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Location: IA
Jim
Very nice box and love how you glued the boards together.
Also who is the goofy looking guy in the pictures.
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification. Thank You Everyone.
It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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Location: South Central Oklahoma
Arlin,
That guy came with the frame.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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Went out to route the hinge mortises, and found that the recommended upcut bit didn't fit any of my routers.
No biggie, I carefully measured and marked the first two, and made the cuts using four chisels and and slow careful application of the mallet or hand pressure. The first two are done. I'll cut the next two in the morning.
I called woodcraft about the return of the bit... they are arranging the return.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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This has been a long, educational, process. But I finally got to the end without tossing the project in the burn barrel and starting again.
It's done and I will be shipping it to my former Marine student and long time friend. I built the box from Mahogany, with walnut insert in the top for accent. I then lined it with spanish cedar as recommended. The hinges gave me a fit, for several reasons. The bit didn't fit my router so I had to cut the hinge mortises by hand, and I had a heck of a time getting them to line up. Sheesh, I never got them perfect.
 Close, but not perfect. First time installing this type hinge, so I'm happy (enough) with the result. The dang thing closes, and only by looking very close would you notice what I do every time I look.
The cedar was cut with the Lee Valley mini Miter Box and saw for all the smaller pieces, which I hand fitted, trimming and testing until I was satisfied. Then they were glued and pinned. The sides for the bottom interior were left pressure fitted so they could be removed for cleaning and could be sanded for adjustment if they expanded and swelled.
I stained the box with Mahogany Stain and applied a beeswax finish. The interior received NO finish at all to allow the vapors to escape, and to allow sanding to release new vapors when needed. I thought it turned out well, but more importantly, my former Marine NCO was thrilled with the results. As always, that's what mattered. If problems arise down the road, my protege will have some fancy kindling for his fireplace, and I'll begin anew... this time with Curly Cherry all around.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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Location: Cumming, GA.
That looks great! I am sure he was pleased.
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Location: Manassas, VA
Excellent work. If you're going to do more, let me add my suggestions. If not, I hope it helps somebody else.
We all know how to build a box. You've got this down, it seems, and whether you use finger joints, glued miters, miter locks, splines, or whatever, this is key.
Cutting the lid is a different story. What I have found works best is most definitely not the bandsaw (seriously, don't do this, as it's nearly impossible to get through without the blade wandering). I use the table saw and make four different passes. Once a cut is made, I use a piece of scrap acrylic to fill the gap - if your blade is 1/8, you can find something like .118 acrylic or polycarbonate and use that to fill. It prevents a lot of pinching and uneven saw marks. I learned that the hard way.
When finishing the box, do it all before you even touch the liner. Spanish cedar will show ANY oil spots immediately, and this looks terrible. Finish the box with whatever you're using - danish oil and shellac both work well - and let it dry completely. The liner can then be press fit. What I do is allow something like 1/4" between the thickness of the liner and the bottom of the lid. The bottom liner - specifically, the vertical pieces that press into the sides of the box - are about 7/32" proud of the box and have the edges relieved with a roundover or a chamfer bit. This lets them seat well and create a secondary seal.
When routing for hinges, test every cut on scrap. Set up and test. Test again. Then cut the box. Humidors make us all use our nicest wood, and we don't want to screw that up. When you do finally cut the actual channel for the hinges - using the router - make your first pass about 1/16" deep and then dry fit. If it looks good and straight, then cut again. If you've screwed up, just trim the top 1/16" off the box. This lets you screw up and still save almost the entire box. DAMHIKT.
*If* the hinges or the lid don't line up correctly - these are precise hinges, for one, and also stresses in the wood are relieved when the box is cut into the main box and the lid. Sometimes the lid will want to twist slightly. In any case, with slight alignment issues, the lid can still look very good if the edges of the box and the lid are both relieved - again, with a roundover or chamfer. I personally think it makes the box look a bit nicer as well. That it helps hide some issues is just a bonus.
Finally, for a really finished look, I add dividers and a hygrometer panel. Dividers can be about an inch shorter than the box vertical pieces, and I stick some self-adhesive foam on the edges. I bought a sheet at Michaels and it has enough to make about 500 dividers. Just trim 3/16" strips with a knife and cut with scissors. The hygrometer panel is just a little plaque made from cedar - I use the HygroSet II, which is small and round (and also a good hygrometer), so I will make about a 2.5" x 4" (or so, whatever looks right) plaque, drill a hole in the middle with a hole saw or Forstner bit, and chamfer or roundover the edges. This screws through the liner into the lid and provides a neat place for the hygrometer to reside.
I can add pictures if anybody would like.
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Great advice. I built the lid separately since it was basically a frame holding a figured piece of black walnut on display. You are dead on about finishing first, then adding the cedar, I learned that trick from flocking interiors. You have to finish before flocking as well. The ONLY thing I did after the fitting all the cedar was the waxing. Three coats. No wax on the inside, and careful to keep the box held closed.
On this box, the upper sides are about a 1/16th proud, which both helps insure that seal and alignment.
The thing that helped me the most on this project was patience. On my end and the recipient's. He knew up front it would be a slow build, so I felt no pressure... so I had time to overcome my obstacles and could redo any items that I wasn't happy with. I rarely push forward these days. I want it right at the end.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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Location: Milwaukee area
That is really beautiful.
Makes me wish I smoke cigars.
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Location: In a strange land
Very nicely done.
It is a shame Bruno is no longer around. I am sure he could help to add some contents to the box.
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Location: Piedmont North Carolina
Very nice box - well done & congrats! Dave
Piedmont North Carolina
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