the divots.
The box looked a little empty and uninteresting, so I added some dividers. The front-right compartment is sized for pens and pencils. The others just made an interesting pattern.
I added shape to the base by relieving the middle on the front and rear.
So that's it. As I said, for better or worse. Fun project, and funner to have something unplanned and just let it evolve.
First thread
For better or worse, here's what I landed on. I'm calling it done. I made a new box from scratch, this time out of birds eye maple. It's not trivial stuff to dovetail! One corner went together off the saw (the woodworking gods throw me the occasional bone). The rest I had to pare a touch, and I do mean touch -- "grain direction" is a relative term here. It's easy to send a chunk flying if you're not careful.
I gave it a bubinga base (to match the lid frame). It looked silly with the box on it. I shortened it (the feet on the front and rear extended way too far) and it's a little better balanced now. I have to see these things -- I could never work straight from a drawing.
Here's the box.
As I mentioned before, the lid shape was basically designed by the wood grain and the two little knots up front. The underside is mostly like it was, but I added a new, elongated recess. It's hard to see in this photo
but a little easier to see in this one, mated with a matching recess on the box. This lightened up an area that had looked slabby to me in the earlier version. Gouge work was a fun challenge on both of these unruly species. I ended up making a miniature curved scraper to smooth the divots.
The box looked a little empty and uninteresting, so I added some dividers. The front-right compartment is sized for pens and pencils. The others just made an interesting pattern.
I added shape to the base by relieving the middle on the front and rear.
So that's it. As I said, for better or worse. Fun project, and funner to have something unplanned and just let it evolve.
Best,
Aram, always learning
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Web: My woodworking photo site
Aram, always learning
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Web: My woodworking photo site
