My first box

[jbmaine]

Hi all,

  A few weeks ago my wife and I were up in Portland and stopped in at the local Rockler. They had a pallet of what they called rustic BW. It had knots, defects, and the color was pretty dull, but it was only $5.99 a BF.

My wife said I should buy some. She said she had always wanted a keepsake box and BW was very pretty. I had never made a box before but always wanted to, so with her green light I found a board that wasn't too bad and bought it.

I spent the next few days asking a lot of questions here and looking at pic's of boxes others had made and I was finally ready to start.

I finished it this A.M. and my wife was very happy. it's 9"x11"x 6" tall. the center panel is a cut off from a board from a project from 15 yrs ago. Crotch wood I think.

here's a few pic's ( note: I suck at taking pic's so bear with me)

It's kind of dark but it shows the overall shape

 

I managed to wrap the grain around pretty well


The center of the lid



The tray



Inside



the bottom ( feet)



The finish is tried and true varnish oil, the hinges are brusso.
This was a fun project and I learned a lot.
I'm very grateful to everyone who took the time to answer my questions and share their knowledge.
I took a whole lot of" as I was building it" pic's I could put in another post if anyone is interested
   Thanks for looking
                      Jim

[Bill Holt]

Nice box.  The top is gorgeous!  I like the splines.  I've done a few boxes, none of mine looked as nice as yours.

[BrokenOlMarine]

Very nice, I am sure your wife will enjoy it. We can often thank the ladies for the push that leads to successes. I know my wife handed me a book on bandsaw boxes in woodcraft.
"You can make these, you have all the tools, I know you can do it."
She said the same thing when she gave me a book on unique boxes, and basic cabinets.

Again, a beautiful box, I love black walnut, and your work with the grain.

[Bibliophile 13]

Very well done! Your attention to the grain really paid off here, especially on the wrap-around. The top panel is a nice touch, too.

[Steve N]

I believe in the parlance of a novice woodworker that is what some would call a Tebow. I believe he hit a home run on his first at bat. Looks like you nailed the details, and that crotch in the lid is an asset to be sure. Nice box Jim.

[daddo]

The first thing that happens when you make a nice box like that is the wife wants to fill it with diamonds.  Just for keepsakes.

I quit making boxes.
        

[wood-chips]

Thats a very nice box, especially for the first ever.
And you scored a very nice piece of rustic BW

[Tynyyn]

Two thumbs up. Nothing else to add to the other comments because you made something beautiful, simple, and wanted by your wife and SHE liked it. Good job.

[jbmaine]

Thanks for all the kind remarks.
With all the support my wife has given me I wanted to make her something special, so I tried to pay extra attention to every detail.

 I really learned a lot making this and had a few firsts.

 This was the first time I used square keys ( or splines) in the miters. they are very easy to do,  it made alignment fool proof, and was a nice decorative touch.

 This was my first time using mortise hinges. I found that routing the back and making the template for the lid mortise at the same time really helped. it insured the exact same spacing.

Using brass plated square drive screws for the hinges made it easier to drive them in with out fear of stripping the heads.

My wife has very little strength in her hands, so I needed something for her to hang on to when removing the tray. It took a couple of tries to find the right profile for the center divider to give her something for her fingers to grab while still looking like it belonged there. It was well worth the effort.

Using Tried & True varnish oil as a finish made it easy to finish the inside before assembly. It is somewhat thick and as you put on very thin coats I did not have to worry about it creeping into the miters.

The center of the lid was a cutoff from a project from many years ago. I don't have a lot of room and I almost threw it out many times ( annual shop clean ups). This is a reminder to be very carful of what I throw away.

All in all it was very fun to do and I can see myself making more boxes in the future.

                                                                      Thanks again
                                                                                   Jim

[Harold O.]

Very nicely done as a first or any box. Pretty wood, too.

Careful with the box making future. Rewarding, yes, but it can take over.