Tired of Stopping Grooves? 140 Steps In for a Job

[C. in Indy]

A little more work quietly sneaked-in, since the "recipient" is in the house for a July visit:

Dovetails have been cut in a tail/pin pattern to allow the rabbeted ends to work.  Next, preparation for a sliding lid begins:

   


After slot cuts, a coping cut was done, then a chisel brought in to further level things:

   


Then I had to think about a suitable top and bottom panel material.  When the side walls are all nondescript alder wood, I wanted some "bling" for quartersawn wood somewhere.  And I didn't want to run the bandsaw this morning with a couple of guests in the house.  So I got out some unusually cool "pitch pine" slats that my nephew gave me several years ago.  Near-perfect quartersawn slats, very stiff and hard, now cleaning up for a 3-ganged glue up for both top and bottom panels:

   


More to follow later!

Chris

[Mike Brady]

Do the tails have to be on the end of your box?  It seems like they would show better on the long sides.

[C. in Indy]

Nice box, Mike !!!

When I was cutting stopped grooves for past boxes, I would orient the tails the way you did.   For this new box with cut-thru grooves, I did a switch-up.   I never mocked up alternatives, but an inspiring picture from one of the Tom Fidgen books suggested the new orientation.

A basic glue-up of the SYP thin slats looked a little cheap, so I added some 1/4" marquetry strips....
My 1960's Disston D100 aluminum-handle saw is the best bench-hook saw I have; the weight just takes over:

   



On the box pins, one was pretty gappy, so I cut a shim from the same alder stock.  Got a nice wedge shape right off the gent's saw, and drove it in:

   


Thanks for watching!
Chris

[C. in Indy]

And, the sister-in-law now has a souvenir from her visit  

   

[Mike Brady]

Very nice, Chris.  One happy lady!

By the way our house hunting in Indy has not gone well.  Very hot market there.

[C. in Indy]

Mike,  if you have to stay put, you had better double down on the hand tools and projects

A fellow needs consolations, you know...