I don't know why, but I've been in a rut for a while. I've been lazy and feel guilty about it (no doubt, a product of my upbringing). I've got some projects that I want to build, but haven't been able to get started.
A couple weeks ago I'd had enough and got out to the shop just to dovetail together a couple pieces of pine. Well, as long as I was practicing some dovetails, I might as well make them into a box. And as long as I was making them into a box, I might as well put a raised panel into grooves for a bottom. And as long as I was doing all that, I might as well put some compartments in the box. And I might as well experiment with shaping the exterior of the box. And ...
As you can guess, one thing led to another. I ended up with an interesting box with two levels of compartments inside. It's 8 1/2" x 7 1/4" x 4" tall (plus handle).
 |
| The finished box |
 |
| Box with upper tray removed, lower compartments can be seen |
 |
| One corner of dovetails - the shaping makes them look funny |
 |
| The Douglas fir bottom is a raised panel fit into grooves in the box sides |
 |
| The removeable lower compartments were made from four sticks of 1/4" oak |
 |
| The removable upper tray was dovetailed together, with permanent dividers fit into dadoes. All 1/4" oak. Its bottom is 1/8" oak plywood, glued on. |
 |
| The upper tray slips into the box with a nice fit |
The lid was made from poplar and it is rabbeted on its underside to fit tightly into the box. The above picture shows a little space above the tray to allow the lid to fit down into the box. The lid's handle was simply glued on.
I experimented with the exterior shape, just based on images in my head. Sort of an "S" shape. You can see in the first picture above that the lid continues the shape of the upper part of the box.
 |
| This picture makes it look like the upper part is wider than the base, but they're the same width |
I guess the point of this post is this: whether you have a project to do or not, sometimes you just have to get out to the shop. I don't need a box and don't have anyone in mind to give it to. But it was fun and allowed me to practice some techniques and to be a little creative. And it also used up some scrap wood. All good things!
that is a sweet looking rut buster
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ralph. Just what I needed, too.
DeleteGorgeous.
ReplyDeleteFor the hollow, did you use a rounded plane like the one shown by Paul Sellers in his video "how to make a plane"?
Thank you, Sylvain. For the hollow, I used the 1 1/8" round plane that I wrote about a few weeks ago. The radius on the box is larger than that, so I just moved the plane around and sort of free-handed it. If I cared to make it more perfectly, I might have made a dedicated plane or dedicated scraper, but this was just for fun.
DeleteVery nice, never thought about making a raised panel for the bottom. How are you making you raised panels?
ReplyDeleteHey, Lionel! I just simply laid out some lines on the edges and bottom face and planed to them with a #4 1/2. I think the panel started out about 7/16" thick, so with the 1/4" groove ploughed 1/4" from the bottom edges of the box sides, the panel doesn't extend below the bottom of the box.
DeleteMatt,
ReplyDelete"...whether you have a project to do or not, sometimes you just have to get out to the shop..." Ain't that the truth.
Nice box.
ken
Thanks, Ken.
DeleteImpressive distraction, just what the Doctor ordered :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the look of the funky dovetails after the S shaping.
As for getting out of a long rut, i am so overdue...
But life is too short and i am loosing too many friends lately, must be getting old :-(
Bob, take licking, keep on ticking
Bob, I'm experiencing some of that lately, too. I just lost a good friend two weeks ago. I know the older I get, the more I'm going to have to get used to that, but it hurts. It does make me focus on life's priorities and my perspective on things.
Delete