Guide to box hinges, p.

98
w
THE BEST OF

Boxes
•Projects
•Design tips
•Techniques

Your resource
for building
beautiful boxes
Liven up boxes
with creative
details
Finishing boxes
inside and out
Beautiful boxes
on the bandsaw
Installing hinges
and locks
4 ways to
top a box

Boxes – Spring 2022

 w
THE
BEST OF

Boxes
28
BOXES WORTH
REPEATING

42 Dovetailed Tea Box

This project offers a variety of
techniques in a small package
BY MICHAEL PEKOVICH

50 Build an
Heirloom Box
Book-matched veneered top
makes this simple box shine
B Y B O B VA N DY K E

60 Hexagonal Boxes
Are Little Gems
Dig out your attractive
scraps and have some
BANDSAWN
BOXES 22 small-scale fun
BY CLARK KELLOGG

Projects 68 A Box that Earns

Its Stripes
Got a tablesaw and tape?
16 Sleek Box 28 A Box Worth Make a miniature masterpiece
with a Sliding Lid Repeating BY ADRIAN FERRAZZUTTI
Clean, versatile design A piece this beautiful
offers easy access shouldn’t be one of a kind
to what’s inside B Y L A U R A M AY S
BY MICHAEL CULLEN

34 Veneered Boxes Departments

22 Bandsawn Boxes Made Easy 6 Introduction
Seamless boxes from
a single block of wood Create seamless beauty 7 On the Web
outside and in
BY MICHAEL CULLEN
BY CRAIG THIBODEAU 10 Gallery
 Techniques

76 Simple Box-Joint
Sled
The strength and style
of finger joints
come easy with this
straightforward sled
BY DOUG STOWE

82 Finishing Boxes
Easy ways to protect the
wood and line the interior
BOX-JOINT
SLED 76 BY DOUG STOWE, DAVE
S H A W, A N D E M I LY P A L M

HINGES AND
LOCKS 88 88 Hinges and Locks
Elevate any box with
high-quality hardware
BY ADRIAN
FERRAZZUTTI

Design Details
FINISHING
BOXES 82 92 4 Ways to Top a Box
Low-tech lids open
OPTIONS
FOR LIDS 92 without hinges
B Y M AT T K E N N E Y

98 Picking the
Perfect Hinge
The right choice
will help you design
and build better boxes
BY DOUG STOWE

104 Distinctive Box

Details
6 ways to take your
next box to the next level
BY DOUG STOWE
 46 Years
of projects, tips, & techniques
to make you a better woodworker
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Throw caution to the winds and develop your design eye with a beautiful Consumer Marketing
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6 FINE WOODWORKING
on the web FineWoodworking.com/boxes
Visit our website for everything you ever wanted to know about designing and making boxes.
Plus, become an Unlimited member to access our extensive archive of articles and videos.

VIDEO
Michael Cullen’s two-walled bandsawn
box
Sit back, relax, and watch woodworker Michael Cullen make one
of his beautiful bandsawn boxes, in less than five minutes!

VIDEO
How to create a textured finish
with a wire brush
On his wenge tea box, Fine Woodworking editor and creative
director Michael Pekovich reaches for a tool not normally found
in the arsenal of most woodworkers, a metal barbecue grill
brush.

VIDEO
Video series: Veneering basics
In this three-part video series, woodworking teacher Bob Van
Dyke demonstrates basic veneering techniques including
softening, rough cutting, seaming, and glue-up, while preparing a
period-appropriate book-matched drawer front.

VIDEO
Cutting off a box top on the tablesaw
There are many techniques for removing a box lid, but Bob Van
Dyke likes to cut through each wall completely in one pass using
the tablesaw.

VIDEO
Veneered boxes with a twist
Learn how to build beautiful boxes sporting intricate geometric
veneer patterns.

BOXES 7
gallery
A selection of beautiful boxes from our readers

ԂAMY C O ST E L L O
Ԃ Provo, Utah
Amy was enrolled in an independent study
course on carving and marquetry at Brigham
Young University when she made this tea box. It
was inspired in part by a Designer’s Notebook
in Fine Woodworking in which several furniture
makers designed their own tea boxes. It was
also a chance for Amy to explore an interest
in mandalas, traditional Hindu and Buddhist
symbols.
ELM, WALNUT, AND EBONY, 9D X 9W X 3 1⁄ 2H
Photo: Caitlin Egan

Ԃ CR
C R AIG
AIG JOHN
J O H N SON
SO N
Ԃ St. Paul, Minn.
The yellow birch used in Craig’s sliding-lid box was
reclaimed after years spent underwater, having been
lost by loggers more than 150 years ago in a local
lake. The box features hand-cut dovetails and a hand-
carved recessed pull, and is finished with shellac and
beeswax.
YELLOW BIRCH, 7D X 11W X 4H

Ԃ R. E VAN M I L L ER
Ԃ Sequim, Wash.
Evan made this music box as a gift for his sweetheart.
The box sides are quartersawn walnut veneer laminated
over curved molds. The box top and bottom, which is
also a sound board, are made of 1⁄4-in. honeycomb
panel used in the aircraft industry. The sunburst design
on the top is made using a radial pattern of mahogany
veneer. The parts are held together with long screws
so the box can be disassembled if necessary. A large
mechanism inside plays Mozart, specifically “The Magic
Flute,” “Eine Klien Nachtmusik,” and “Turkish March.”
WALNUT, WITH VARIOUS FIGURED MAHOGANY AND
WALNUT VENEERS;
6 1⁄ 2D X 17 1⁄ 4W X 5 5⁄ 8H

10 FINE WOODWORKING
Ԃ ALB E R T KL E I N E
Ԃ Laurel, Md.
This tea caddy gave Albert the chance to explore different wood textures in
a single piece. The open grain of the wenge, the smooth rosewood handle,
and the charred red oak liner all give a different experience when felt with
the hands. It’s inspired by the work of Peter Spaulding and Michael Cullen.
WENGE, RED OAK, EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD, 4W X 13L X 6H

Ԃ DA N SOUTHERN
Ԃ Huntington Beach, Calif.
Inspired by the famous Japanese torii gates, Dan wanted to
make boxes that look like little pagoda shrines. The posts that
suspend the box in the air are designed to echo the posts that
suspend the handle. “I feel the rounded shape of the handle
really completes the Japanese style I was after.”
LACEWOOD AND WENGE, 6 3⁄ 4D X 16W X 10H

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 11

gallery continued

Ԃ DEV I N R E AM
Ԃ Holliston, Mass.
This box is modeled after a tea chest by Abraham Roentgen
on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
City. Devin made a pair for a client to be used as funerary
urns. “Both boxes have spring-loaded secret drawers that are
released at the touch of a button.” He used gold leaf on the
corners instead of the traditional brass.
ROSEWOOD, MAHOGANY, AND PINE,
9D X 14W X 11H

ԂGEREMY C OY
Ԃ Alexandria, Va.
This walnut box was designed to display the delicate Japanese
kumiko latticework on the lid, which is made of more than 70
hand-fitted pieces of Alaskan yellow cedar. The grain-matched
box is joined with mitered dovetails and finished with shellac
and wax.
YELLOW CEDAR AND WALNUT, 6 1⁄ 4D X 10W X 2H

Ԃ JO H N K E N N EDY
Ԃ Orlando, Fla.
The contour carving on John’s Ripple Box represents the
concentric circles that emanate out when a pebble is
dropped into still water. Each ring is 10% bigger than the
one that precedes it. “My challenge,” he said, “was to do
this on a square box and keep the effect.”
BLACK WALNUT AND CURLY MAPLE
12 1⁄ 2SQ X 18H

12 FINE WOODWORKING
Ԃ KY L E T O TH
Ԃ Temecula, Calif.
Kyle received the veneer for this box in 2011, while he was a student at
North Bennet Street School—a Boston furniture maker left it to the school
when he passed away. The box has a sliding tray and the drawer bottom is
carved with a leopard print design and lined with aluminum. To see a video
of the box being made, check out Kyle’s website at woodbytoth.com.
CHERRY, REDWOOD BURL, BLACK VENEER, EBONY, AND ALUMINUM,
8 1⁄ 2D X 16W X 4 1⁄ 4H

Ԃ KEL LY PAR K E R
Ԃ Parkville, Mo.
Asked to make a pyramid from wood, Kelly added a few surprises. Built
using a brick-laying technique, this pyramid box has two secret drawers
and a secret compartment. The dovetailed drawers have sides made
of cherry. If you turn the top of the pyramid, you’ll find the secret cavity
embellished with mother-of-pearl inlay. The V-grooves on the sides are
meant to resemble the detailing seen on the ancient pyramids made with
large blocks of stone.
REDWOOD BURL AND CHERRY, 11 1⁄ 2D X 11 1⁄ 2W X 10H

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 13

gallery continued

Ԃ M AT T I E HINKLEY
Ԃ Richmond, Va.
Named “Pennsylvania valet” for the state where
George Nakashima’s studio is located and
loosely inspired by his work, this box, veneered in
nutmeg, sits atop solid pau ferro feet. A braided
stay for the lid was made by weaver Linda Turner.
PAU FERRO, NUTMEG, AND EBONY,
13D X 9 1⁄ 2W X 4H
Photo: Todd Sorenson

Ԃ RO B W I L C OX
Ԃ Coulterville, Calif.
Rob made his first Swedish bentwood box for a
gift exchange while a student at the College of the
Redwoods. “The inspiration came from a crudely made
box in our home. I believe it had been made by one
of my great grandfathers, both of whom were Swedish
carpenters. I modernized the style and gave it a more
refined look overall.”
WHITE OAK, 7 1⁄ 4W X 12L X 4 1⁄ 2H

ԂBRANDON O’FLAHERTY
Ԃ Smiths Falls, Ont., Canada
Brandon built this ring box to house his
wife’s engagement ring. The burl veneer on
the exterior was sanded through to reveal a
blackwood trim at the edges. “Not only did
I enjoy building this, but the added bonus
was she said ‘Yes!’”
AFRICAN BLACKWOOD AND MAPLE BURL
VENEER, 3D X 2W X 2H
Photo: Melissa O’Flaherty

14 FINE WOODWORKING
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www.f i newoodwor k i n g.com BOXES 15

16
Photo, thisF page:
I N E Michael
W O OPekovich
DWORKING Photos:
 PROJECTS

Sleek Box
with a
Sliding Lid
Clean, versatile design
offers easy access
to what’s inside
B Y M I C H A E L C U L L E N

S ome years ago I decided to make a box for my wife,

Barbara, to hold some of her favorite pens. My design
was inspired by the memory of a simple wooden
pencil box with a sliding top that I had as a child.
To me, boxes are a beautiful expression of what
working in wood is all about. Of all the things I
make, nothing else holds as much mystery or evokes
as much curiosity as a box. I loved making that box, and
I’ve since made many more, in a variety of woods and sizes
but all hewing to the same basic design: thin parts, mitered
corners with slender splines, and a snug but smoothly
sliding lid with a carved fingerhold.

Cut narrow grooves and tiny miters

Because the parts are so thin, I take the utmost care in stock
preparation. The lid, in particular, must stay flat over time

www.f inewoodworking.com BBOOXXEES S 17

17
 LABEL
Rout grooves for the lid and bottom.
Because the parts are so small, it’s safest
to groove the blanks before cutting them to
length. Cut both grooves with the fence at
the same setting. Fashion a push block if
needed.

Cut groove in two

Fence passes to reduce
stress on the bit.

1
⁄8-in.-dia.
straight bit

Cut the joinery

Fine miters. After Post-miter
cutting the sides to surgery. With the
rough length on the miters cut, trim
bandsaw, Cullen down one end of
cuts the miters the box to allow
in two passes passage of the lid;
with a jig on the clean the edge with
tablesaw. The first a block plane. The
pass comes within tab for the lid is cut
1
⁄16 in. of the line, from an extra piece
the second skim- of end stock that’s
cuts to final length. been mitered to the
same length.

MITERED BOX WITH SPLINES

3
⁄16 in. End, 3⁄16 in. thick by 11⁄4 in.
1
⁄8 in. wide by 23⁄4 in. long

Bottom, 1⁄8 in. thick

1
⁄8 in.
1
1 ⁄4 in.
1
⁄8 in.

1
⁄8 in. End is cut
1
⁄8 in. down 5⁄16 in.
3
⁄32 in. for lid tab.

GROOVE DETAIL
FRONT CORNER
DETAIL

1
⁄8 in. Lid, 1⁄8 in. thick

3
⁄32 in.
Groove, 1⁄8 in. wide
by 1⁄8 in. deep
Spline

1
⁄4 in. Tab, 3⁄16 in. thick
BACK CORNER Side, 3⁄16 in. thick, by 5⁄16 in. wide by
DETAIL 11⁄4 in. wide by 91⁄2 in. long 23⁄4 in. long

18 FINE WOODWORKING Drawings: Dan Thornton

 Assemble the box
Delicate
brushwork. Flip
the parts inside
up, then apply
glue with a small
brush, coating the
miters completely
but avoiding the
grooves.

Use tape for clamps. Line up the sides of the box end to
end and facedown, then stretch painter’s tape across the
joints. Prior to assembly, coat all the inside faces first with
shellac and then with wax, being careful to keep the miters
free of finish.

so it will always slide without binding. Double and

even triple-milling is critical to prevent any twisting or
cupping. It’s best to use either riftsawn or quartersawn
material, especially for the lid. Because the parts are
fairly short, I mill them to final thickness in long strips
and cut them to length later.
With the stock thicknessed and ripped to width,
make the grooves in the sides to accept the lid and the
bottom. I use a router table with a 1⁄8-in.-dia. straight
bit, making each cut in two passes to reduce stress
on the bit.
After completing the grooves I miter the corners of
the box, using a crosscut jig on the tablesaw. This is
the most critical step. Only a precise setup will yield
joints that go together flawlessly. Use a sharp blade—
it’s essential for clean and accurate work on small
pieces. I attach sacrificial boards to both the base and
the fence of the crosscut jig so the parts are supported
right to the blade. I test the setup by mitering a pair of
long, straight scrap pieces and checking their interior
angle for square with an accurate framing square. Wrap the bottom.
Once the setup is dialed in, miter all the box sides. Place the bottom in
Depending on the species of wood you’re cutting, it’s one long side, then
fold the other sides
sometimes cleanest to make an initial miter cut 1⁄16 in.
around it (above).
shy of the line, and finish with a skim cut. Don’t forget Stretch the loose
to cut three end pieces for the box—you’ll need the flap of tape to close
extra one to create the tab that will attach to the lid. the last corner tight
(left). Then, with
Fit and glue the box fingers on the top
The bottom of the box is fully housed in the grooves, edges of the box
sides, press down
and getting a good fit can be tricky. As I’m putting the
onto the bench to
bottom through the thickness planer, I go slowly and remove any wobble.
check the fit often. With the thickness established, cut
the bottom to size, ripping it a bit narrow to allow for

Photos, except where noted: Jonathan Binzen BOXES 19

 Slotting for splines. Use a

Add the splines shopmade V-shaped jig and a slot

cutter to cut the spline grooves on
the router table.
V-jig
Fence
Slot cutter, Mitered box
3
⁄32 in.

3
⁄16 in.

seasonal movement. Before glue-up, I finish-sand the

entire interior, tape off the miter faces, and apply a
very thin coat of shellac, followed by a coat of wax
Tiny splines. Mill and a good buffing.
a piece of spline Now the parts are ready for assembly. Because they
stock with two are so small, I use tape instead of clamps. Carefully lay
clean, parallel the box sides inside face down and end to end in the
edges, then cut it correct sequence. Then stretch painter’s tape across
into triangles at
the joints, flip the whole assembly over to expose the
the bandsaw.
miters, and apply the glue. Coat the miters only, avoid-
ing the grooves. Working quickly, insert the bottom
and wrap the sides around it. Set the box aside until
the glue is thoroughly dry.

Spline insertion. Use thumb pressure to push the splines home (above).
After the glue has dried, Cullen chisels away most of the protruding
spline (right), then finishes flushing it to the surface with a block plane.

20 FINE WOODWORKING
 Make the lid
The fit of the
lid is critical. It
should slide easily
but with almost no
play. After milling
the lid just oversize,
sneak up on a
perfect fit by hand-
sanding the faces
and handplaning
the edges.

Cut and fit the splines

I cut the grooves for the miter splines at the router
table using a V-shaped jig and a 3⁄32-in. slot cutter. You
could make this cut on the tablesaw, but I like the
slot cutter because it creates a clean, square-bottomed
groove, making for a perfect fit with the spline. I also
like the narrowness of the groove; to me, a box this
small needs very thin splines. To make the jig, cut a
V-shaped notch in a thick scrap. The jig should hold
the box 45° to the router table’s fence and should back
up the cut where the bit exits the corner of the box.
The next step is to make and glue in the triangular
splines. I mill a piece of spline stock that’s just wider
than the deepest part of the spline groove. Then I
make the angle cuts on the bandsaw. When gluing
them in, be sure the splines bottom out in the joint.
Scoop out a finger pull. Cullen uses an ellipse template to establish the perimeter
Slide in the lid of the finger pull. Then he carves it out with a gouge, cutting radially from the edge to
The action of the lid is a vital part of the user’s experi- the center and leaving the facets visible.
ence of a box. There should be slight, even friction
when opening and closing the lid. You’ll want just
enough resistance so it will stay shut when the box
is picked up. When you rip the lid to width, leave
it slightly oversize and achieve the final fit with a
handplane.
To make the finger hold, use a gouge to create a Press on the tab.
depression that has a fine-tooled texture, with the After testing it for
cuts arcing inward from all angles. After completing fit to the miters,
the carving, size and fit the end tab to the lid so that glue the tab to the
when the box is closed, the seam between the tab end of the lid with
and the side below is virtually invisible. Glue on the finger pressure.
tab, finish-sand the entire box, and apply several fine
coats of shellac. Even out the sheen with 0000 steel
wool, then add a thin coat of wax. Ԃ

Michael Cullen is a woodworker in Kent, Conn.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 21

 I build a lot of furniture—often complex, exact-
ing pieces carefully mapped out in scale draw-
ings. Some years ago I began making bandsawn
boxes as a way to relieve the tension of work-
ing on such long, demanding projects. The box-
es are quick, requiring no measuring, no joinery,
and almost no planning. They welcome creativity,
opening a door to limitless variations of form and
embellishment. And most of all, they are fun. I can
grab a piece of scrap, make a fast pencil sketch right
on the wood, and work freehand at the bandsaw
to create a box in no time.
I’ve always admired Shaker boxes, with their com-
bination of good form and minimal material making
a container that is lightweight, strong, and elegant.
My goal with bandsawn boxes is similar: to push the

PROJECTS

Bandsawn
Boxes
Seamless boxes from
a single block of wood
B Y M I C H A E L C U L L E N

limits of the material without compromising strength

or function—and wind up with something beautiful.
I cut the boxes from a single chunk of wood, saw-
ing it apart and then gluing it right back together
with some parts removed. This makes for perfect
grain matches and no issues of wood movement.
I cut a tapered plug from the center of the blank,
which I use to make a perfectly fitting bottom to the
box as well as a keeper that holds the lid in place.
I make two types of bandsawn boxes. One has
two curved walls that meet in a point at each end.
The other is a four-walled, rectangular form. Almost
all the steps for making the two types are the same.

Michael Cullen makes furniture and boxes

in Kent, Conn.

22 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, this page and opposite (top left): John Tetreault
Two-walled box

1 INITIAL SAWING
Off with the lid. After milling a block of wood, saw a slice off the top
and set it aside—this will become the lid.

T o make the two-walled box,

start with a thick block of
wood: 12/4 or 16/4 stock is
CROSS-SECTION
Lid Side is thinnest at the top.

optimal. Some of my favorite

species for bandsawn boxes are
basswood, walnut, mahogany,
maple, and cherry. I carve and
milk-paint many of my boxes, but Keeper, cut
I leave some unadorned. from top of
Flatten the top and bottom of plug, is glued
to underside
the blank, making the surfaces of lid.
parallel. The sides don’t have to
92°–93°
be milled, but the glue-up will be
easier if they are not too uneven. 92°–93°
There’s no required size for a Tilt the table. After cutting off the lid, Cullen creates the interior
blank, but one about 8 in. long cavity of the box by cutting a tapered plug from the blank. Set the
by 4 in. wide by 3 in. or 4 in. tall bandsaw table a few degrees off horizontal before cutting out the plug.
would be good for a first try. Bottom, cut from bottom of plug
The first step at the bandsaw
is to cut the lid from the block. THE FIRST TWO CUTS
Then set the lid blank aside and Make the two cuts in opposing
draw the shape of the box on the directions to yield a tapered plug.
top of the box blank. These lines
will define the interior of the box, First cut Second cut
so be sure to leave space outside
the lines for the wall thickness.
To saw out the interior, angle
the bandsaw table roughly 3° off
horizontal. A little more or less
is fine. The idea is to make the
interior cavity tapered—smaller
at the bottom—so the tapered
plug can be used to make a
perfectly fitting box bottom. Saw
steadily without rushing, so the
blade tracks without deflection.
The better the cut, the better the
joints will be. I use a 1⁄4-in. blade
with 4 or 6 tpi (teeth per inch).
With the cuts complete, bring the Two curving cuts. For a box with pointed ends, two sawcuts are all
outer halves together. The joints it takes to shape the interior walls. Cullen makes a shallow test cut
at each end should mate with no into the end grain to confirm that the blade is angled in the right
light showing through. direction and will yield a cavity that is smaller at the bottom.
Plug
BOXES 23
Two-walled box continued

2 GLUE UP THE SIDES 3 SLICE THE PLUG

Don’t overdo the glue. Apply the glue carefully to prevent squeeze- Mark the excess. To create the perfectly fitting bottom of the box,
out inside the box, where it is very difficult to clean up. first push the plug into the cavity and draw a line around it where it
emerges.
Hands before
clamps. To be TAKE THREE SLICES FROM THE PLUG
sure the bandsawn
joints line up Side of box
perfectly, fit the Cut away
halves together first the keeper,
with hand pressure. which gets
Hold them firmly glued to
underside
together for a Plug of lid.
minute or two to
let the glue tack
before applying Make a second
clamps. slice to create
the bottom of
the box.
Mark the plug
where it emerges
from the box,
Glue up the sides, and when the feeling. For a wall that is thicker then cut away Bottom
glue has cured, drop in the plug. at the bottom, creating a solid the waste.
It should rest slightly below the look as on this box, you can
bottom of the sides and form a leave the bandsaw table at the
perfect seal. Mark the plug where same tilt as for the inside wall
it emerges, then remove it and but approach the cut from the
draw a second line at least 1⁄4 in. opposite direction.
above the first. With the bandsaw After gluing the lid keeper to
table still angled, cut along both the lid blank, put the lid on the
lines to create the box bottom. box and trace the outside shape
Take a slice off the top of the plug of the box on the underside of the
to make the keeper for the lid. lid. Then cut out the lid. I often
Cutting the outside perimeter make the cut so the lid flares
of the box is easy: Use a pencil outward. It looks good and makes
with one finger held against the lid easier to grip. I usually
the inside surface of the box fair the curves and smooth the
and trace around the cavity, bandsawn texture with rasps and
then cut to the line. Walls that files, and finish with sandpaper
are too thick make a box look on a flat sanding block, Two cuts to get the bottom. With the bandsaw table still angled, saw
clumsy; I typically make them beginning at 100 grit and ending off the waste piece at the lower end of the plug, then take a second
about 1⁄8 in. thick at the top, with 400. For more aggressive slice to make the bottom of the box. Last, cut a slice off the top of the
which gives a light, graceful shaping, I’ll use the disk sander. plug—this will be the keeper on the underside of the lid.

24 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, except where noted: Jonathan Binzen; drawings: Christopher Mills
4 COMPLETE THE BODY OF THE BOX 5 ADD THE LID
Color comes next. If you’d like to paint the inside of the box, now is Locate the keeper. Guided by a tracing of the inside of the box
the time, while you have access from top and bottom. Paint the bottom cavity, Cullen glues the keeper to the underside of the lid blank. He
as well. presses the keeper into place, holds it a minute, then clamps it.

Free the box Sizing the lid.

from the blank. After gluing on
To create walls the keeper, fit the
that are thicker inverted box onto
at the bottom, it and trace the
leave the table perimeter of the
tilted as before but box onto the lid
approach the cut blank. Then remove
from the opposite the box and saw
direction. out the lid.

A fitting lid. Cullen

saws the lid at an
angle opposite to
the walls of the box.
The flare looks good
and also makes the
lid easier to lift off
(below).

Pop in the
bottom. After
brushing a narrow
band of glue
around the lowest
part of the inside
walls, drop the
bottom into the
cavity and press it
into place.
Four-walled box TAKE FOUR SLICES
1. To establish the
interior of the box,
Plug

2. Then crosscut.
first make two
slices lengthwise.

92°–93°

T o make a four-walled
bandsawn box, you’ll
follow nearly every step of the
After slicing off the lid blank,
draw the design directly on the
top of the box blank. Again
cut, then the second. The blank
will now be three long, narrow
pieces. It’s a good idea to
The glue-up here is slightly
trickier than for a two-walled box,
and to keep the parts aligned
procedure for a two-walled box. you’ll want the interior cavity to mark them so they’ll go back during assembly I often do the
The only real difference is in the taper inward from top to bottom, together in the correct order. glue-up around the plug. Be
pattern of cuts you’ll make to the so angle the bandsaw table a Now crosscut the central piece careful when applying glue to
box blank once you’ve sliced off few degrees. Slice lengthwise at each end to define the ends of avoid squeeze-out, which could
the lid blank. through the block for the first the box’s interior. glue the plug in place.

TIP

PLUG YIELDS MORE BOXES

From a blank to a box. With the bandsaw table

angled a few degrees, make the two long cuts first,
then the short ones to create a four-walled box.

Cullen often
uses the plug
from one
bandsawn box
to make a smaller
nesting box. The
plug he’s holding
above yielded two
Assemble around the plug. Cullen uses the plug more boxes.
to help keep the parts positioned for gluing. Careful
glue application and the kerf spaces at either end Saw the outside walls. After glue-up, cut the
of the plug keep it from getting glued into the box. outside walls to free the box from the blank.

26 FINE WOODWORKING
Saddled lid
CUT A CURVED LID 2. Saw the top of
the lid to a matching
1. Cut the lid blank Waste curve after gluing on
from the box blank the lid keeper.
on a curve.

Lid

T he lids of these bandsawn

boxes are open to all sorts
of variations. The box and its
steps for making a flat lid with
just a couple of exceptions.
sliced the lid keeper from the top
When I cut the lid blank from
lid can be flat-topped, scooped, the box blank, I simply drew of the plug, cutting parallel to the lid to a parallel curve. I could
crowned, even wildly undulating. a curved line and followed it. the curving top face of the plug. I just as easily have left it flat on
I made the lid for this mahogany Had I drawn a squiggly line, the glued the keeper to the lid blank top or sawn it to a wavy surface.
box so it curves downward in the lid would fit just as well. After while the lid blank was still flat Experimentation is the name of
middle. The process tracks the cutting out the sides of the box, I on top. Then I sawed the top of the bandsaw boxmaker’s game.

Cut away the lid Press the keeper

on a curve. To into place. After
make a lid that’s applying glue—careful
dished end to end, to stay well inside the
cut the lid from perimeter line—press
the box blank on a the keeper onto the
curving line (right). lid blank and hold it a
After cutting the minute (left). Then add
box apart, slice clamps, using the plug,
the keeper from which is sawn to the
the top of the plug, identical curve, as a
following a parallel custom caul. With the
curve (below). keeper glued in place,
saw the top of the lid to
a mating curve (below).

Box photos, these two pages: John Tetreault

 PROJECTS

A Box Worth Repeating

A piece this beautiful shouldn’t be one of a kind
B Y L A U R A M A Y S

51⁄8 in. 3
⁄16 in.
Bottom, 3⁄16 in.
3
⁄8 in. Notch, 1⁄8 in. deep thick, rabbeted
Tenon, 5⁄8 in. wide to fit in groove
11
by 3⁄8 in. long 5
⁄8 in. ⁄16 in.
5
⁄16 in.
Rabbet, 3⁄16 in. by 3⁄16 in.

1
⁄8 in.
5
⁄8 in.
23⁄4 in.
1
⁄2 in.
1
⁄8 in.

5
⁄16 in. 1
1
5 ⁄2 in. 51⁄2 in. ⁄8 in.

I first made this box several years ago

as part of a series for an exhibition
organized by the Crafts Council of Ire-
land called “Of Colour in Craft.” Artisans
in various disciplines were asked to make
Boxes are a great vehicle for exploring
design ideas in a series (see “Designing in
matched sets...” p. 33). Small and simple in
form, they can easily be grouped to create
an arrangement with a strong character of
This square, dovetailed box is half as tall
as it is wide, with a drop-on lid that is
slightly pillowed. The lid has small handles
to lift it off and help hold it in place. The
project offers a chance to practice hand
pieces that used color prominently. I chose its own. Making boxes also is a good way skills and to execute the small-scale de-
to make identical boxes in 10 species, each to spend time between bigger projects, to tails that make all the difference. It is very
a different color. use leftover wood, or to make gifts. satisfying to make.

28 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Steve Scott; drawings: John Tetreault

 Fine dovetails Just a hair wider.
To mark out for the
shoulders, Mays
The foundation of the box’s beauty lies in sets her marking
careful grain selection and neatly executed gauge just wider
dovetails. than the thickness
of the stock. This
makes the tails
and pins protrude
slightly beyond the
outside surfaces of
the mating pieces.

Saw the pins.

Mays uses a joinery
saw from Glen-
Drake Toolworks

TIP HOW TO FIND THE BEST GRAIN

Simple cardboard window frames
for this task. Due
to the pandemic,
this particular saw
help Mays to select and mark out the was unavailable at
material for the box sides and lid. press time, but any
dovetail saw will do
the job.

Transfer the
layout. Clamp the
pin board to a piece
of wide stock held
in the vise. Blue
tape on the backer
board shims the
pin board forward
so it aligns with the
Mill and mark, then cut the joinery scribed baseline.
This box only uses about half a board
foot of lumber. If you’re making a set
like mine, you’ll want variety. Trawl
through your scrap pile (and those of your Flush the bottom
friends), and scour the odds-and-ends bin edges. Dry-fit the
at the lumberyard for pieces with great box and flush the
bottom edges so
grain patterns.
the box sits level
Rough-mill the stock oversize by about (below).
1⁄8 in. in thickness and width. Don’t cross-

cut the sides to length yet; they’ll be too

short to go through the planer for final
milling. Sticker the wood and let it sit for
several days before thicknessing to final
dimension. Afterward, lightly handplane
what will become the internal surfaces of
the box to get them very close to final
prep. This is also a good point to confirm
the orientation of the workpieces to avoid
confusion when cutting the joinery.
At the tablesaw, rip the sides to width and
crosscut them to just over finished length.
I trim them to exact length on a shooting
board, then check the ends for square. If
they’re out of square, the box will be, too.
Make way for the lid Before gluing up the box, Mays routs
grooves for the bottom and gently
radiused rabbets to hold the lid.
When dovetailing, I cut pins first, using a
story stick for fast, consistent layout. After
sawing the pins, I use a coping saw to re-
move most of the waste, then pare to the
scribed shoulder line with a chisel.
RADIUSED RABBETS
To hold the pins securely on the tail
Fence board while I transfer the layout, I clamp
a wide piece of scrap vertically in the vise.
Box side Next, I clamp one of the tail boards to the
benchtop, with its end butted against the
piece in the vise. Finally, I clamp the mat-
ing pin board vertically to the stock in the
vise with its end grain resting on the tail
board, thus firmly locating the pins above
the tails. I saw the tails and
pare them to fit.

Radiused Create a shelf for the lid. To cut the Small details make
straight bit gently rounded recesses for the box lid, a big difference
(approx. Mays uses a high-speed-steel straight bit
1
⁄16 in.) With the dovetails done, it’s time to prep
onto which she has ground a slight radius.
the sides to accept the bottom and lid. The
bottom is rabbeted into grooves routed
into the sides. Dry-fit the box and plane
the bottom edges flush for a consistent
reference when routing the grooves. On
the tail boards, the grooves are stopped;
mark out their ends with the box together.
To hold the top, I routed a rabbet on
the top edge of each tail board. I used
a straight bit and rounded the cutters for
a slightly radiused inside corner. The lid
handles rest in notches in the top of each
tail board. To create them, hog away the
Notch for the handle. After waste at the bandsaw and clean up the
marking out the notch (above), Mays
sawmarks at the router table. Before gluing
removes most of the waste at the
bandsaw, then cleans up the cuts at up, prepare and pre-finish all the inside
the router table (right).

Two edges of the lid rest on the sides. To make Clamp thoroughly. Mays applies pressure in both directions on each joint, checking for
room, trim those two box sides flush with the square and adjusting the clamps as needed. She uses cork-faced cauls to accommodate the
bottoms of the rabbets on the adjacent sides. protruding tails and pins.

30 FINE WOODWORKING
Shape the handles STOPPED MORTISES
Mays cuts multiple handles from a single blank. The handles help Fence
lift the lid, and because they are recessed snugly into the sides,
they align the lid precisely and hold it in place.

Box lid

Handle mortises.
Set the lid in
3
place to mark the ⁄8 in.
mortises for the
lid handles (right).
Using a straight bit
at the router table,
make stopped 1
⁄8-in.
cuts into the lid’s straight
edges to create the bit
mortises (far right).

Create the
fingerhold. After
Hold-down board, Handle blank
routing shallow clamped to fence
dadoes to shape
tenons into the pull
blank, Mays uses
a core-box bit to
create the thumb
depressions in the
pull’s body.
Fence Core-box bit

Fine-tune the
shape. After
routing and further
shaping the thumb
depressions, use
a block plane and
sandpaper to round
the front surfaces
on the handle
blank.

Cut the handles from the blank. After ripping

two rows of handles from each blank, crosscut
the individual ones free from each row.

Create the shoulders. Saw away the waste

on each end of the tenon. Then pare the excess
flush.

BOXES 31
Pillow the lid
Dry-fitted handles locate the lid precisely, so it can be marked and cut to
width for a perfect fit. The pillowed top starts with four planed facets, which
are then sanded smooth into a gently sloping surface.

Get a handle on
the fit. Dry-fit the
handles and set
the lid on the box
(right). Then invert
the lid and box to
mark the lid for
cutting to width
(far right).

surfaces, and both sides of the bottom,

with shellac and wax. After glue-up, clean
The lid is a pillow.
up the outside surfaces with a plane or To create the
scraper, and sand as needed. rounded surface
of the top, use
Topping it off a block plane
After cutting the lid to length (but leaving to create facets
it wide), I use a 1⁄8-in. straight bit to rout that slope gently
toward each edge
the handle mortises.
of the lid. Start by
For the handles, I started with rectangular working across the
blanks about 1⁄4 in. thick and 21⁄2 in. wide. grain (left). Then
At the router table, rout a shallow dado that plane with the
starts 5⁄8 in. from the edge of the workpiece. grain to create the
Next rout a matching dado in the opposite remaining facets
face. The stock that remains between the (below). Afterward,
scrape and sand
dadoes is the handle tenon. Test its thick-
to blend the facets
ness against the mortises before finishing into a gentle curve.
the handles. Now rout a shallow cove, top
and bottom, across the grain, and sand it to
fit comfortably under the thumb.
To shape the lid, I started with a
roundover bit at the router table to gently
ease the edges of the underside for a snug
fit in the radiused rabbet. To pillow the top,
draw a pair of diagonals across the surface
and a depth line on all four edges. Now
plane an angled facet in each quadrant
that slopes gently from the center down
to the layout line on the edge. Scrape
and sand to blend the facets into a gently
curved shape.
Finish the lids and the exterior with shel-
lac and wax, and glue in the handles. Ԃ

Laura Mays is director of the Fine Woodworking

program at The Krenov School in Fort Bragg, Calif.

32 FINE WOODWORKING
RUNNING RIDGES
This series experiments with a ridge or narrow raised band
running over the exterior of the boxes. The first one has two
intersecting ridges, the second has a curved ridge, and the third
has a ridge that runs around the short dimension. I feel like this
series is not over—there are more variations I would like to add.

Designing in matched sets

is a balancing act

I n our craft, we repeat actions over and

over, plane stroke by plane stroke, gaining
muscle memory, trying to build the action
ALTERING FACETS
When I was first learning woodworking
into our very being. In this there is sameness, in Ireland, our instructors gave us an
yet there is also change. We constantly seek exercise in which we made a small dovetailed box and
then planed away some of the surface to reveal the interior of the joinery. Any
feedback from our actions, altering our stance,
undercutting on the pins and tails, any ragged shoulders would be revealed. For
shifting pressure, reversing direction. this series, I explored the idea further by removing planar facets in different
This interplay between sameness and configurations, this time from small madrone boxes. Using the same species
change is one reason I’m drawn to making throughout puts emphasis on the different
arrangements of facets.
objects in series, matched sets where the
I chose madrone
pieces aren’t identical copies of one another because it is close-
but variations on a theme. pored and holds
Each series of boxes shown here starts detail very crisply.
with an idea that is very simple but gains
complexity and subtlety in the making. The
pleasure is in the possibilities: “What if I do
the same thing but just change this...?”
The key to making a series work lies
in finding the right balance between
change and sameness. Too much
sameness and the series becomes
overly repetitive and uninteresting; too
much change and it becomes a set of
separate objects.

CHANGING COLOR
With the Color series, I kept everything the same except
the wood species. The basic form of the box is very simple.
To have altered other aspects or have had a more complex
base object would have distracted from the main point. The
series as a whole is one object, made up of a number of
separate objects.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 33

 PROJECTS

Veneered Boxes Made Easy

Create seamless beauty outside and in B Y C R A I G T H I B O D E A U

I built my first boxes from solid wood.

Then I started playing with veneer, dis-
covering a new world of wood species,
colors, and amazing grain patterns. I never
looked back. Using veneer makes it easy
to decorate a box in myriad ways. The box
shown here has a beautiful walnut exterior,
with a bright, golden interior of curly anigré.
I veneer the inside before assembly and
the outside afterward. That not only deliv-
ers a flawless interior but also lets you use
your preferred joinery method and then
simply veneer over it, creating a perfect
grain match and a seamless exterior. My
joinery method for veneered boxes is a
combination of miters and rabbets.
I assemble the parts into a closed six-
SIMPLE RABBETS AND MITERS sided box, and then rip off the lid on the
Mitered corners reinforced with splines are hidden by tablesaw. Before I veneer the sides and
veneer for a clean look. Built as a closed unit, the box assemble the box, I figure out where the
is sawn apart to separate the lid from the body.
seam will be, rip apart the plywood pieces
at that line, and glue a strip of solid wood
Box parts, 1⁄2-in.- between them—one that matches the ex-
thick plywood
terior veneer. When I cut off the lid later

Spline slot

11⁄2 in. 13⁄8 in.

Veneer inside
41⁄2 in. faces before
3
⁄8 in. assembly.
.
in
⁄2
1

Cut line
Walnut strip
at cut line Corner
spline TOP VIEW
CORNER DETAIL
Rabbet, 1⁄4 in. deep
by 9⁄16 in. wide

1 in.

34 FINE WOODWORKING Photo: Michael Pekovich

 VENEER THE INSIDE FACE AND MITER THE SIDES
Start by ripping the plywood strip in two and gluing a piece of solid wood where the seam between
the lid and body of the box will be. Then veneer the inside face before mitering the parts. This is
much easier than trying to add the veneer later.

Start with butt joints.

Lay up the veneer. Use a roller to spread After trimming the
polyurethane glue on the substrate, then lightly excess veneer from the
mist the glue face of the veneer with water and long edges, Thibodeau
press down the veneer by hand. Use cauls and cleans them up with
clamps or a vacuum bag to glue the veneer. light ripcuts. Then he
crosscuts them to final
length as shown, with a
on, I end up with a solid edge on both backer strip preventing
blowout.
lid and box.
To keep the focus on the fundamentals,
I’ve kept this box simple. But the same
veneer approach can be used on boxes
with decorative inlays and borders.
Neat trick for clean
Interior veneers go on before assembly miters. After tilting the
I used less than a quarter sheet of 1⁄2-in.- blade to exactly 45°,
thick Baltic-birch plywood for this box and clamp an auxiliary
about the same amount of 3⁄4-in.-thick MDF fence to the rip fence,
(particleboard also works) to make clamp- and bury the blade
in it. Then adjust the
ing cauls for gluing on the veneers.
fence so the miter
The plywood sides start as one long cut extends exactly
piece, long enough for all four sides and to the tip of the butt
their miters. Rip this long piece into two joint. Dial in the setup
strips, with the cut located at the seam using a sample of
between the lid and body. Then glue and the veneered box
clamp a strip of solid wood between these sides, and support the
workpieces with the
parts, and plane and sand it flush.
miter gauge.
Cut out the top and bottom parts now
too, and cut an extra piece of substrate—
roughly 6 in. by 12 in.—for testing the mi-
ter and hinge setups later.
I tend to use lighter-colored, straight-
grained veneer for the interior of my boxes
and furniture, in a color that both comple-
ments and contrasts with the exterior. Here
the long piece of substrate for the box Rabbet the top
sides will be veneered on one side with a and bottom edges.
single piece of anigré. Use a dado blade to
cut rabbets roughly
For the tops and bottoms, you can use
half the thickness of
one wide piece of veneer, or cut and tape the sides, and just a
together two pieces to make a book- hair wider than the
matched sheet. (See Bob Van Dyke’s Heir- thickness of the top
loom Box on p. 50). and bottom.
I cut veneer with a sharp veneer saw and
a straightedge. To press the veneer onto
the plywood, a vacuum bag (or vacuum
press) is the quickest and easiest method,
but clamps and cauls are a fine choice for

Drawings: Dan Thornton BOXES 35

ASSEMBLE THE BOX
The box assembles with packing tape. The edges of the sides end up
just proud of the top and bottom, and are easily sanded flush.

Tape and glue

the joints. Lay
the sides tip to tip,
and stretch clear
packing tape over
the joints. Then flip
the assembly and
brush yellow glue
onto the miters,
keeping the glue
away from the
inside faces to
minimize squeeze-
out.

those who only use veneer occasionally,

especially on small workpieces like these.
Wrap up the
I recommend polyurethane glue, which
assembly. Fold
up the box to
introduces very little moisture and creates
close the joints, a rigid glueline.
and stretch tape Make clamping cauls—You’ll need one
over the last joint. clamping caul for the top/bottom, and one
After removing for the long side piece. For the bag my
squeeze-out from clamping caul is just a piece of 3⁄4-in. MDF,
the corners of the
cut about 1⁄4 in. larger than the substrate.
rabbets, drop in
either the top or
For the clamp method, I again use MDF
bottom, unglued, but I apply a layer of 1⁄4-in.-thick cork to
to be sure the box the cauls to even out the pressure. I use
stays square as the spray adhesive to apply the cork, and then
miters dry. clamp each caul to my workbench—cork
side down—to ensure a good bond.
I wrap my cauls with clear packing tape
to resist glue, or place a sheet of plastic be-
tween the caul and workpiece. (I use rolls
of 3- to 5-mil plastic from the home center.)

Cut joinery and assemble the box

The sides of the box are joined with miters,
and the top and bottom sit in rabbets cut
Glue in the top into the sides. This lets you assemble the
and bottom. After miters first and then drop in the top and
a couple of hours,
bottom.
glue in the top and
bottom panels, Before assembly, sand and finish the in-
using cork-lined side face of all the parts up through 220
cauls and focusing grit. Shellac is a great option for an interior
clamping pressure finish as it dries quickly and, unlike oil
near the edges of finishes, it doesn’t impart a strong scent in
the box. a closed space.
I use Titebond I because it dries quicker
than polyurethane and is easier to clean
up. When the miters are cured, I glue in

36
ADD SPLINES, RIP OFF THE LID
Thibodeau reinforces the miters with small splines before
sawing off the box lid.

SPLINE JIG Notched fence, 3⁄4-in.

MDF, 101⁄4 in. wide Smart sled. This
Notch, 9 in. wide by 151⁄2 in. long simple jig cradles
by 13 in. long
the box at 45° for
cutting the spline
Base, 1⁄2-in. thick slots. Be sure you
plywood, 9 in. wide
don’t cut too deep
by 151⁄2 in. long
and penetrate the
box interior.

Support block,
3
⁄4 in. thick by
1 in. wide

Rip off the lid. Set the tablesaw blade 1⁄8 in. higher than
the thickness of the sides. Then make cuts on three sides,
starting on a short side. For the fourth cut, stabilize the box
Glue in the splines and trim them flush. Solid wood splines are planed for a snug by adding shims equal to the thickness of the blade’s kerf
fit in the slots. After the glue dries, use a handsaw and block plane to trim them flush. and taping the box together as shown.

the top and bottom. Then, on a box this between them, flat-sand them with a hard uum bag could crush the hollow lid and
big, I add splines to strengthen the miters. block until they disappear. On the top and body of the box. Use a set of thick cauls
bottom of the box, the uneven edge grain to ensure the clamp pressure is distributed
Rip off the lid and apply of the plywood will telegraph through over evenly. I recommend two layers of 3⁄4-in.
backer veneers time if you use a single piece of veneer, so MDF for each caul, covered with cork and
Once the splines are dry, trim them flush. use a plain, straight-grained backer veneer packing tape.
Then it’s time to cut the lid off the box under the walnut. Align the backer’s grain Be sure the top and bottom of the box
on the tablesaw. When you’ve done that, perpendicular to the grain of the substrate. are dead-flat before veneering, sanding the
sand the cut edges smooth, and test the fit I always go with traditional clamps for edges of the sides flush to the top and bot-
of the lid and box. If there are any gaps applying the exterior veneers, as the vac- tom if necessary. Leave the backer veneer

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 37

BACKER SHEETS TOP AND BOTTOM
The plywood edges of the sides will be detectable under the veneer
unless you add a backer veneer first. The grain of the backer sheet
should be perpendicular to the grain of the plywood below.

Glue and clamp. Backer veneer can be any common species,

cut slightly oversize, with the grain running perpendicular to the
plywood’s face grain. A thick caul placed inside the box distributes
clamp pressure evenly (right).

3. Add the face veneer

2. Apply veneer to sides, to the top and bottom
working around the box of the box.
one face at a time.

1. Apply backer
veneer to box top
Trim the excess. Trim overhanging veneer using a
and bottom. Its
grain should run handheld router and a flush-trimming bit, starting with the
perpendicular to VENEERING SEQUENCE end-grain areas and using a climb-cut to avoid chipout. Then
the face veneer. sand the edge square and flush with a hard block.

38 FINE WOODWORKING
VENEER THE EXTERIOR
to dry overnight, trim off the excess at the edges, and
Thibodeau cut the exterior veneers from one large piece then give the entire exterior of the box a light scuff-
to create continuous grain and a harmonious look.
sanding with a hard block and 150-grit paper—not
enough to change its size or shape, just enough to
clean up any glue.
Prep the side
veneers. For Attach the outer veneers and finish the box
continuous grain, Now you’re ready to apply the exterior veneers. The
cut a long, straight- side veneers go on first. Cut the side pieces from one
grained strip for all long piece of veneer, so there will be a continuous
four sides of the
grain match at three out of the four corners and a
box and lid, slightly
oversize. Label the
perfect match at the seam between the lid and body.
parts and their Once the side pieces are attached and trimmed flush
orientation on the on both the lid and the body, glue on the final top
box before cutting and bottom veneers. After trimming them flush, give
them apart. the whole exterior a quick sanding with a hard block
and some 150-grit paper to smooth everything out and
remove any glue. But don’t sand it any smoother until
the hinges are installed; you want the veneers to stay
as thick as possible so you can sand away any little
misalignment of the top and bottom.
After the hinges are installed (see p. 40), do the final
sanding of the sides (except the back) with the box
assembled, to ensure all the corners line up perfectly.
Sand with a hard block, lined with cork, using 180-,
220-, and 320-grit paper. Then remove the hinges to
finish-sand the back, top, and bottom.
The exterior finish is your choice: oil, polyurethane,
One side at a more shellac, whatever you like.
time. The veneer
goes on as before,
with polyurethane Craig Thibodeau is a furniture maker in San Diego, Calif.
glue, and one
caul sized to fit
inside the box and
the other slightly
oversize for the
outside.

Align one part

with the next.
After trimming
the excess veneer
as before, align
the grain of the
adjacent piece as
you apply it, holding
it in position with
blue tape.

Veneer the top and bottom. These veneers are applied

and trimmed exactly like the backer veneers, but with the
grain running lengthwise this time.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 39

Side-rail box hinges: Looks, performance, and easy installation

1. SET UP YOUR ROUTER TABLE

Each mortise is cut in a single pass on the router table, approaching the bit
I install high-quality side-rail hinges in every box
I make these days. I’m using them here on a
veneered box, but they work just as wonderfully on
from one side or the other, depending on the part of the box being mortised.
solid-wood boxes. I prefer this type of hinge because
of its clean, minimal look and built-in lid stop.
There are a number of high-quality side-rail hinges
on the market. My favorite ones are the SmartHinges
from Andrew Crawford (smartboxmaker.com). The
Set the height.
lid stop is machined into the hinge barrel, making it
Use your fingertip
to set the bit flush invisible, and the hinge barrel is rounded on its back
with the thickness end, the only side-rail hinge with that elegant touch.
of a hinge leaf. The ends of the hinge leaves are also rounded, which
makes mortising super easy on the router table.
By the way, if your box design incorporates a lock,
Crawford’s SmartLock hardware is easy to install and
matches the design of the hinges.

Add a stop block

and make a test
cut. Thibodeau
positions a stop
block with the help
of a 34mm spacer.
Make sure the
cutting edge of the
router bit is at its
outermost point.
Set the fence to
center the bit on
the thickness of the
sides. Use a sample
piece, veneered like
the real box sides,
to check the setup
(far right).

SmartHinges only require two router-table setups,

using either an 8mm or 5⁄16-in.-dia. router bit (both
work) and a small shopmade spacer, which dials in the
distance between the bit and a stop panel clamped
Test the fit. The
hinge leaf should to the table. For SmartHinges the spacer should be
be flush on top, 34mm wide.
with the barrel Set your bit height to exactly the thickness of one
centered on the
hinge leaf, and set the fence to locate the bit in the
back edge.
center of your box sides. Use the spacer to position
your stop block on the left side of the cutter.
To test the setup, you’ll need a sample box side,
veneered the same way as the real thing. Make a test
cut, sliding the sample along the fence until it hits the
stop block and then pulling it back until it clears the
bit. Keep the piece pressed against the fence.

40 FINE WOODWORKING
2. ROUT THE HINGE MORTISES Test-fit a hinge leaf to check your setup. If you
need to make an adjustment, just make a test cut on
Now the real another edge of your sample part. Use this setup to
thing. Be sure to cut the top-right and the bottom-left hinge mortises,
hold the box snug as shown. Then move the stop block to the right side
against the fence of the bit, using the 34mm spacer as before. Just to
all the way up to
the stop block and
be sure, test the setup on the sample piece again.
all the way back Now you can cut the top-left and bottom-right hinge
out of the cut. Note mortises.
how Thibodeau
To install the hinges cleanly and accurately, push
marked the hinge
locations in chalk each leaf into place and use a centering bit to line the
to keep track of pilot holes up with the holes in the hinges. It helps to
these critical cuts. angle the holes very slightly toward the front of the
You’ll be able to
box in order to pull the hinge leaves tightly into their
cut two of the four
mortises with this mortises.
first setup. —C.T.

Switch sides. To cut the two remaining mortises, move the stop block
to the other side of the bit, using the same spacer to position it. Once
again, keep the box or lid snug against the fence throughout the cut.

Check the alignment. Insert the hinge leaves fully in their mortises,
and then check the alignment of the lid at the front edge (above). If the
alignment is off, you can add a shim to align the parts. Use the hinge
leaf to press a small piece of veneer into the back of each mortise,
taping the hinge there until the glue dries.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 41

 PROJECTS

Dovetailed Tea Box

This project offers a variety of techniques in a small package
B Y M I C H A E L P E K O V I C H

F or some reason, tea tastes bet-

ter coming out of a dovetailed
box rather than the cardboard
box from the grocery store. For me,
tea is about taking a break. The time
The box turned out to be a study in
texture. The proud dovetails, the wire-
brushed wenge, the hemp cord, and the
bandsawn surface of the clasp all combine
to create a box that is as interesting to
it takes to steep is just as important as touch as it is to look at. For an object that
the drinking of it. So anything that adds sees as much handling as a box, that’s an
to that experience, whether it’s a teapot important thing.
or cup or box, can make a difference.
For this particular box, I had imagined Work from the outside in
something like an oyster: a wenge ex- The box is fairly straightforward to build. I
terior acting as a rough, rocklike shell glue up the dovetailed sides, capturing the
and a bird’s-eye maple liner providing tongue-and-groove top and bottom, and
an iridescent interior. then make a sawcut right through the box,

42 FINE WOODWORKING Photo, this page: Michael Pekovich

 103⁄8 in. 41⁄8 in.
7
⁄16 in.

101⁄4 in. 4 in.

19⁄16 in.
Groove,
1
⁄8 in. wide
by 3⁄16 in.
4 in. deep

3
⁄8 in.

3
2 in. ⁄16 in.
7
⁄16 in.
5
⁄8 in.
1 in. Groove,
1
⁄2 in. 1
⁄8 in. wide
31⁄2 in.
Base parts, by 1⁄2 in.
3
2 in. dia. ⁄8 in. thick deep

5
⁄8 in.
Clasp halves, 1⁄2 in.
thick by 5⁄8 in. wide
23⁄4 in. by 2 in. long
15⁄8 in.
4mm hemp
1
cord wrapped
⁄4-in.-dia. rare- with twine
earth magnets

93⁄8 in.

Dividers, 3⁄16 in. thick Cap,

1
by 23⁄4 in. wide by ⁄32 in.
215⁄16 in. long thick

Base screwed
from inside box.

Liner sides, 3⁄16 in.

thick by 23⁄4 in. wide
by 93⁄8 in. long
Bottom, 3⁄16 in. thick by
31⁄8 in. wide by 93⁄8 in. Liner ends, 3⁄16 in.
long, dropped in place thick by 23⁄4 in. wide
before liner is installed by 31⁄8 in. long

DOVETAILED TEA BOX

This project is basically a mitered
box inside of a dovetailed box.
Begin with the outside box, then
size the inside box to fit. To purchase plans for this Dovetailed
Tea Box and other projects, go to
FineWoodworking.com/PlanStore.

Drawings: John Hartman BOXES 43

 A dovetailed box

A little help with the dovetails. A simple shoulder guide

positioned along the baseline (above) and held in place with
a spring clamp helps ensure proper alignment of the parts
for scribing (right). Adding tape to the end grain and peeling
away the waste after scribing offers a clear road map for
sawing (below).

Online Extra separating the lid from the base. I then build a liner
and add it to the inside.
To see how to bring out the texture
in wenge, go to FineWoodworking Dovetailing the box is the place to start. To create the
.com/boxes. proud dovetails, set a marking gauge a little wider than
the stock thickness. When laying out the tails, make
the tail that will be sawn through to remove the lid a
little wider than the others to account for the sawkerf.
Once the tails are cut, I use a couple of tricks to
make cutting the pins a little easier. First, I apply paint-
er’s tape to the end grain. This will help to highlight
the otherwise invisible knife lines on the hard, dark
end grain. Before layout I trim the tape to the exact
size of the end of the board instead of folding it over
the corners, which could throw off alignment when
scribing the pins. Second, I use a jig to help position
the parts accurately for scribing. The jig is a rectangle
of 1⁄4-in. MDF with a pine fence glued along one edge.
A groove in the pine helps to secure it to the MDF
and allows for slight adjustments when gluing. Use
a combination square to check the fence for square
while the glue is still wet and adjust as necessary.
To use the jig, position its fence along one edge of
the tail board, and then slide the jig toward the end un-
til the MDF is aligned with the baseline of the tails. Use
a spring clamp to secure the jig. Place the tail board on
top of the pin board with the edge of the MDF contact-
ing the inside face. Slide the tail board over until the
jig’s fence contacts the side of the pin board. The tail
board should now be in position for scribing the pins
with a knife. Once you are done, peel away the tape
from the waste areas between the pins to reveal a clear
road map for sawing. To finish the joint, cope out the
waste and chisel to the baseline of the pins.

44 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, except where noted: Rachel Barclay

Grooves for the
top and bottom.
Adjust the rip
fence to take a cut
a kerf-width away
from the edge.
Groove the box
sides, and then
raise the blade
and groove the
edges of the top
and bottom (right).
Aim for a fit that’s
rattle-free, but not
overly snug (far
right).

Join the top and bottom Trim the top and

bottom. Rip along
Boxes can look clunky if you’re not careful, so I made
the edges of the
the top and bottom appear thinner by leaving just a top and bottom
portion of their thickness visible above and below the to create a short
sides. The result is a delicate-looking top and bottom tongue and allow
that are in scale with the overall size of the box. the lip to overhang
I start by cutting grooves at the top and bottom of the sides. The ends
the long sides and then around the edges of the top of the box are not
grooved, so turn
and bottom boards. I use a tablesaw blade with a 1⁄8-in.
the grooves at the
kerf and set the rip fence one kerf’s width away from ends of the top
the sawblade. Leave the rip fence here while groov- and bottom into
ing the case parts and the top and bottom. Start with rabbets.
the long sides. Set the blade to cut roughly halfway
through their thickness, and cut grooves along the

Liven up the wenge. To add a little texture to the surface of Slice off the lid. After gluing up the box, cut it in two at the bandsaw. Center the
the wenge, scrub along the grain with a wire brush. Follow kerf in the middle of the wider dovetail. Chamfer the edges of the cut, but leave the
with fine steel wool to smooth any fuzzy areas. bandsaw marks and burnish them with steel wool.

BOXES 45
Start with square
ends. Size the liner
sides and ends for
a snug fit in the box.
Start by cutting them
slightly oversize and
sneak up on the fit
with a handplane.
The dividers will fit
in V-grooves halfway
into each long side, so
their starting length
needs to be the width
of the box minus the
thickness of one liner
side.

V-grooves, then
miters. The liner
joinery can be handled
at the router table.
Start by cutting the
V-grooves while the
ends of the stock are
still square (right). Then
set a chamfer bit to
cut a miter almost the
full thickness of the
stock (far right). Leave
a small flat at the top
to ensure that the liner
is not shortened during
mitering.

top and bottom edges. Then raise the blade to cut a

deeper groove into all four edges of the top and bot-
tom. The blade height should equal the thickness of
the stock plus the amount you want the top and bot-
tom to overhang the sides. Then kick it up a bit higher
to allow for seasonal movement of the top and bottom.
The result should be a snug fit that’s not overly tight.
Next, make a trim cut to create a short tongue along
the long edges of the top and bottom. This will allow
the joint to fully seat. You won’t need this tongue on
the ends, since the ends of the box aren’t grooved.
Instead, trim away wood to turn the grooves at the
ends of the top and bottom into rabbets.
Before glue-up, burnish the parts with a wire brush
to define the grain and create a subtle texture. I apply
a coat of thinned shellac to the parts to prevent any
glue squeeze-out from sticking to the wood. Once the
glue is dry, I saw the box in two at the bandsaw. Nor-
mally I would remove the bandsaw marks, but I like
Dividers get beveled ends. Set the chamfer bit to cut a bevel half the thickness of the added texture here, so I just chamfer the corners
the stock. Flip the divider to cut the second bevel. and burnish the edges with fine steel wool.

46 FINE WOODWORKING
A mitered liner
Fine-tune the fit.
Pekovich uses a
dedicated shooting
board designed to
plane mitered ends
(far left). Start with the
liner sides and ends
and install them in
the box. Then size the
dividers to fit in the
V-grooves (left). Aim
for a snug fit, but don’t
try to wedge too-tight
parts into the box.

Wrap it up. After

Divide and conquer cutting the scallops in
The mitered liner acts to register the lid to the body. the sides, lay the liner
It also offers a nice surprise when the box is opened. parts facedown on the
bench and apply tape
I try to use wood that will offer a contrast to the dark
across the joints. Flip
wenge and a little pop as well. Curly, bird’s-eye, and them over and add
spalted maple all work well. glue to the miters and
Start by cutting the parts to finished length but with V-grooves, then roll up
their ends square. I’ll get close at the tablesaw and the assembly. The tape
then use a shooting board to dial in the fit. The sides should be enough to
and ends should just fit inside the box, but the dividers keep the miters tight,
but clamps may need
need to be cut shorter. Set one long side of the liner
to be added across
in place, and size the divider to fit between that and the dividers to tighten
the opposite side of the box. gaps at the V-grooves.
Turning the square ends of these parts into mi-
ters and cutting the V-grooves can be handled at the
router table. Begin with the V-grooves; it’s easier to
cut them while the ends are square. Install a V-groove
bit and raise it to half the thickness of the stock. Use
a push pad to keep the stock on the table and tight
against the fence. One fence setting will handle all
four V-grooves.
To cut the miters, install a chamfer bit (the V-groove
bit would also work), and position the fence to expose
just a portion of the bit. You want a bevel that’s almost
the full height of the workpiece, with just a thin line
of unrouted stock above it. Don’t raise the bit too far
or you will shorten the piece as you rout the miter.
For the dividers, slide the fence over until you are
cutting a bevel half the thickness of the stock. Flip the
stock over and take a second pass to create a mitered
point to register in the V-groove. Again, leave a thin
flat at the center of the stock where the bevels meet.
The mitered parts probably won’t fit at this point. I
use a shooting board designed to handle 45° miters to
bring the stock to length. Start with the corner miters. Add the liner. Drop the bottom in first, then slide the liner in on top of it. Gluing isn’t
Then plane the dividers to fit, taking equal passes on necessary. The portion of the liner that extends above the box sides may need to be
each side to keep the point centered. beveled slightly on the outside faces to allow the lid to lift off easily.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 47

 An ebony clasp

Drill the blanks.

Each half of the
clasp receives a hole
for the cord as well
as a pair of holes
for the magnets. A
fence clamped to the
drill-press table helps
when aligning the
holes. When drilling
the through-hole, a
stop keeps the blank
vertical (top). A pair
of stops are used
to drill the magnet
holes (bottom).

Add magnets and cap it with veneer. For extra strength, drop a
pair of magnets into each hole. Double-check their orientation to
make sure the halves attract instead of repel each other. Then cap the
magnets with a thin strip of ebony. If the cap is too thick it will reduce
the attraction of the magnets.

Once the liner is fitted, remove the parts and glue them up. After The center bar is notched to fit the feet, which are screwed to the
smoothing the surfaces, I apply a thin coat of shellac to keep glue box from the inside. The longer bar is also drilled so the cord can
squeeze-out from sticking to the inside faces. To assemble the pass through—one hole being round, the other oval.
liner, clamp a straightedge to the benchtop and arrange the parts Thread the cord through the round hole in the base and then
along it with the inside faces down. Apply tape across the seams through the clasp halves. The ends of the cord should pass each
and flip the parts over. Add glue to the miters and V-grooves and other through the oval hole in the base. Use twist ties at the top
roll up the assembly, adding tape to the last corner. If necessary, and bottom of the sides to hold the paired cords together. The
apply light clamping pressure across the dividers to close any fit of the clasp should be snug, but not so tight as to prevent
gaps. When the glue is dry, sand the top edges flush, then plane the halves of the clasp from joining. Once the tension is right,
or sand a long, shallow bevel on the outside of the assembly fix it by driving a wedge into the oval hole. I use a chisel to
where it extends above the box sides. This will make it easier to bevel the end of a dowel, add glue, and drive it into the oval
remove and replace the lid. hole, locking the cord ends tight. Then I saw the dowel flush
and trim off the cord ends, making sure not to cut into the cord
Tie it all together itself by accident.
The final task is to add the base and the ebony clasp. The first step The last step is to wrap the sections of the cord between the
is to make the clasp itself. In the past I’ve used a sliding dovetail twist ties with thinner twine. Removing the base temporarily and
to join the clasp halves, but I have since discovered that hidden clamping it in a vise makes the process easier. It’s common for
magnets handle the job well and make construction easier. the cord to take on a curve as it is wrapped. Straightening it as
Each half of the clasp gets three holes—a hole through its length you go can help, but you may still need to play with it a little
for the cord and a pair of stopped holes for the magnets. Then more once the wrap is finished. Screw the base back in place and
it’s a matter of dropping a pair of 1⁄4-in.-dia. magnets into each you’re ready to fill the box with your favorite tea. Ԃ
stopped hole and covering the face with a thin strip of ebony.
In order to attach the clasp, the base must be in place. It consists Editor and Creative Director Michael Pekovich has just completed his
of two short bars that act as feet and a longer bar between them. second book, Foundations of Woodworking, from The Taunton Press.

48 FINE WOODWORKING
String it up. Loop the cord through the holes in the base
and clasp. Add a twist tie at the top and bottom edge of
each side. Adjust as necessary until the clasp is centered
on the lid (above), then drive and glue a wedged dowel
into the oval hole in the base that the cord ends are
threaded through (right).

Add a wrap to the cord. Use thinner twine to wrap

the cords between the twist ties. Start with a few wraps
over the end of the twine to secure the starting end of
the wrap. Before reaching the opposite tie, insert a loop
of twine under the wrap (top). When you reach the end,
thread the twine through the loop and pull it to draw the
end under the wrap (above).

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 49

 PROJECTS

Build an Heirloom Box

Book-matched veneered
top makes this simple
box shine
B Y B O B V A N D Y K E

50 FINE WOODWORKING
 B oxes are a great place to practice and
hone new skills. The materials won’t
break the bank and you can spend as
much or as little time on them as you want.
This box project is a great example. With it,
guide you through putting the box together and
show you some tips for getting the most out of
this small project.

Lay out dovetails around the grooves

you can work on your dovetail skills and learn The case for this box appears to be of basic
to cut tongue-and-grooves at the router table. It dovetail construction, but because the top will
will also introduce you to working with veneers be sawn off later at the tablesaw, you must pro-
and bandings, two details that really bring the vide for the sawkerf when laying it out.
piece to life. Start by flattening, planing, and cutting the
I chose walnut for the case to complement stock to dimension. When laying out the dove-
some spectacular walnut crotch veneer I had. tails, be sure to space them so that the tablesaw
Using that veneer for a simple book-match cut that will separate the top from the bottom
gave me a dramatic-looking panel for the top. falls in the center of a pin. Make that pin extra
Banding frames the veneer beautifully and a wide to accommodate the sawkerf. After cutting
pine liner adds a bright, contrasting interior. I’ll the dovetails, dry-fit and surface the top and

Add 1⁄8 in. to this pin Distance to bottom of

for the sawkerf that groove is thickness of
will split the box later. panel plus 1⁄32 in.

BANDING DETAIL Overlap case

side by 1⁄32 in. MDF
1
⁄8 in. Dyed substrate,
Holly, veneer, 3
⁄8 in. thick
1
⁄32 in. 1
⁄16 in. 1
⁄16 in.
9
⁄16 in.

Groove,
3
⁄16 in. by
3
⁄16 in.

Box liner, mitered,

Pull, ebony, 1⁄8 in. thick by 3
⁄16 in. thick
3
⁄8 in. wide by 7⁄8 in. long,
mortised into lid
141⁄2 in. 85⁄8 in.

1 in.

4 in.

Photo, above left, and drawings: Kelly J. Dunton BOXES 51

 Cut and tape the veneer
Rough out the veneer.
With the two sheets
for a book-match
stacked and aligned,
use a veneer saw and
straightedge to rough
out the pieces. The
straightedge must be
wide enough to register
the veneer saw fully.

bottom edges with a smoothing plane, taking extra

care to keep them parallel. This is key, to ensure the
grooves that come later are not misaligned.

Make the veneered panel

For this box, I’m using veneered panels for the top and
bottom. The veneer for the top panel is book-matched.
For each panel you’ll need at least two sheets of face
veneer and a single sheet of veneer for the back side.
Keep in mind, it takes a few days to flatten the veneer.
Before flattening, number the sheets and be sure
to keep them in order throughout the process. Spray
both faces of each sheet with a veneer-flattening solu-
tion (GF-20, veneersystems.com). Let this stand for 20
minutes, then stack the wet veneer sheets with a few
sheets of blank newsprint in between them. Put the Tape brings it together. After lining up the grain for the match, stretch blue tape
entire package between 3⁄4-in. melamine cauls, clamp from one side to the other to bring the seam together tightly. Folding the ends of each
it firmly, and let it sit. strip makes removal much easier.
Replace the wet paper a few times a day for two to Flip it over for
three days until the veneer is no longer cold to the more tape. With
touch. It’s easier to keep the treated veneer flat if it the blue tape on,
stays in the clamped cauls when not being worked flip the sheet and
on. With the veneer flattened, select two sequenced apply veneer tape
to the other side,
sheets to begin designing the book-match.
stretching it over the
To help visualize the book-match, I use a couple seam horizontally. A
of mirrors taped together. For a simple book-match, final strip of veneer
place the mirrors upright on the veneer stack, in the tape down the seam
approximate place of the glue seam. The reflection helps reinforce it
will show you the match. To help visualize the panel, even further. Once
use a couple of scraps of wood to outline the finished it’s set, flip it back
over and remove the
panel. When you’re happy with the match, mark a
blue tape.
line against the mirror. This will be the seam of the
book-match. To determine the bottom and top edge
of the panel, use an architect’s triangle to draw a line
perpendicular to the mirror.

52 FINE WOODWORKING
 Glue the panel
Show veneer

Substrate

Roll out the brown carpet. Roll a healthy coating of liquid hide glue on the substrate for the panel
(left). The coating has to be even and full to avoid dry spots. After both sides are loosely taped in
place on the substrate, put the panel in the cauls for clamping (right).

Backer veneer

With the match drawn out, double-check that sheets

are exactly aligned, one on top of the other. Rough-cut
both sheets at the same time. Check for square with
Keep an even keel.
the edge of the panel and, using a veneer saw and
The panel should see
straightedge, cut both sheets at least 1 in. oversize. even pressure across
Now, open the sheets along the seam. If you lined the cauls, so using
them up correctly, the match should be close to perfect. numerous clamps is
If it’s not, slide one sheet over the other until the joint advantageous even
lines up better and draw a new line. Cut one sheet on a small panel.
on that line, put the two pieces back together, and Give the panel 24
hours to cure before
cut the joint again—parallel to the new cut you made
removing the cauls.
and about 1⁄8 in. away from it. When you get the grain
match you want, turn the sheets over and butt them
together on the bench to prepare them for glue-up.

Preparing for glue

To get the veneer ready to be glued, I use a combina-
tion of the standard crinkled blue painter’s tape and
traditional veneer tape to get a seamless glueline. Cut
a handful of pieces of blue tape about 4 in. long and
fold over the ends to make a removal tab. Starting in
the middle of the back of the sheets, put a piece of
tape on one sheet, pressing down on the first sheet
and then carefully pulling the sheets together with the
Scrape it clean.
tape. Press the tape onto the mating sheet and repeat To make the veneer
with the other pieces of tape. tape easier to
Now turn the taped sheet over and do the same on remove, Van Dyke
the show face using veneer tape. When the veneer wets it with an
tape is dry, carefully remove the blue tape from the envelope moistener
other side. The veneer’s now ready to be glued to and then uses a card
scraper to gently
the panel.
scrape away the
Cut the MDF substrate and the taped veneer about remnants.
1 in. oversize. Make sure the seam stays in the middle
and is square to the edge. I use liquid hide glue. Roll
an even layer on one side of the MDF and place the

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 53

 Dovetail the sides
Cut the
dovetails. Van
Dyke cuts his
dovetails at the
tablesaw and
cleans them up
with a chisel.
The extra space
between the
far right tails
makes up for the
kerf that will be
removed later
when the box is
split.

Level the
edges. With
the case dry-
assembled, use
a smoothing
plane to make
sure the top and
bottom edges
are smooth and
parallel.

veneer. Turn the assembly over and repeat for the

inside face. Tape the corners of the assembled panel
so it doesn’t shift and clamp it between cauls. Let the
panel dry for at least 24 hours before removing the
clamps.
When the panel comes out of the clamps it will have
glue squeeze-out and rough edges. Strike a straight
line about 1⁄4 in. from the bottom edge, perpendicular
to the glueline. Using the tablesaw with an L-fence,
cut on the line. Joint that edge and rip the panel to
final width. Now mark the center of the top and lay
Rout the panel grooves.
out the two end cuts, keeping the seam in the middle.
The stopped grooves for
the top and bottom panels
are cut at the router table. Rout the rabbets and grooves
Use stop blocks to control The veneered top and bottom panels are rabbeted
the plunge cut and to avoid to fit grooves cut into the inside face of each side.
routing through the tails. To locate the groove, measure the thickness of the
panel and add 1⁄32 in. That extra 1⁄32 in. will leave the
solid-wood sides proud of the top, which makes it
15
⁄32 in. easier to level the two surfaces later. If the panel
were flush with or proud of the edges, trying to level
Stopped
groove, 3⁄16 in. the two could destroy the thin veneer. The grooves
by 3⁄16 in. must be stopped or they will show. To make these
plunging stopped cuts safely, I use the router table
with a fence and stop blocks. Square up the ends
with a chisel.
With the grooves cut, dry-fit the case again and mea-
sure the inside dimensions to get the length and width
of the two panels. Add 3⁄16 in. to each dimension to
allow for the tongue that will fit in the groove.

54 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Dillon Ryan

Fit the panel
Score before routing. Use a cutting gauge to score the
show side of the panel. This will help avoid any tearout in the
veneer while routing the rabbet.

Rabbet it. To make the tongue on the panel, you need to cut Check the fit. The panel must have a tight,
a rabbet all around. Use a router table and a 3⁄4-in.-dia. spiral friction fit in the groove. The top edge of the
bit for this cut. side will be just proud of the panel. The sides
will be flushed to the panel later.

Assemble the case

Softwood cauls are key. Van Dyke uses soft pine cauls placed directly
over the tails to protect the box as clamping pressure is applied (left).
The softwood will indent around the pins, applying pressure directly on
the tails. With the box glued up and dry, rout the sides flush with the top
panel (above) using a bearing-guided, flush-trimming bit at the router
table.

BOXES 55
 Add the banding
Two-pass routing. After making the banding, rout the
groove for it in two steps. The first cut establishes the
exterior edge and must fall at least 1⁄32 in. on the walnut
sides to provide support for the banding. The second cut
establishes the interior edge.

1
⁄8-in. spiral
router bit
1
Router ⁄32 in. Panel
base

Router
edge guide

Box side

Keep things
square. Once
the routing is
done, use a
chisel to square
up the corners
of the groove.

Simple means of mitering. A wooden jig allows miters to

be cut with a sharp chisel and a steady hand. A wide chisel Dry-fit first. To avoid glue-up mishaps, it’s important to check the banding’s fit before
and a thin strip of wood keep the banding pressed firmly to getting the glue. Remove the banding by carefully lifting out the corners with the tip of
the block, providing pinpoint accuracy. a marking knife.

56 FINE WOODWORKING
 handplane and then set up a bearing-guided, flush-trimming bit in
Fit the panels to the grooves the router table to level the solid-wood sides that were left proud
Now cut the top and bottom panels to size. Make sure to center of the veneered surface.
the veneer seam perfectly when you cut the top. With the panels
cut to size, rout the tongue around their edges (you’re essen- Banding adds flair, hides gaps
tially cutting a rabbet). I cut the tongue at the router table using The visible seam between the solid-wood sides and the panel
a 3⁄4-in.-dia. spiral bit. Use an offcut from the panel to set up the will disappear when you install the decorative banding around
cut. Once the test piece fits, cut the tongue on the real panels. To the panel. Set up a trim router to cut the groove for the banding.
prevent the show veneer from chipping during routing, I score a Set the depth of cut so the banding sits just a little proud when
line in the veneer with a sharp cutting gauge. I set the gauge to it’s glued in. Position the fence for the first pass so that the bit
the width of the rabbet in the test piece. After scoring the lines, cuts about 1⁄32 in. into the solid-wood sides and the rest into the
rout the rabbet all the way around the show face of both panels. veneered top. The second, fitting cut will lie in the veneer surface
only. To prevent chipout, I set a cutting gauge to the outside of
Test-fit and glue-up this final cut and score a line all the way around the top of the
Test-fitting the panels gives you the chance to adjust the fit with a box, exactly where the router will be cutting. Test the settings for
shoulder plane if need be and develop a sound strategy for glue- both the cutting gauge and router on a scrap to be sure the thick-
up, which is always slightly nerve-wracking. When dry-fitting the ness of the groove and its distance from the edge of the work and
box, don’t put the top and the bottom in at the same time or you the outside edge of the banding groove are dialed in correctly.
might not get the box apart again without hammering. Once I’m satisfied with the banding’s fit in the test piece, I rout
Do your final surface-prep on all parts and glue up the box, both passes on the box itself and get ready to install the banding.
including the top and bottom panels, which don’t float. I suggest The banding pieces are mitered. Rather than overcomplicate
liquid hide glue for this project because it offers a longer open this, I use a sharp chisel and a miter block to get accurate joints.
time and it lets the top and bottom panels slide around in their Miter the banding strips all the way around the box. To ensure
grooves for adjustment. Yellow glue swells the joints and grabs tight miters, I leave each piece a little long so there is a very slight
too quickly. After the glue has dried, level the dovetails using a belly in the banding when I install it. When the banding is pushed

Burnish and level the banding. After applying

glue to the groove and installing the banding
sections, work the belly out of the banding with the
back of a chisel (above), smoothing from the center
toward each miter. This pressure will close up the
miters for a seamless joint. After the glue dries,
a card scraper makes quick work of leveling the
proud banding with the rest of the box top (right)
without harming the book-matched panel.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 57

 Cut away the lid
Off with the top. Van
Dyke prefers using the
tablesaw to remove
the lid because it
leaves behind a clean,
square surface (right).
Once three of the
four sides are sawn,
place a spacer whose
thickness matches the
blade width halfway
down (far right).
Squeeze the top side
of the box as it passes
the blade (lower
right). When the cut is
complete, the lid will
pop off the bottom.

into its groove, that little bit of extra length will push
into the miter, ensuring a tight fit. When it fits perfectly,
glue in the banding with liquid hide glue in the order
it was fitted. After the glue is dry, level the banding
with a card scraper. Now it’s time to open up the box.

Separate the top and add hinges

There are many ways to cut the lid off a box. I use the
tablesaw, because it leaves fewer blade marks to clean
up. I use a thin-kerf blade set a little higher than the
thickness of the box sides. I set the fence so the blade
will cut right in the middle of the wide pin near the
top. Before I make the cuts, I make a wood spacer a
little longer than the length of the box and a hair thin-
ner than the width of the kerf the sawblade will make.
Cut three faces of the box. Before cutting the last,
put the spacer into the kerf about halfway down the
box. Because the lid is squeezed during the last cut, as
soon as it’s free the spacer forms a fulcrum point and
the top snaps out of the way of the blade, preventing
any scarring from the blade’s teeth.
Clean up any sawmarks with a handplane or card
scraper and then lap the edges on sandpaper glued to
a piece of glass to make the mating surfaces flat and
straight. This will ensure that there are no gaps when
the lid and base are put together.
I prefer the stop hinges from Brusso. They hold the
top at a slight angle past vertical. Take extreme care
to mortise accurately for the hinges. Sloppy hinge in-
stallation will skew the top when the box is closed.

58 FINE WOODWORKING
 Plane and sand for a gap-free fit. Use a handplane to remove any
saw marks left over from the tablesaw (left). Follow up by sanding the
box and lid on a flat surface to ensure that the pair come together
evenly (above).

Hinges and liner. Brusso brass hinges and a mitered pine liner
finish off the box. The liner is held in by a friction fit and left
unglued.

A mitered wood liner finishes off the inside of the box. I

use 3⁄16-in.-thick pine and rip the stock about 1⁄4 in. wider
than the depth of the box. The liners are not glued, but
held in place by a friction fit. Once they’re fitted, round
over the outside top edge with a small roundover bit bur-
ied in a router table fence. This way the fragile mitered
ends don’t get damaged.
The finish is up to you, but I find that these boxes are
a perfect place to learn or practice traditional French-
polishing techniques with shellac. After a final rubout,
your box is ready to hold any number of treasures. Ԃ

Bob Van Dyke is the director of the Connecticut Valley School

of Woodworking.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 59

 PROJECTS

Hexagonal Boxes Are

Dig out your
attractive scraps
and have some
small-scale fun
B Y C L A R K K E L L O G G

A few summers ago I was given two small pieces of incred-

ible curly maple. I knew they would be perfect for small
boxes, but I didn’t relish the thought of trying to saw tiny
dovetails into such ornery wood, and plain old square mitered
boxes felt like a missed opportunity.
Inspiration struck when a yogurt container fell off a shelf in my with blue tape and rubber bands—the hexagonal top and bot-
shop, spilling its cargo: What about a mitered box with six sides? tom panels are set into the rabbets and the box is cut apart to
Working at this small scale, and almost entirely at the bench, separate the lid.
is a great way to explore a finer level of detail in your work. I Choose woods that harmonize and complement one another,
developed a few new jigs and techniques for these boxes, and accentuating the overall form and tone of a piece rather than dis-
found fitting the pieces together to be really fun. Each box starts tracting from it. I used a combination of bird’s-eye maple on the
as a strip of solid wood, which becomes the sides. Once that is sides, spalted maple on top, and teak for all the details. Some of
mitered, rabbeted, and joined—by wrapping the six-sided tube my other favorite combinations for boxes and furniture include

60 FINE WOODWORKING Photo, this page: Michael Pekovich

Little Gems ANATOMY OF THE BASIC BOX

Here’s the anatomy of the box before

it’s cut apart and the liner pieces
are added. The sides are solid wood,
rabbeted to accept the top and bottom.
To avoid wood movement that would
push the sides apart, the top and
bottom are sandwiches of thin plywood
and shopsawn veneer. Thicker than the
rabbets they sit in, the top and bottom
create outside rabbets for banding.

1
Top and bottom ⁄16-in. veneer
panels, 3⁄8 in. thick

Banding, 1
1
⁄8 in. sq. ⁄4-in. birch plywood

1
⁄8 in.

1
⁄4 in. Sides, solid
wood, 1⁄4 in. thick
by 23⁄8 in. wide by
23⁄4 in. long

Overall box
height, 25⁄8 in.

Sides and top/

bottom create
1
⁄8-in.-sq. rabbets.

1
⁄8 in.

1
⁄8 in.

walnut and beech, walnut and pecan, white oak and wenge, pear sled. I clamp a small stop to the sled, and make test cuts to dial in
and cocobolo, cherry and cypress, cherry and Douglas fir, and its position, which stays the same for cutting both miters on each
maple and pear. piece. The goal is to leave just a hairline of the original squared-
off ends intact. Keeping this tiny blunt edge will give you positive
Miter, rabbet, and assemble the box sides registration against the fence. It disappears during final sanding.
Start by prepping the sides of the box. To ensure continuous grain, When the test pieces look good, miter the actual box sides. To
start with an 18- to 24-in.-long piece of 1⁄4-in.-thick stock. Its width check your work, arrange them facedown on the workbench,
should be the box’s height. stretch blue tape across the outside faces, and wrap the sides into
I start making the small mitered side pieces by cutting them to a tube. If the miters don’t come together perfectly, you can tune
exact length at the tablesaw with the blade at 90°. I make a few them up by hand. I use a guillotine-style miter trimmer to tune
extra pieces to use for setting up the miter cuts. Then I line up miters these days. If you aren’t inclined to shell out for a miter
my best six pieces in sequence and number each one. To control trimmer, you can fine-tune miters very effectively with a simple
the small pieces safely as you miter their ends, I use a tablesaw shooting jig for your block plane, which I did for years.

Photos, except where noted: Asa Christiana BOXES 61

Start with the sides
HOW TO CUT MITERS IN SMALL PARTS It’s vital for opposite sides of the box
to be exactly the same length. Check the
The sides are solid wood, cut from a single strip for grain continuity around the box.
joinery with another tape-wrap dry-fit to
Follow the steps below for safe, accurate results with these small workpieces.
be sure it’s perfect before moving on.
Cut rabbets and pre-finish the inside
faces—Now cut the rabbets in the sides.
Rout the rabbets on the router table, making
sure to cut them on the inside face. Next,
plane and sand the inside of the sides to
320 grit. Then pre-finish the top third of the
inside faces with shellac and wax, keep-
ing finish off the miters. The pre-finished
area will be the inside of the lid, and should
be as polished as the outside of the box.
The rest of the interior will be covered by
liner pieces. I use shellac on boxes, since it
A box from scrap. After resawing strips of curly maple for the sides and scraps of spalted maple leaves no odor inside and builds to a high
for the top (left), Kellogg planed a long strip for the sides to 1⁄4 in. on a melamine sled (right). polish in a few hours, letting me move on
to the next steps.
Assemble the sides—Once the interior
faces are finished, check the miters one last
Butt joints first. To time and unroll the tube on your bench,
be sure the joints keeping the blue tape in place. Now comes
end up square the glue. I like Titebond’s Translucent Wood
and the pieces the
Glue for box work. It sets quickly and cures
same length, make
90° crosscuts to to a rigid, nearly invisible glueline. After ap-
start. Note the plying it, roll up the tube and stretch tape
marks that record across the last open joint.
the original grain To pull the miters extra tight, I back up
sequence, and the the tape with a length of bicycle inner
extra pieces being tube, wrapping the strip around the sides
cut.
until the entire box is encased. You can
get old inner tubes for free at your local
bike shop.

Set the blade to 60°. The bevel setting is

critical, so Kellogg relies on a digital angle gauge
(above). To cut the small workpieces, he uses
a tablesaw sled (right). Dial in the position of
the stop with a series of test cuts on your extra
pieces, aiming to leave just a hairline of the
mitered edge square. Then cut the real sides. A
single stop setting will work for both miter cuts.

62 FINE WOODWORKING Drawings: Dan Thornton

 Assembly tricks for tight joints
FINE-TUNE To bring the joints together without gaps, Kellogg uses blue
painter’s tape and a length of bicycle tubing as clamps.
THE FIT
Kellogg fine-tunes
the miters on a
shooting board
before glue-up. They
also get rabbets
and finish on their
inside faces before
assembly.

Shoot the joints. To

make this jig, leave Assemble in order. Line up the parts in sequence, tip to tip, with
the tablesaw blade the top and bottom edges perfectly aligned, and then stretch two
at 60° and bevel one strips of painter’s tape along their backs.
edge of the base. Then
screw on a fence and
plane its end flush
with the plywood.

Keep opposite
sides equal. It’s
critical to keep
opposite sides of the
box exactly equal in
length. Check them
Thin lines of glue. After flipping over the strip, Kellogg applies
as you go.
Titebond Translucent Glue, putting just a thin line in the bottom of
each joint, to minimize squeeze-out inside the box.

Rabbets on the
router table.
Attach a zero-
clearance fence to
support these small
workpieces safely.
Fence

Box part
Tape then rubber. After wrapping the box into a tube and pulling
blue tape across the last open joint, Kellogg wraps bicycle tubing
around the box, securing the ends with spring clamps.

Top and bottom are veneer sandwiches Once the top and bottom are pressed up, ready own. In this case, I used spalted
Avoid using solid wood for the top and you should have two roughly 3⁄8-in.-thick maple for the top of the lid, which adds in-
bottom panels, as seasonal movement panels. When placed in the 1⁄4-in.-deep terest to the outside and ties in nicely with
could split the joints apart. Instead, I sand- rabbets in the box sides, these panels end the maple sides and teak edge-banding.
wich two layers of shopsawn veneer and up about 1⁄8 in. proud at the top and bot- Joint the face of the veneer stock before
a core of thin plywood. I saw my veneers tom, creating a 1⁄8-in. by 1⁄8-in. rabbet that resawing it. If your bandsaw is set up well
at 2mm (a fat 1⁄16 in.) and use 1⁄4-in. birch gets filled with edge-banding. and you use a freshly sharpened blade,
plywood (which is a bit less than 1⁄4 in. Sawing your own veneers lets you take you can use the sawn face as the glue side;
thick) for the core. advantage of pretty wood scraps you al- if the cuts are bumpy, sand or plane them.

BOXES 63
Add the top and bottom
SIMPLE PARQUETRY The veneered top and bottom of the box
allow me to add hexagonal parquetry on the
Since the top and bottom panels are sandwiches of veneer, there’s a nice opportunity to hide
inside faces, made from the same teak accent
a surprise inside the box: hexagonal parquetry in a complementary wood. It’s easy to make.
wood. Saw and trim the triangles as shown.
Cut out the Before gluing them, I create a flat, non-stick
pieces. Kellogg platform by stretching packing tape over
jointed one face plywood.
of a piece of teak To get ready to glue up the top and bot-
before resawing it tom sandwiches, trace the assembled box
to a fat 1⁄16 in. on
onto all the layers. Then cut them out on
the bandsaw. Then
he laid out and cut
the bandsaw. Ultimately, you want about
1⁄4 in. of extra material around the edges, to
the triangles he
needed. be safe. Parallel-jaw clamps and thick cauls
work fine for pressing the panels.
To trim the glued-up panels to fit into the
rabbets, center the corners of the box on
the seams of the parquetry, and trace in-
side the rabbets with a sharp pencil. Then
bandsaw each panel, staying clear of your
pencil lines, and shoot each edge with a
block plane, using the same bench hook
Shoot the edges. you used for the parquetry.
A basic bench Don’t worry if there are small gaps be-
hook, with a 60°
tween the panel and the inside of the
fence attached,
makes it easy to rabbet; those will be covered up by the
plane the end-grain edge-banding. But make sure the bottom
edges straight and of the rabbet is clean and the panel will
true. Flip the parts press all the way down, because gaps at
to plane with the the bottom edge will show inside the box.
grain. As you did with the box sides, sand,
shellac, and wax the inside face of the

Online Extra
Learn about an amazing traditional
tool for trimming miters at
FineWoodworking.com/boxes.

Divide and conquer. Glue three triangles Join the halves. Shoot the long edges of the
together at a time, pulling the joints together initial glue-ups, using the same jig. Then apply
with strips of blue tape before weighting the glue and pull the halves together with more
assemblies to keep them flat while they dry. blue tape (right). Keep the panels flat to dry.

64 FINE WOODWORKING
 MAKE SANDWICHES
The top and bottom panels are sandwiches of thin plywood, parquetry, and veneer. Solid-wood
panels could break the box’s miter joints with seasonal expansion.

Cut parts a bit oversize. Use the assembled Apply glue evenly. Spread glue on the Stack and clamp. Tape the stack to be sure
sides to mark the outline on the plywood and plywood using a notched piece of veneer. The the parts stay aligned as you clamp them. The
veneer. Note that the top gets spalted maple, order is parquetry, plywood, then veneer, with thick cauls help to ensure even pressure.
but plain maple is fine for the bottom. Trace paper on the outside faces to keep squeeze-out
and cut 3⁄4-in.-thick MDF cauls now too. from sticking to the cauls.

FIT AND ATTACH THE TOP AND BOTTOM

Banding will cover the joints, so the top and bottom don’t have to be flawlessly fitted.
But be sure they bottom out in the rabbets so there are no gaps visible inside the box.

Trace the rabbets. Aligning the seams of the Saw and shoot. Bandsaw the two sandwiches Glue both at once. Reuse your clamping
parquetry with the corners of the box, trace the close to the pencil lines, then use the shooting- cauls to glue in the top and bottom panels.
inside edge of the rabbets with a sharp pencil. board setup to fine-tune the edges, until the top Don’t overdo the pressure here or you could
and bottom drop into their rabbets. break the box.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 65

Inlay the banding
Fit and apply the edge-banding one
piece one at a time. The same tape and
shooting board come in handy again.

After planing flush,

Solid edge-banding edge-banding fills
is glued in oversize. 1
⁄8-in.-sq. rabbet.

Side

Saw and shoot. Saw the banding to length, and use the 60° bench-hook setup to trim the ends.

parquetry before gluing these panels into

the box.

Edge-banding hides any gaps

The edge-banding at top and bottom is
attractive and easy to apply. As a bonus, it
hides gaps between the top, bottom, and
sides. For safety reasons, I rip the 3⁄16-in.-
sq. banding stock on the bandsaw, not the
tablesaw, leaving the sawn edges facing
outward at glue-up. I plane them flush and
smooth afterward.
When applying the banding, I suggest
One at a time. After planing the ends to line up with the corners of the box, glue and attach the starting with the bottom ring, just in case
first piece with blue tape, stretched tightly across it. Then plane one end of the next piece, and hold things don’t go absolutely swimmingly the
it in place to mark the opposite end (left). Plane that end until it lines up with the next corner, and first time around. Attach each piece with
then attach it with more glue and tape (right). white glue, with blue tape acting as clamps
once again. Finally, use a block plane to
trim the edge-banding flush on all sides.

Open the box and add the liner

Plane the banding
flush. Start by
Before I cut the box in two, I do the bulk
planing a light of the surface prep on the outside faces. I
chamfer on the tips cut these boxes apart with a handsaw as
of all the miters shown. To clean up the sawn edges, I stick
so you don’t chip adhesive-backed 220-grit sandpaper to a flat
one piece when surface, and rub the box and lid on it with
planing another.
circular strokes and light, even pressure.
Plane the banding
close to flush, and
Check your progress frequently; you don’t
then use a scraper want to sand a dip into either rim. Set the lid
or sanding block to on the box to check for wobbling or gaps.
bring it the rest of The liner doubles as a lip that aligns the
the way. lid and holds it in place. Mill up several
feet of 1⁄8-in.-thick stock in a complemen-
tary wood, about 1⁄2 in. wider than the
depth of the box. Shellac and polish one
face of the stock, and then, working piece

66 FINE WOODWORKING
Slice off the top and add a liner
There is no better
time to sand the
outside than now.
Then you can saw
the box open and
reveal the interior.

Score the box for Saw in stages.

sawing. Kellogg Saw a little bit into
uses a marking each side, going
gauge (shown) to gradually deeper
score a line roughly as you rotate the
one third of the box. The groove
way down from the from the stringing
top edge. To keep gauge helps keep
the saw on track, it the saw on track,
also helps to follow but be careful
with a stringing nonetheless.
gauge to open up a
thin groove.

by piece, cut each section slightly over-

length and trim the miters to fit. Plane and fit the
Each piece should just slide into the box liner parts. Use
without putting much pressure on the the edge-shooting
joints. Watch for dried bits of squeeze-out jig from before to
in the corners that you missed earlier; it fine-tune the fit of
could hold the liner out of place. these small pieces
(right), dry-fitting
Work your way around until all six liner
and installing them
pieces are dry-fitted, tight to the inside one by one with a
walls of the box. Then remove the pieces few dots of glue
one by one and glue them in with a few and a spring clamp
drops of Titebond Translucent and a spring (below).
clamp. Once the glue has set, remove the
spring clamps, and test the fit of the lid.
What you are after is a lid that lowers itself
on a cushion of air, and has slight suction
as you take it back off.
Finally, lightly chamfer the banding on
the top and bottom edges with a block
plane, and shellac the outside. I apply two Check the fit.
or three coats of freshly mixed, 1-lb. cut, You might need
to lightly sand the
super-blond shellac with a pad. The next
liner pieces to
day, I sand this base layer back with worn- perfect the fit. The
out 400-grit paper, and then follow with goal is light suction
three or four coats of a 2-lb. cut. I give when you lift the
it another day to cure, and then buff the lid. Plane small
surface with 0000 steel wool. Finally, I buff chamfers on the
with a thin coat of a relatively soft wax, top edges of the
liner.
such as Briwax “Creamed” Beeswax. Ԃ

Clark Kellogg is a professional woodworker

in Houston, Texas.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 67

 PROJECTS

A Box that M y first veneered box started when

I noticed that some scraps des-
tined for the fireplace were of
contrasting colors. On a whim, I glued
these offcuts into a thick block and then
resawed that into slices of striped veneer.

Earns Its Stripes Cutting the slices into geometric shapes, I

discovered that making patterns with con-
trasting veneer is a lot of fun and really
gets the creative juices flowing. I’ve now
made many of these veneered boxes and
Got a tablesaw and tape? the process keeps evolving, but the basic
tools and techniques remain simple.
Make a miniature masterpiece Both the geometric veneer shapes and
the rabbet joinery for the plywood core are
cut on the tablesaw, but attention to de-
B Y A D R I A N F E R R A Z Z U T T I tail elevates these small boxes into jewels.
Because of their scale, your eye sees
every detail, so the workmanship
must be crisp and clean. On the
other hand, you won’t need
a vacuum bag to glue on
the veneers; simple
clamps and cauls
work. Once
you’ve
pulled
off

this proj-
ect, you’ll have
the skills to tackle
larger veneered projects
with confidence.

Start with woods that catch the eye

Pick some woods with contrasting but
complementary colors and mill them into
strips a little over 2 in. wide by 16 in. long,
varying in thickness from 1⁄16 in. to 1⁄ 2 in.
Joint the face of each strip and then thick-
ness plane each one to whatever thickness

68 FINE WOODWORKING Photo, this page: John Tetreault

 HOW TO MAKE
CREATE A SYMMETRICAL SANDWICH
STRIPED VENEER Choose contrasting wood species and mill
them to whatever thickness looks right, but
make sure the sequence is the same in both
directions from the center of the block.

¼-in.-thick mahogany

⁄ -in.-thick wenge
18

⁄ -in.-thick yellowheart
1 16

⁄ -in.-thick bloodwood
3 16

⁄ -in.-thick yellowheart
18

⁄ -in.-thick wenge
18

¼-in.-thick holly

Glue the contrasting woods. Ferrazzutti uses a notched spreader to apply a liberal amount of yellow glue to the strips of
colored woods.
Clamp firmly.
Place the glued
makes an interesting stack of contrasting strips in a clamping
strips. For the pattern to work, though, the cradle lined with
layers should be identical on both sides packing tape to
prevent sticking.
of the center layer. Also, when glued to-
Place a thick caul
gether, the block should be at least 2 in. (also faced with
thick and 31⁄ 2 in. wide. tape) on top of the
Place the glued strips in a clamping cra- strips and apply
dle to prevent them from skating around plenty of pressure.
when pressure is applied. When dry,
square up the block but remember to keep
the two outside layers the same thickness.
Because the core of the box is plywood,
you also need to veneer the inside and
bottom of the box. You can pick one of
the woods used on the outside, or use a
Resaw the
different one. In this case, I used bubinga. veneer. After
Glue a backer board to both the outside squaring the block
striped block and the block you are us- and gluing a backer
ing for the inside. You can now resaw the board to it, resaw
1 ⁄16-in.-thick strips
whole of each block for veneer and still
have a large surface to handle safely. I slice of the striped
wood for the box’s
the veneer 1⁄16 in. thick or slightly thinner,
exterior. You’ll need
jointing the block after each cut to remove to do the same
sawmarks. You’ll need a minimum of 14 thing with a block
slices to provide enough segments for the of solid wood for
box along with some spares. the interior.

Tablesaw delivers precise pieces

Now cut the stack of striped veneer into the
shapes needed to make the pattern. I do

BOXES 69
 ONE PATTERN COVERS
THE WHOLE BOX
SIMPLE CUTLIST HOW TO FORM THE PATTERN 3. Glue together the
The flowing design on the outside of the box may side extensions,
appear complex, but it consists of just four simple consisting of two
1. Begin by gluing trapezoids and two
shapes with all the angles cut at 45° on the tablesaw.
together the four return pieces, before
triangles in the attaching them to the
12* triangle pieces center of the lid. adjacent rectangular
sections.

2 in.

4 in.

16*
21⁄ 2 in.
trapezoid
pieces

2 in.

6½ in.

4* left return ¼ in.

pieces
4* right
return pieces
2 in. 4¼ in.
2. Then create the 4. When all the
four rectangular pieces are glued
2¼ in. sections, each together, mark
consisting of two the line where
*Quantity used in the design trapezoids and two the sides will be
(cut spares for each shape). triangles, and glue cut away from
two of them to the the lid section.
opposite sides of the
central square.
Online Extra
DESIGN YOUR OWN this on the tablesaw using a clean, sharp pairs and the pairs into fours, gradually
VENEER PATTERNS crosscut blade and a simple sled. The working out to what will be the sides of
sled’s base is 1⁄ 2-in.-thick plywood, a little the box (see drawing above). Once all the
larger than the veneer, with a piece of parts are glued together, I use a knife and
220-grit sandpaper glued to the top sur- a straightedge to cut away the side panels
face, backed by a 4-in.-tall fence. I clamp from the top panel.
the sled to the auxiliary fence of a miter The next step is to glue the striped ve-
gauge, dial in exactly 45º, and cut through neer and the interior veneer to opposite
the base and fence of the jig. The sand- sides of the Baltic-birch-plywood core. The
paper prevents the veneers from slipping top and bottom are pressed onto 3⁄ 8-in.-
as they are cut, and the edge of the sled thick material and the sides are pressed
tells me exactly where the cut will be. onto 1⁄ 2-in.-thick material. To make this go
My aim is to get all the joints crisp off the quickly, I veneer the sides on one piece
saw and not to mess around with planes and the top and bottom on another.
and shooting boards. So after cutting the
shapes slightly oversize, I tape them into Tablesaw makes joints easy, too
Once you start working with striped
veneer, you’ll quickly want to create
tight stacks of matching shapes, and trim On the tablesaw, rip and crosscut the side
your own designs. The best way to them to uniform size using the same jig. panels square and to the same dimensions.
start is to place a couple of mirrors This leaves a crisp edge that shouldn’t Clamp a sacrificial fence to the rip fence,
on the veneer and then vary the
angle between them to see potential
need any more fussing. insert a wide dado stack, and then raise
patterns. To read and learn more, go It’s now time to assemble the veneer pat- the blade into the sacrificial fence. Run one
to FineWoodworking.com/boxes. tern for the top and sides of the box. Be- end of each side, pattern up, against the
ginning at the center, tape the shapes into fence and through the dado stack to make

70 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, except where noted: Mark Schofield; drawings: John Hartman
 STACK VENEER TO
ENSURE PRECISE CUTS

1 2 3
Lay out the segments. Tape together a stack A nonslip sled. Crosscut the shapes on a Uniform, precise cuts. After rough-cutting the
of the striped veneers and lay out the geometric dedicated sled whose base has sandpaper glued shapes, tape them back together and trim them
shapes, keeping them slightly oversize. to it to hold the workpiece steady. all to the final size.

4 5 6
Begin assembling the puzzle. Use a straight- The hinge trick. Flip over the pair of pieces, Close the joint. Use the back of a chisel to
edge to align a pair of shapes and tape them open up the joint using the tape as a hinge, and remove squeeze-out and bring the joint flush.
together on their rougher, bandsawn faces. apply a thin bead of glue. Tape this face side while the glue dries.

7 8 9
Work outward from the center. Cut away the side veneer
After the center square is formed, panels. Align a straightedge with
construct the four rectangles that the ends of the side sections of
adjoin it (above). After attaching veneer and mark where to slice
the side extensions to two opposite the side veneers away from the
rectangles, attach them to the top piece.
center section (right). If necessary,
you can improve the alignment by
planing the edges lightly.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 71

 a 7⁄16-in.-square rabbet. Each of the four
TURN THE PATTERNS corners will form a rabbeted butt joint,
INTO PANELS leaving a 3⁄16-in.-square rabbet at the out-
side corner. This is based on a 1⁄ 2-in.-thick
core with 1⁄ 16-in.-thick veneers on each
GANG UP PARTS side for a total panel thickness of 5⁄ 8 in.
Press the veneer. The next step is to cut rabbets for the top
To speed things up,
and bottom panels. Leave the blade height
Ferrazzutti creates
the box top and
alone but set the fence for a 5⁄16-in.-wide
bottom on one cut because the veneered top and bottom
piece of plywood, panels are only 1⁄ 2 in. thick. Now run the
and all four sides top and bottom edge of each side, pattern
on another. Before up, against the fence and through the dado
spreading glue, he stack to make a rabbet 7⁄ 16 in. wide by
uses veneer tape 5⁄16 in. tall. When the top and bottom are
to hinge the veneer
sections to the
dropped in, they also leave a 3⁄16-in.-square
plywood. rabbet on the outside corners.

TRIM AND RABBET THE SIDES

Saw the sides apart. Once the panels are dry, Trim to size. After cutting the box sides to Rabbet three edges. Using a dado blade, cut a
rip the plywood down the middle, leaving two length, rip them to width. A piece of masking rabbet on the same end of each side piece and
sections, each with two side pieces. tape on the back corner prevents tearout. rabbet the top and bottom edges, too.

DIRT-SIMPLE JOINERY
HOW RABBETS MULTIPLY
A rabbet cut at the top and bottom,
Rabbets along the top, bottom, and one
plus one end, of each side holds the
edge of each side leave 3 ⁄16-in.-square
box together.
rabbets along each edge of the box
where the edging will go.

Top and bottom, ½ in. thick TOP VIEW ⁄ -in.-square rabbet

7 16

(3 ⁄ 8-in. plywood plus two pieces

of 1 ⁄16-in. veneer) by roughly 3 ⁄16-in.-

8 in. square. Fit these to the square

assembled box. rabbet

Sides, 5⁄ 8 in.
thick
Sides, ⁄ in. thick
58

(½-in. plywood plus two

pieces of 1 ⁄16-in. veneer) Rabbet on top and
by 41 ⁄ 8 in. wide by bottom of each
81⁄ 8 in. long side, 7⁄16 in. wide
by 5⁄16 in. tall ⁄ -in. by 5⁄16-in. rabbet
7 16
SIDE VIEW

Rabbet on one 3 ⁄16-in.-

end of each side, square
7⁄16 in. square
rabbet

Top, ½ in.
thick
Side,
⁄ in. thick
58

72 FINE WOODWORKING
 With the joinery complete, sand the in- ASSEMBLE
side surfaces with 220-grit paper, tape off
the areas that will be glued, and apply two THE BOX
or three coats of a clear finish. I prefer a
wiping varnish, such as Minwax’s Wipe-On
Poly or Waterlox Original, for the interior
and exterior, which offers an in-the-wood
look and a little protection.
After a dry run, glue the box together,
check it for square, and use a small block
and a hammer to ensure the corners of
the rabbets are flush (don’t let them dry
with steps). Let the squeeze-out harden on
the inside corners, then pop it off with a
sharp plane iron and apply another coat
of finish.
Trim the top and bottom panels until
they press in nicely without distorting the
sides. When sizing the top, take care to
keep the pattern lined up with the pat-
terns on the sides. Tape off the glue area
around the inside of the top and bottom,
then apply some finish.
Using a stiff, flat surface as your table,
glue on the top of the box and clamp each
corner of the box to the stiff surface. Let Sides first. To ensure even pressure along each corner joint, Ferrazzutti starts with a pair of
this sit for a half hour, remove the clamps, parallel clamps. He then places four notched cauls over the bars of the parallel clamps and applies
and pop off the squeeze-out around the in- pressure to the cauls with a pair of bar clamps.
side corners with a sharp plane iron. Glue
in the bottom the same way, but because
you won’t be able to get at the squeeze-
out, adjust the amount of glue you use
based on how much squeeze-out you got
with the top.

Add the trim and cut open the box

The box has hardwood trim (I like to use
holly or ebony) on the corners, around the
top and bottom edges, and on the contact Add the top and
surfaces of the lid and the base. Set up a bottom. When
rabbeting bit in a router table to clean up cutting these
pieces to fit into
and enlarge the existing corner rabbets to
1⁄4 in. square. their rabbets,
make sure that the
Mill the stock 9⁄ 32 in. square with enough veneer pattern is
pieces to go around the top, bottom, and aligned. Then glue
sides. Cut four pieces for the corners and clamp them
about 1⁄4 in. shorter than the total height into place.
of the box. Use a block plane to chamfer
the inside corner of the edging to help
it seat better in the rabbet, then round
over the outside corner slightly so that
the tape used for clamping is less likely
to break.
Apply glue to the rabbet and set in the
edging so that each end extends into the
rabbets on the top and bottom. Stretch-
clamp three or four strips of tape on each
corner, let it sit for about an hour, and

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 73

 SOLID EDGING FRAMES then peel off the tape. Use a fine-set block
plane and then a cabinet scraper to bring
AND PROTECTS THE PATTERN the edging flush with the sides, taking care
not to damage the veneer.
Clean up the With the side corners complete, rabbet
corners. Use a around the top and bottom of the box, tak-
rabbeting bit in ing care not to blow out the side corners
a router table to
you just glued on.
enlarge the corner
rabbets where the The top and bottom edging gets mitered,
sides meet. Don’t and it’s best to glue two opposite edgings
do the top and on the top and bottom first. This avoids
bottom edges yet. cross-grain tearout when smoothing them
flush and makes fitting the miters on the
TOP VIEW remaining edge pieces much easier.
The lid should be at least 11⁄4 in. deep; a
Final rabbet, thinner lid has a greater chance of spring-
1⁄4 in. square
ing or twisting. Sawing off the lid on the
tablesaw may seem a risky procedure, but
with a few simple tricks it’s really nothing
3 ⁄16-in.-square

rabbet
to fear. Get a good, clean crosscut blade,
make a zero-clearance throat plate, and set
the rip fence so it is dead parallel with the
blade. Set the blade height so it will just
break through the box. After each cut, in-
sert a couple of the kerf shims, and stretch
tape over the saw cut to hold the lid tightly
in position.
The last step is to cap the plywood that
you just exposed. Using the same wood as
the edging, mill some strips 3⁄4 in. wide and
a fat 1⁄ 8 in. thick. When the lid is closed,
the thickness of the two cap edges should
visually equal the 1⁄4-in. corner edging.
Before gluing on the caps, I use a block
Apply the edging. Blue masking tape supplies Bring it flush. Use a block plane followed by a plane to correct any twist in the lid so
enough force to hold the corner edging in place cabinet scraper to bring the corner edging flush that it rests on the body without rocking.
while the glue dries. with the box sides.

Now the top and bottom edges. Use a

rabbeting bit to trim the ends of the corner
edging and enlarge the rabbets around the top
and bottom of the box sides (above). This edging
has mitered corners, so apply it to opposite
sides to make fitting the last two pieces easier.

74 FINE WOODWORKING
 SAW OFF THE LID
AND COVER THE CUT
Shim it as you cut. First, to eliminate tearout, apply a piece of
tape around the box where the cut will be made. Then apply a
piece of tape to each lower corner of the box so it won’t rock.
Now cut the first side, insert two pieces of wood equal in width
to the sawkerf, apply a piece of tape across the box, and then
cut the next side. Repeat until all four sides are cut.

Cap the core.

After cutting off
the lid, glue strips
to both parts of
the box to conceal
the plywood core.
The front corners
are mitered, but
the back corners
are butt joints that
will be concealed
by the quadrant
hinges. Apply the
sides last.

Power sanding
only. Hand-sanding
I miter the front corners of the cap strips will force different-
colored sawdust
but leave the back corners as butt joints;
into the pores of
this prevents a tiny piece of the mitered the contrasting
corner from blowing out when routing for wood, spoiling the
the quadrant hinges. appearance. Use
The idea is to have the inside edges of a random-orbit
the caps flush with the inside faces of the sander to smooth
box so that there is minimal trimming to the outside of the
box (left). Finish
do. The outside edges protrude, but will
the box with a clear
be trimmed after glue-up. A bonus of hav- coat of your choice
ing the strips slightly wide is that if a mi- (below).
tered cap strip gets trimmed too short, a
light pass on the inside edge with a plane
makes the strip longer, so you don’t have
to cut another piece.
Glue on the front and back caps, wait-
ing about an hour before trimming them
flush. Then cut the side caps with a mi-
ter on the front and let the back extend
over the edge. Apply glue and stretch tape
across the miter joint and the butt joint,
pulling the side cap tightly against the
adjoining caps.
After installing the hardware, I finish the
box using 320-grit and 400-grit disks on
a random-orbit sander. You don’t want to
hand-sand, as this forces different colored
dust into the pores of other woods. I fin-
ish the outside in the same way as the
inside. □

Adrian Ferrazzutti is a professional woodworker

in Guelph, Ont., Canada.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 75

 TECHNIQUES

Simple Box-Joint Sled

The strength and style

of finger joints come easy
F inger joints, also called box joints, are incredibly strong
thanks to all their long-grain glue surface interlocking finger
by finger. But these joints have distinct advantages beyond
strength. Once you have a jig set up, they are quite quick to make.
And the pattern of end grain vs. side grain at the corners creates
with this straightforward sled a pleasing visual rhythm. The joint also can be scaled up, as in
some Greene and Greene pieces. Luckily, finger joints offer all
this while being very easy to cut.
B Y D O U G S T O W E
Soup up a crosscut sled
While you can make finger joints using a jig clamped to the mi-
ter gauge of your tablesaw, a dedicated sled is the better choice.

76 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Barry NM Dima

 FINGER-JOINT SLED Pin board is clamped
in place until the
joint’s fit is perfect.
Adjustable pin Then it is screwed on.
board, 1-in.-thick Fence, 1-in.-thick
hardwood hardwood

Hardwood pin,
same width
as fingers,
glued in place

Because it has two runners instead of the gauge’s one, it provides

a more stable and reliable platform.
A standard combination blade will work, but if using a single
blade, I prefer rip blades because of their flat top, which leaves a
cleaner joint than a combo blade’s alternate top bevel. Similarly,
for fingers wider than a standard sawblade’s 1⁄8-in. kerf, you can
use a regular dado stack, but I like box-joint blade sets, which
come with a pair of blades that leave a flat-topped kerf in two
Hardwood runner,
fixed widths. Alternatively, you can send a typical dado stack to sized to fit miter slot
a saw sharpener to have the teeth ground flat on top.
Start by building a small crosscut sled, making sure the fence is Stiffener, 1-in.-thick
hardwood
square to the blade. Clamp a board to its fence and cut a kerf in Base, 3⁄4-in. plywood

Drawings: Vince Babak BOXES 77

 MAKE THE JIG it. Remove the board and fit a hardwood
pin into the kerf. A tight fit is best. Glue
First cut. With the pin in place.
the adjustable pin Before you clamp the pin board back
board clamped into place against the fence, grab an offcut
to the fence of a from the pin stock. Because the pin’s width
crosscut sled, saw
matches the kerf—and the fingers—this will
a kerf through
it. Stowe fits
help you zero in on the joint spacing. Push
scrapwood stops the offcut against the side of the sawblade,
into his miter slots and slide the pin board over until the pin
to limit the jig’s abuts the offcut. Clamp the pin board here.
travel so he doesn’t
expose too much Dial in the fit
of the blade at the
I advise making a run of fingers on two
end of the cut.
scrap boards to dial in the spacing and
make sure the final fit is consistently tight.
Align one corner of a board against the pin

TIP SPECIALTY BLADE

FOR BOX JOINTS

For finger joints wider than the

standard 1⁄8-in. kerf, you can
use a specialty box-joint blade
set. These cut a flat-topped
kerf and work by stacking two
blades, either inside to inside
or outside to outside, for a pair Fit the pin. Remove the pin board and fit a hardwood Offcut approximates spacing. While you’ll fine-
of fixed widths. pin into the kerf. You want a friction fit. Glue the pin to tune the fit later, placing an offcut from the pin stock
keep it stable. between the pin and blade will get you pretty close.

and make the first cut. Then fit that first

notch over the pin to make the second
cut. Continue walking the fingers over un-
til you’ve finished that edge. Repeat these
steps on a second board.
Aim for a friction fit. It’s good to have a
bit of room for glue, but avoid visible gaps.
If you need to tighten the joint, loosen the
clamps and tap the pin board so the pin
moves away from the blade; to loosen the
fit, tap the pin board in the opposite direc-
tion. When the joint is just right, screw the
pin board in place. As long as you’re mak-
ing boxes with the same joint spacing and
using the same blade (or combination of
blades), you won’t need to readjust the jig.

Making boxes
Compared with making two test boards,
Clamps for now. For your test cuts, the pin board should be clamped to the sled’s fence, allowing building a four-sided box with finger joints
you to hold things temporarily in position as you home in on a perfect fit for the fingers. requires only a few extra, albeit important,

78 FINE WOODWORKING
 HOW TO GET THE FIT JUST RIGHT

TOO TIGHT You shouldn’t

have to force
the parts
together. To
open up the
joint, slide the
pin toward the
blade.

Form some fingers. Cut fingers on two pieces

of scrap stock. Straddle the pin securely. Clear
any dust that collects, since it can throw off
your accuracy.

steps. First, set the sawblade’s height a little TOO LOOSE Since this joint
relies on glue,
higher than the thickness of the stock so
avoid visible
the fingers can be sanded flush later. Push gaps. The
the workpiece against the pin to create fingers are too
a full finger with the first cut. Then cut loose if you
fingers across the rest of the board. The pick up two
next part’s crucial: To cut the fingers on joined pieces
the other end, flip the stock over end for and one falls
off. To close the
end. If you don’t, the joints will not align.
gaps, slide the
Do this for a pair of parts, either the front pin away from
and back or the two sides. the blade.
Whichever pair you tackle second, you’ll
approach differently, making the first cuts
while using an already-cut piece as a spac-
er. For this, take a just-cut piece and place
the first finger between the pin and blade.
Slide an uncut piece up to it and make the
first cut. This offsets the mating fingers,
allowing the two boards to interlock. To
JUST RIGHT A perfect fit is
keep track of which parts need to start when the parts
with a spacer, I cut the initial notches for slide together
all four ends that require the spacer, then without being
remove the spacer and form the rest of forced or
the fingers. hammered.
I prefer to cut the fingers while the stock
is slightly overwidth, and trim to width
only after I know exactly where the final
finger falls. This lets me deal with any
error that may creep in. For instance,
when making a box with 1⁄4-in. fingers,
one would expect the dimensions to fall
at some exact 1⁄4-in. increment, but they
often do not. If the 1⁄4-in. finger fits best
in a slot that’s an extra 1⁄64 in. wide, over
the course of 5 in., that would add slightly
more than 1⁄16 in.

www.f inewoodworking.com 79
 USING THE SLED

Screws set the fence. When you’ve established the perfect fit, screw Offcut sets the blade height. Raise the blade about 1⁄64 in. above the
the pin board in place. This jig will now work with any box you make using stock to create a cleanup allowance. The fingers can be sanded flush to
this blade. the box sides following assembly.

FIRST SET

First finger. Align one corner of a board against the pin and make the The pin registers the cuts. Complete the kerfs across the end of the
first cut. board. Stowe starts with the front and back boards.

SECOND SET

Second set needs a spacer. For the first cuts on the second pair of boards, use an Finish the fingers. Remove the spacer and
already-cut piece as a spacer. Put its first kerf over the pin, and slide an end up to it. complete the remaining cuts.
Stowe cuts the first notches on each end of both boards, before removing the spacer.

80 FINE WOODWORKING
 BUIL D A B OX

Trim the excess. Stowe cuts the fingers in stock that

is a little wide and rips it to width later. This lets him
Groove for the bottom. To prepare for a bottom panel, Stowe routs 1⁄8 in. above the lower clean up any cumulative error, like the thin finger on
edge. Two parts get a stopped groove, two get a through-groove. the right, that may have crept in.

Glue the fingers. Apply a drop of glue to the edges

where the parts slide together. The glue will spread as
the fingers interlock.

For all your cuts, make sure the parts are nested
carefully over the pin. If the stock isn’t placed
accurately and held down throughout the cut, the
box sides won’t come together correctly.
To install a bottom, I use a router table and
a 1⁄8-in. bit to run a groove. I generally locate
the groove 1⁄8 in. from the lower edge when us-
ing 1⁄8-in. Baltic-birch plywood for the bottom.
Two of the parts will have a finger at the bottom
edge, and they get stopped grooves; the other
two parts get through-grooves.
One great thing about a box with well-cut fin-
ger joints is that clamps are often unnecessary.
But keep some handy just in case a corner needs
persuasion. If it does, be sure to clamp close to
the joints and not at the middle of the box, where
the pressure will flex and distort the sides. Ԃ
Wrap up. Assemble the sides around the bottom. If the parts are cut well, clamps may not
Doug Stowe, based in Eureka Springs, Ark., is a box be needed. Friction is often enough to hold the pieces. Check for square before letting the
maker and woodworking instructor. glue set.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 81

 LABEL
TECHNIQUES

Finishing Boxes
Easy ways to protect
the wood and line
the interior

A
box is a deceptively com-
plex piece of woodwork-
ing. Small components must
fit precisely. Surfaces inside and out
must be as close to flawless as
possible in order to withstand
close scrutiny. There are lots
of nooks and crannies where
finish can pool. Also, one
small box may be made
from several woods chosen
for their contrasting grain, color,
or figure. So the choice of finish be-
comes critical.
Like many other woodworkers,
boxmakers Doug Stowe and Dave
Shaw experimented with different
finishes until they settled on the one
that works best for them. Stowe uses
Danish oil. Shaw finishes his boxes
mainly with hand-rubbed shellac.
The right finish for a box
doesn’t always have to come
from a can. A luxurious
lining of suede cloth or
velvet imparts its own
special look and feel.
Woodworker Emily
Palm uses those fabrics
in conjunction with
wooden dividers to line
her oiled hardwood boxes.
 Danish oil: durable wipe-on finish
B Y D O U G S T O W E

A good combination.
This type of finish
combines oil and
urethane, which is
harder than oil
I finished my first boxes with Deft brush-on lacquer, but because
I worked and finished in the same space, the fumes were hor-
rid and dust settled on the surface. I started using Watco Danish
Oil, but it never really looked like the wood had a finish. I tried
Minwax Antique Oil, but I wasn’t happy with the smell.
alone.
When I discovered Deft Danish Oil, my problems were solved.
Now I finish in the same room that I use to cut wood, and the
odor is tolerable. The oil heightens the contrast between the local
woods I use, making the inlay patterns more distinctive.
When designing a box, think about
how and when you’ll finish it. In
my experience, larger boxes or
complex designs of any size
should be broken down into
their essential components
and finished before assem-
bly. But with small,
simple boxes,
you can apply
the oil after
finish-sanding
and assembly.
I sand on a 6x48 belt
sander up to 180 grit, paying
close attention to avoid putting too much pressure in one spot. I
finish sanding by hand or with an orbital pad sander to 320 grit.
Then I apply a heavy coat of Danish oil. It often helps to rag
Finish in stages.
on a second coat of oil on the outside. Most of the boxes I make
With larger boxes,
sand individual are small enough to hold in my hand while being oiled. With a
components and larger box, I oil the insides and sides, then flip it over onto sticks
apply oil before to oil the bottom.
final assembly. About an hour later, I’ll begin wiping the box to remove and re-
distribute excess oil. Using a rag slightly
damp with oil helps to work the finish
into the wood. If the boxes still seem
wet, I’ll go through them all again, pay-
ing extra attention to places where ex-
cess oil might collect, such as the areas
around joints or floating panels.
I put small boxes or components on
sticks and let them dry overnight. Next
day, I repeat the oiling and wiping. I’ve
found that it pays to be conservative on
the second oiling. I generally put a third
coat on the outside of most boxes. You
can build the finish to a sheen or use
0000 steel wool to dull the gloss.
Flow it on and wipe it off. Apply liberal
amounts of oil with a rag (above) or brush.
After an hour, wipe off the excess oil (right). Doug Stowe, author of Taunton’s Complete
Repeat the oiling once for the interior, twice Illustrated Guide to Box Making (The Taunton
for the exterior. Press, 2005), works in Eureka Springs, Ark.

Photos, except where noted: David Heim; box photos: Michael Pekovich; this page (bottom left three): Thomas G. Begnal BOXES 83
 Shellac offers
a few options
B Y D A V E S H A W

S ome years ago I

used nitrocellu-
lose lacquer on
my boxes, but I could
only spray that stuff out-
side. Worse, bugs would
land in it, leaving in-
teresting trails across
the surface. I still use
lacquer occasionally,
but I’ve switched mainly
to dewaxed shellac, whether I want something nearly
invisible or a high-gloss French polish.
Begin by mixing fresh shellac to a 2-lb. cut. While
the flakes dissolve, take the time to make the pieces of
the box as flawless as possible. Steam out any dents.
Scrape and sand the outside to 220 grit to remove all
Dilute the shellac. Mix
remaining blemishes. Also sand the pieces for interior dewaxed pale blond shellac
dividers or trays to 220 grit. to a 2-lb. cut, then add more
When I’m ready to finish, I dilute the shellac to about alcohol until the liquid is a
a 1⁄2-lb. cut. Exact proportions aren’t critical, for this is pale yellow (left). Make a pad
a very forgiving finish. by wrapping lint-free cotton
I get better, more uniform results if I apply the shel- padding in muslin (above)
and apply the shellac.
lac before I glue up the box. Blue painter’s tape keeps

84 FINE WOODWORKING
shellac out of areas to be glued. Use a pad to put a few Finish before
thin layers of shellac on each piece. (Use a lint-free assembly. The first
pass of shellac (above)
rag or paper towel to apply shellac to small pieces or
will begin to pop the
to work it into grooves.) If I’m coloring the wood, I’ll wood grain. Keep
stop here to apply a dye. The shellac controls blotch- rubbing on finish until
ing. If not, the shellac dries in minutes, so you can pad it has the depth and
on more coats almost immediately until you have the sheen you like. Dowels,
sheen you want. Stop when the wood begins to look later used in joinery,
shiny or when it stops changing color. Let the shellac make convenient
holders (left). Before
dry and then finish-sand with 600-grit paper or, better,
assembling the box, go
a gray abrasive pad. over each piece lightly
For a very hard, clear finish, use shellac as a thin seal with a gray abrasive
coat under spray lacquer. I’ve had good results with pad.
water-based lacquer and aerosols such as Behlen’s
Master Jet Spray Lacquer. Let the lacquered pieces
cure for a week, then begin rubbing out the finish. If
the sandpaper clogs too much, let the finish cure for
another week.
My boxes always get a coat or two of Clapham’s
lavender-scented beeswax polish at the end. It gives
the wood a wonderful sheen and makes the shop
smell good.

Dave Shaw makes boxes, bowls, and furniture in Tucson, Ariz.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 85

 Padded lining adds a final touch
B Y E M I LY PA L M

L ining a box with fabric not only protects the items inside,
but also greatly enhances the overall look of the piece. In
my boxes, I line the bottom and removable trays with thin
foam pieces wrapped in velvet, synthetic suede, or other luxurious
fabrics. I also fit fabric around thicker foam to create holders for
rings and other small pieces of jewelry (see facing page).
Choose the fabric with the same care you used to select the
wood for the box. Because the color of wood can vary dramati-
cally from board to board, what looked good next to, say, coco-
bolo last time might clash with it now. Keep in mind, too, that
real suede will tarnish silver; synthetics make better lining fabrics.
I like to use Darice Foamies 2 mm foam sheets, available at craft
and fabric stores. These sheets have one paper-backed adhesive
side. You could use cardboard, but flexible foam is better. It makes
the lining feel upholstered because it gives when you touch it.
Mark the foam sheets with the dimensions of the box or tray.
Whenever possible, take measurements directly from the divid-
ers fitted inside the box, rather than trying to measure interior
dimensions of the box itself. Be sure to allow for the thickness of
the fabric—as much as 1⁄16 in. per side for thicker velvets, as little
as 1⁄64 in. per side for suede cloth.
Use a straightedge and a craft knife to cut the foam sheets to

Rich, protective lining.

Synthetic suede cloth feels
like the real thing but won’t
tarnish silver.

Cut the padding to size and

glue on the fabric. Fit the foam
to the box and trays, leaving a
slight gap to accommodate the
fabric (above). Spray a light coat
of adhesive on the back side of
the fabric and on the side of the
foam sheet that is not preglued Trim and fold. Attach the fabric to the
(right). Palm puts paper towels foam sheet, then miter the corners (top).
and cardboard under the foam Remove backing from the preglued side
and fabric to catch overspray. of the foam sheet, then carefully fold over
the excess fabric (above).

86
 How to make
ring holders

size, then test to be sure they fit snugly. Once you’ve glued on the
fabric, it’s too late to make adjustments to the foam core.
Fabric can reflect light differently from different sides, especially
if it has a nap, so orient all the foam sheets in the same direction
on the cloth. Rough-cut the fabric to size, allowing about 1 in.
extra all around to fold over the edges of the foam sheets; you Just about
don’t have to be exact because the extra fabric doesn’t show. any box
Iron the fabric good side down, using steam and a low or becomes more
medium heat setting. Then spray adhesive to the back side of useful if you add
the fabric and to the plain side of the foam sheet (not the paper- ring holders, which
backed adhesive side). I use Duro All-Purpose Spray Adhesive. look like slotted pieces of
Like similar products, it carries a list of safety warnings; I try to
soft foam. The slots are
do my spraying outside.
fabric folded around pieces
Keep the fabric good side down. Turn the foam sheet so that
of thick foam.
the side you’ve sprayed with adhesive faces down, and press it
onto the fabric. Smooth it with your fingers to be sure it adheres I use high-density rolled
uniformly. Trim the fabric corners on a diagonal, staying about foam, the same stuff used
1⁄16 in. away from the foam at the corner; if you cut right up to it,
for sleeping-bag pads.
the foam will peek through. Peel away the backing to expose the It’s available at craft and
adhesive, then fold the fabric edges over. Press the fabric down Shape the ring holders.
fabric stores, in 3⁄8-in. or
and smooth out wrinkles. 1
Accordion-fold the fabric over
⁄2-in. thicknesses, and cuts small blocks of resilient foam.
Fit the finished liner inside the box. Run a table knife around with scissors or a sharp
the edges to tuck in and smooth the edges.
craft knife.

Emily Palm, the owner of Blue Heron Woodworks, makes boxes and hair Trim three or more pieces
accessories in Petoskey, Mich. to fit snugly inside one
compartment of the box;
exact dimensions will
depend on the size of the
box. As with a liner for the
bottom of a box, be sure to
allow for the thickness of
the fabric.
Cut a piece of fabric an
inch or so wider than the Test and trim. Cut away most of
foam pieces, and about the excess fabric and check the
twice as long as the dividers’ fit.
compartment. Spray the
wrong side of the fabric with
adhesive, then accordion-fold
the fabric between the foam
pieces (photo, above right).
Finally, carefully trim away
most of the excess fabric,
leaving only small flaps on
the ends. Wrap those flaps
over the sides and tuck them Fit and smooth. Fit the ring
Refine the fit. As a final step, run an ordinary table knife around the in place with the end of a holder and divider into the box
lining to smooth the edges in place. blunt knife. — E.P. and smooth the fabric into place.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 87

 TECHNIQUES

Hinges and Locks

Elevate any box with high-quality hardware
B Y A D R I A N F E R R A Z Z U T T I

P erhaps the fussiest aspect of making my con-

trasting veneer box (see pp. 68–75) is installing
the quadrant hinges and, to a lesser extent, the
lock. While you could eliminate the lock and substi-
tute a nice pair of butt hinges with a positive stop, it’s
worth going the extra mile to make this box the best it
can be. With their stop built in, quadrant hinges make
any box look and function much better. A mortised-in
lock and escutcheon create a true heirloom.

Quadrant hinges reward precise installation

The trickiest part is getting the hinges dialed into posi-
tion so that the lid closes dead flush on all four sides.
With a veneered box, there isn’t much room to flush
the lid to the body (or vice versa) without running the
risk of exposing the core as the veneer gets too thin.
For this reason, while you can install quadrant hinges
by hand, I recommend Brusso’s router template (mod-
el No. TJ-638), designed for their smaller quadrant
hinges (No. HD-638). The jig and hinges are available
at brusso.com, where you’ll also find comprehensive
instructions. You’ll also need a 1⁄2-in.-outside-dia. bush-
ing guide and a 5⁄16-in.-dia. straight bit.
Use a laminate trimmer or a router to cut the hinge
mortises, setting the bit depth to match the thickness
of the hinge leaf. But before installing the hinges,
check that the leaves align when closed; if they don’t,
grind or file them until they do. Otherwise, you’ll have
to fuss with modifying each mortise to get the lid to
fit flush. Once all four mortises are made, insert the
hinges and check their fit, marking which leaf goes
in what mortise.

88 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Mark Schofield; drawings: John Hartman

 Router template eases
hinge installation

With an awl, mark the holes for the center screws

No chisel work. Although you can cut the hinge mortises by hand, it is much quicker
only. Drill for these screws and install the hinges using and more accurate to use a dedicated router template in conjunction with a straight
steel screws of the same size and thread as the brass bit and a bushing guide.
ones supplied with the hinges. In this way you reduce
the chance of snapping a brass screw. Close the lid,
checking how it lines up with the body. If the stars are
aligned, it will be spot on. If not, there are two things
you can do: Locate the screws in the remaining holes
off center in whatever direction you need to shift the Directional drilling.
lid; or, if necessary, grind away some of the leaves so To ensure that the
they can be pulled forward in the mortise. Then re- hinge is pulled into
the mortise, use an
move the center screw and try it with the other screws
awl to locate the
in conjunction with grinding. screw hole slightly
Once the lid is fitting well, outline the mortises for off center when
the stays with a pencil. Remove the hinges and exca- attaching the first
vate the mortises with a drill and chisel so that half the screw. Use a single
stay goes into the body and half into the lid. For the steel screw at this
stays to drop in properly, the mortises have to extend point to avoid dam-
aging the brass ones.

MAKE ROOM FOR THE STAY

Quadrant hinges have a stay that controls how far the
lid of the box can open. When the lid is closed, the stays
slide into mortises cut in the box sides and the lid.

Stay

Both mortises,
3 ⁄16 in. wide by
1⁄ 2 in. long by
3 ⁄4 in. deep

Mark and mortise. With the hinge in place, mark the location of the stay mortise.
OPEN CLOSED Remove most of the waste with a drill, then square up the sides with a chisel.

BOXES 89
 Install a lock STEP 1
INSET THE LOCK
in 3 steps
Mark the screw holes. With
the lock upside down, center
it on the front of the box,
and then mark and drill the
screw holes.

Define the shallow

mortise. Use a larger
FROM CATCH
brad-point or Forstner
TO KEYHOLE bit to drill partway into
Catch
the screw holes. This will
create the two ends of
the mortise for the lock’s
Selvedge selvedge. Now you can
scribe the edges of this
Body shallow mortise and chop
out the rest with a chisel.

Body
mortise

Selvedge
mortise

Make the deep mortise.

Drill and chop out a deeper
mortise for the body of the
Escutcheon Keyhole lock, and then test the fit.

almost to the screw holes, well beyond the traced outline. Install mortise for the selvedge: I use a 5⁄16-in.-dia. four-fluted end mill
the hinges again, checking that the lid closes and the stays aren’t bit in a horizontal mortiser. You could also use a router fitted with
hitting the mortises. If all is good, move on to installing the lock. an edge guide, clamping a block of wood to the inside of the box
flush with the top for support. Or use an awl to mark the two
A lock and an escutcheon complete the box screw locations in the selvedge, and then use a 5⁄16-in.-dia. brad
I had trouble finding a delicate lock suitable for a small box, but I point or Forstner bit to drill the two ends of the mortise. You can
eventually found one by Viola at leevalley.com; item No. 00F10.07. then chop out the center using a chisel.
The lock has a tiny 5⁄16-in. by 113⁄16-in. selvedge (the plate attached With the lock upside down, keep checking the fit until the
to the locking mechanism) that matches the width of the hinges. selvedge drops in. The mortise should be slightly shallower
With the lock upside down, center it on the front of the box than the thickness of the selvedge so that after the lock is in-
and mark the outline of the selvedge. There are various ways to stalled it can be sanded flush with the wood. Then create

90 FINE WOODWORKING
STEP 2 INSTALL THE ESCUTCHEON

Locate the key pin. Measure the distance Cut the keyhole. After drilling a hole to locate Install the escutcheon. Use a mixture of
from the top of the lock to the key pin and the key pin, remove the lock, insert a scrap of cyanoacrylate glue and sawdust to attach the
mark the location. wood to fill the lock mortise, and chisel a hole escutcheon. File and sand it flush with the wood.
for the key and the escutcheon.

the 1⁄4-in.-wide mortise for the body of the lock using the Continue to enlarge the hole until the metal key just fits and then
same drilling and chopping method you used earlier. The mortise attach the plate escutcheon, or continue to chisel away carefully
must come close to the screw holes so that the lock body drops in. for the inserted type of escutcheon. Glue the escutcheon in place
Now it’s time to attach the escutcheon. You can use the oval using a mixture of cyanoacrylate (“Super”) glue and sanding dust
plate that comes with the lock and is attached with a couple of from the surrounding wood to fill any gaps. File and sand the
brass pins, or you can use the type that is inserted into the side escutcheon flush and move on to installing the catch.
of the box, outlining the keyhole. I haven’t found a source for It’s a challenge to locate the catch or strike plate for a lock so
these to fit very small locks, so I make mine out of solid brass. that it lines up precisely with the lock, but I’ve found a foolproof
In either case, locate what you think is the center of the keyhole method using tape (see photos below). Fit the catch, secure it
and drill a small hole through the front of the box. Insert the lock with pins or screws, and test the lock. □
again and check if the pin in the lock is in line with the hole in
the box. If not, take a larger drill bit and force it to drill in the Adrian Ferrazzutti is a professional woodworker in Guelph, Ont., Canada.
direction required to get the hole in line.

STEP 3 NEAT TRICK LOCATES THE CATCH

Use double-faced tape. With the catch locked Stuck in the right place. Place some green Locate the mortise. Cut around the catch with
into the body of the lock, apply two small tape on the lid and close it, pushing down onto a sharp knife, severing the green tape. Remove
pieces of double-faced tape to the back of the the lock. Reopen it with the double-faced tape the catch, peel away the cut tape, and mortise
catch. holding the catch in perfect position. these areas.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 91

4 Ways to DETAILS

Top a Box
Low-tech lids open without hinges
B Y M A T T K E N N E Y

B
oxes are fun to make and can be a pleasant diversion between larger
projects. With a bit of nice wood and a clever design, you can turn out a
beautiful box in just a few hours. But there is one part of making a box
that is never fun: installing high-quality hinges and getting them just
right. And don’t forget that you also have to buy them, for
a box that might otherwise cost you nothing more than some
leftover cutoffs.
You can avoid that hassle by making a box
without hinges. Of course, you’ll need an-
other way to keep the top on, but the chal-
lenge of figuring out how to do that can
lead to elegant and unique designs. Here
are four great ways to do it. One is mine,
and the others are from fellow wood-
workers.

Matt Kenney is a woodworker in Connecticut.

1 INSERTS HOLD
THE TOP IN PLACE
They’re fitted to the inside after the top is cut
free from the bottom.

Online Extra
To see how to make a bird’s-
mouth joint like the one on this
box, go to FineWoodworking.
com/boxes.

92 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: staff

4 TIP THE LID
AND STAND IT UP
The lid rocks back on tapered side rabbets
when you press down on the back,
allowing you to lift and stand it in a
deeper back rabbet.

3 DROP THE TOP

INTO A RABBET
The sides do all the work and hold the
lid securely in place.

2 ONE BOX
TOPS ANOTHER
Make the lid and then build the bottom to fit
inside it.

BOXES 93
1
O
Inserts hold
the top in place
ne of my favorite ways to make a box is to glue up
the sides, top, and bottom as a single unit. Once
the box is assembled, I simply slice it in two. One half
becomes the box, the other, the lid. To avoid hinges,
you need some way to align the lid with the box. The
answer is a handsome liner that extends above the
edge of the box and keeps the lid snugly in place.
—Michael Pekovich

ONE BOX
BECOMES 18⁄ in.
TWO PIECES
TOP

Insert,
¼ in. thick Bevel insert
slightly.

BASE
False bottom,
¼ in. thick

38⁄ in.

⁄
5 16 in.
Cut off the top on the bandsaw. All four edges end up
level—something that never seems to happen at the table-
saw, where you cut into one side at a time. To smooth the
TIP DESIGN INSERT FOR GREATER FUNCTION
This box was
bandsaw cuts, just rub the parts on a sheet of sandpaper made to hold
stuck to a flat surface, like your tablesaw’s table. tea packets.
The cutouts
make the
contents easier
to retrieve.

Fit the inserts. Do the ends first and then the front and Bevel their top edges. Otherwise, the top won’t fit easily over them. Mark the
back. For each side, miter one end at the tablesaw, mark inserts so that you know how wide to make the bevels. The only practical way to do the
the length directly from the box, and then miter the second job is with a block plane, because the inserts are small and the bevels are shallow.
end. The goal is a snug fit, so no glue is needed.

94 FINE WOODWORKING
2
I
One box
tops another
see this box as a stripped-down version of box
No. 1. Here, the bottom of the box acts like its own
box liner. The lid nests over it almost completely, so lifting
it off is like revealing a hidden box. Make the two out
of contrasting woods for a more surprising revelation.
—M.P.

TWO BOXES Top,

FIT TOGETHER 3⁄ 8 in. thick

18 ⁄ in.

TOP
Side, ¼ in. thick
by 17⁄ 8 in. wide

Side, ¼ in. thick

by 17⁄ 8 in. wide
BASE

⁄ in.
18

Glue up the top first. Treat it like a box without a bottom, using blue Bottom,
tape at the corners to create clamping pressure on the miter joints. ¼ in. thick

How to make the bottom box. Attach an L-shaped fence to a miter

gauge to prevent tearout. Start with pieces that are longer than the side’s
final dimension and make the first miter cut on each one (above). Then
mark each side for final length by putting the mitered end inside the
larger box and marking directly from it at the opposite end (right). To cut
it to length accurately, line up the mark with the miter cut in the L-shaped
fence on the miter gauge.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 95

3
I
Drop the top
into a rabbet
wanted a box with a modern look and a thin top. So I gave a
contemporary turn to the old trick of holding the top in a rabbet,
putting in a full-height divider that splits the top in
two (something that would have required four
hinges in a traditional box). By the way, the
lifts are attached with cyanoacrylate glue.
—M.K.

Top, 3 ⁄ 8 in. thick

ROUT THE RABBETS

Rabbet,
Align the router table’s ¼ in. by 1 ⁄16 in.
fence with the bit’s
bearing. Keep the side
pressed down firmly;
small deviations in Side,
the rabbet’s depth are ¼ in. thick
noticeable on a little box.
(The groove is for the
box’s bottom.)
⁄ in.
18

Bottom, 3 ⁄ 8 in. thick

You could leave

V-GROOVE BIT the divider inside
DIVIDES BOX the box, but it
looks better full- ⁄ in.
18
It should be as height, separating
wide as the divider the top into two ¼ in.
is thick and set up parts. To join
to cut its full width. the divider to
the sides, the
Use a large backer
best choice is a
board to keep the bird’s-mouth joint,
side square to the because it has
bit, and stop the a cleaner look
cuts when they that echoes the
reach the bottom mitered corner
joints.
groove. MITER IS SHARP DADO IS CLUNKY

The same bit shapes the

divider’s ends. Attach a
zero-clearance face to your
fence and align it with the
middle of the bit. You shouldn’t
need to adjust the bit’s height.
Fit the divider. Do it after gluing up the box (use Cut the two-panel top. Square one end of your lid stock,
blue tape in place of clamps). If the divider is long, mark and cut the longer side to length, and then mark, cut,
plane a shaving or two from one tip and re-rout it. and fit the shorter one from the adjacent section.

96 FINE WOODWORKING Drawings: Kelly J. Dunton

4
T
Tip the lid
and stand it up
he lid of this box is a more sophisticated version of a lid in a rab-
bet, with the rabbets functioning like a hinge. The side rabbets are
sloped at the back and the back rabbet is deeper than the other three.
To open the box, you press on the back of the lid, bringing up the front
edge so you can grab it. It rocks gently into the back rabbet, which
holds it upright.
—John Nesset is a furniture maker in Minneapolis.

1. Press down. Because the side 2. Lift. The back edge turns smoothly 3. Enjoy. The back rabbet is wider than the
rabbets are tapered toward the back, down the rounded corner of the side top is thick, so the lid leans back, coming to
the lid’s front edge raises up. rabbets, as if it were hinged. an easy rest.

MODIFIED RABBETS
ACT LIKE HINGES
The back rabbet functions like a built-in stop,
holding the lid slightly past vertical so that it
won’t fall forward.

Lid, ¼ in. thick

Back rabbet, 5 ⁄16 in.

wide by ½ in. deep

Side rabbet,
5 ⁄16 in. wide

by 3 ⁄16 in. Start with straight rabbets. The back one

deep is deeper to hold the standing lid (above). Next,
square off the end of the side so that the miter
doesn’t stick into the back rabbet. Then taper
the side rabbet. Start at the back corner and
take a slightly longer stroke each time. The final
stroke should be the taper’s full length (right).

Length of taper
is ¼ of side’s
overall length.

Depth
of back
rabbet
is twice
the lid’s
thickness. Round the ends. Pencil in the layout. Then
use a flat chisel (left), making a big chamfer
Back rabbet is roughly 25% wider first and then nibbling away ever smaller facets.
than thickness of top. Smooth the arc with sandpaper.

BOXES 97
 DETAILS

Picking the
Perfect Hinge
The right choice will help you design
and build better boxes
B Y D O U G S T O W E

S electing just the right hinges to fit each special box can be a daunting task.
There are so many types that it’s tough to make the right choice. And you
don’t want to make a box before choosing the hinges—that’s like painting
yourself into a corner. To help you wade through the options, here I’ll give a
brief look at the different hinge types and their applications.
There are three main criteria to consider when you’re deciding which hinge will
be right for your box. First is appearance. Do you want to see the whole hinge
on the outside of the box, see a proud brass barrel at the back, or just glimpse
a barely visible barrel tucked into the lid joint? Another key factor is the size of
the box and the weight of the lid. Some hinges are more robust than others, but
in certain cases you can use multiple pairs of less substantial hinges to bear the
weight. One aspect of hinge choice that tends to be forgotten is the installation
difficulty. Some hinges simply screw right to the surface, some require cutting
a complex mortise, and some require a specialized cutter to make a slot for the
hinge. Understanding each type’s strengths and weaknesses will let you refine
your box design and find that perfect hinge each time.

Doug Stowe is a professional furniture maker and box maker in Eureka Springs, Ark.

98 FINE WOODWORKING
Surface-mount hinges
Surface-mount hinges come in
Visibility: Can be
seen on exterior several forms and are generally
whether closed or available at hardware stores
open.
and big home-improvement
Strength: Available
in sizes for almost stores. Depending on the type,
all applications. they can be nailed or screwed
Installation: Easy in place.
to moderate. Inex-
pensive hinges are Surface-mount hinges are
simply screwed to
the surface. Higher-
visible when the box is closed
quality hinges are or open. So if you want to
recessed into the accentuate the
surface.
Cost: $2 to $30
hinge and draw
per pair attention to the Line up the
back of the box, barrels. It’s
important to
surface-mount hinges are a great choice.
keep the hinge
If you prefer a more subtle or hidden hinge, barrels aligned
move along. so the box
works smoothly.
These hinges are available in a range
Clamping a
of sizes capable of accommodating most straightedge in
boxes and lid weights. But you must place makes HINGE
check the screws’ length against the alignment easier.
SOURCES
thickness of the box body to make sure
leevalley.com
they won’t pop through the inside. This
woodcraft.com
can be overcome by using a different-size
rockler.com
screw or filing down the screws that came
with the hinge. smartboxmaker.com

Many craftsmen are drawn to the use of craft-inc.myshopify.com

surface-mount hinges by the simplicity of
their installation. There are no mortises
to cut or holes to drill other than the pilot
holes for the screws. While they are one
of the easier hinges to install, it’s still Leave space at the back.
When marking the lid for
important to make sure the hinge barrels
the hinge pilot holes, use
are in line and that you leave some space business cards at the back
between the top and body at the hinge to corners to space out the lid.
let the box close fully. This tiny gap will allow the
lid to close fully and avoid
any binding at the hinge
side of the box.

RECESSED HINGES: Hinges with built-in stops. Some

MORE WORK, BUT surface-mount hinges—most
WORTH THE EFFORT commonly found on higher-quality
versions—come with mechanical
A few manufacturers stops cast into the hinge,
make surface-mount which keeps the lid from
hinges that require falling back when the
box is opened.
recessing into the box top
and body. These take more work,
but the hinges are still visible and
this variety are typically more able
to support heavy lids.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 99

 Butt hinges
Butt hinges give boxes a clean,
traditional look. They come in a
range of sizes and quality, from
inexpensive, stamped-steel versions to
high-quality solid brass. Brass hinges are much
more rigid in use, so they are more suited to heavier
lidded pieces. In addition, some have built-in stops,
which saves the effort and cost of having to buy or
make a stop to keep the lid from falling backward.
The mortises must be
aligned and in plane, but Visibility: Barrel visible at back when closed,
when installed carefully the hinge leaves exposed when open.
butt hinge is hardly visible Strength: Fairly strong, and available in sizes
to accommodate small boxes up to chests
at the back of the box and and doors.
is quite good at aligning Installation: Easy to moderate, requires
the front edge of the lid aligned mortises on the lid and body.
Price: $1.50 to $80 per pair
with the body of the box.

Mortises for butt hinges. The router table makes quick and accurate work of removing
the majority of the waste. The corners can be squared up with a chisel before installing the
hinge.

BUTT HINGES WITH BUILT-IN STOPS

To keep the lid from falling all the way back, hinges need a stop
that holds the lid at roughly 95°. Some hinges have stops that
are designed into the hinge mechanism (below), while others
require an additional stop, such as a shopmade string stop (top
photo) to keep the lid from falling back.

Blocky in the back. Most stopped butt

hinges have a squared-off knuckle, as
compared to the rounded knuckles of
the non-stopped varieties.

100 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: staff; drawings: John Hartman

Side-rail hinges Visibility: Small knuckles at
These finely crafted, premium hinges are available with the back can be seen when
closed, leaves are visible
or without stops, and they have a minimal profile at when box is open.
the back of the box for a clean look. Side-rail hinges Strength: Strong, suited for
are mortised into the box sides and lid. These hinges heavy-lidded boxes.
can support heavier or larger lids because they place Installation: Moderate,
requires aligned mortises
the stress at the corner of the box where the body is along the narrow box sides
strongest. One thing to consider when mounting side-rail and lid.
hinges is the type of joinery used on the box. If you’re Price: $10 to $60 per pair

using miter joints, the placement of the screw closest to

the barrel has a tendency to fall directly along the joint
line between the side and back, which can weaken the A few ways to stop. Side-rail
hinges come with or without
joint when the hinge is stressed. For that reason, stops, which can use either a
I prefer to use side-rail hinges on captured arm or an internal
boxes made with dovetails or stop engineered into the
finger joints. knuckle.

Except for the location,

installing side-rail hinges is
similar to butt hinges. Routing
out the mortise usually works
exceptionally well, as many side-
rail hinges have a round end to their
leaves that matches a standard straight bit.

Quadrant hinges
Quadrant hinges feature a built-in stop and are placed
at the corner of the box back and side with legs that
get mortised into each side. When the box is open,
the complexity and unique mechanism of the hinge
is fully visible. These hinges offer excellent support
for heavy-lidded boxes, but are one of the most
challenging hinges to install, as they require routing shallow
mortises into the sides and back of the box, and an additional deeper mortise
in the sides for the stop arms. I’ve made templates for installing this hinge that ease the mortising
operations, and a few companies sell routing templates specifically designed for their hinges which
are invaluable at setting them up successfully. Because of the complexity of the install, I usually
reserve quadrant hinges for special projects that require their strength and aesthetic.

Visibility: Knuckles visible Lid stay requires

at back when closed, deep mortises for
leaves and stop visible clearance when
when open. the lid is closed.
Strength: Very strong,
suitable for large boxes
with heavy lids.
Installation: Challenging,
requires three separate
mortises in both the lid
and body.
Price: $10 to $70 per pair

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 101

 Barbed hinges
Barbed hinges are one type that
my students always want to use
in class, but may avoid in their
own shops due to the special
equipment required. The leaves
of a barbed hinge have hooks
and are pressed into a thin slot
made in the box top and body.
Once pressed in, they stay put
without screws or glue.
Barbed hinges are almost completely invisible whether the
box is open or closed because the leaves are housed in the box
Visibility: Only the thin hinge barrel
is visible whether open or sides. These hinges affect the look of a box because they require a
closed. chamfer that lets the lid open and acts as a stop.
Strength: Weak, ideal for These lighter-duty hinges are perfectly suited to small boxes up to
smaller boxes but multiple
hinges can be used to add 5 in. by 8 in., where the stress of a heavy lid isn’t an issue. For larger
strength. boxes, you can use two pairs of barbed hinges in sequence
Installation: Easy, but to provide the necessary support. Manufacturers also offer
requires a special cutter to
make the slot for the hinges. barbed hinges that come with leaf springs built into them to help
Price: 30 cents to $1 per pair keep heavier lids closed tightly.
Barbed hinges require a special blade for cutting the thin slot
in which they are installed. The cutter is mounted in a drill press
and the piece is fed into the cutter using a fence and stops. Slot
cutter
After that, a simple chamfer along the back allows the
hinge to function. While the cutter is sold
separately and requires special setup,
the advantage of these hinges—
which has caused me to use them for
thousands of my boxes over the last 40
Spring aids in closure. Some years—is that they simply press in place
hinges are equipped with a leaf with no glue and no screws.
spring that helps keep the box closed,
but extra clearance holes are required.

Slots cut at the drill press. The thin-kerf

Push into place. After chamfering the lid
slotting tool is mounted into a standard drill
and the body, press one leaf into the slot until
press, and a fence with stops is positioned to
it reaches the barrel (left). The barbs grab
set the depth and spacing of the slots.
securely and hold the hinge in place. Seat the
opposite leaf into the slot in the other side, and
squeeze the hinges into place (above).

102 FINE WOODWORKING

 Barrel hinges Standard

Barrel hinges are very common on small

boxes. They come in two varieties—5 mm mini
and standard—both easily obtained through
a handful of online woodworking supply
companies. Once installed, the only visible Mini
parts of the mini barrel hinges are the small
round knuckles, whether open or closed. Like
barbed hinges, mini barrels require a chamfer
at the back to allow them to open and to act
as a stop. Standard barrel hinges, also called
expanding link barrel hinges, use a complex
armature to allow the hinge to open without
the chamfer, and when the box is closed they
are invisible. When open, the brass armature
Visibility: Only the small and the barrel are exposed.
round knuckle is visible on
the mini-barrel when open or Mini barrel hinges are perfect for boxes
closed. The standard is in- of small to modest size, no larger than
visible when closed and the
linkage and barrels are vis- about 3 in. by 5 in. Bigger sizes are doable,
ible from inside when open. although I would consider using three or
Strength: Mini barrel is more hinges to carry additional weight. Full-
weak, ideal for smaller
boxes, but multiple hinges size barrel hinges are intended for larger
can be used to add strength. boxes or small cabinet doors, and come in a
Standard hinges are fairly Mini barrels get
strong, and sizes are avail-
variety of sizes that can handle lids of almost glued in place.
able to handle boxes all the any weight or size. To keep them
way to cabinetry. from pulling out, a
Both types are installed by drilling perfectly
Installation: Easy, both only small amount of
require an aligned, drilled aligned holes in both the body and lid, and glue is placed in
hole. Mini barrel requires a then pressing the knurled hinge bodies into each hinge hole.
chamfer at the back like the
barbed hinges. the holes. The mini barrel version gets a drop After that, place
or two of PVA glue before being inserted the hinges in one
Price: $2 to $12 a pair.
side, align them
and aligned. The regular barrel hinges have
to open in the
an expanding collar that is engaged with a right direction,
small flathead screw. Once they’re inserted and squeeze
and aligned, it’s just a matter of tightening them into place.
the screws and locking in the hinges.

Alignment is critical on barrel hinges. Both barrel hinge types need to be aligned with extra care to
make sure they don’t bind. Use a small square on the fully expanded hinge. A small screw expands the
barrel in the hole to lock it in place. This also means that the hinges are easy to remove, unlike the mini
barrel type.

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 103

 DETAILS

Distinctive
6 ways to take your next box to the next level
B Y D O U G S T O W E

Don’t ignore a box’s calling

card. Use it as an invitation
to open the box and as
a set of instructions that
tells people where to put
their hand and how to open
the lid.

Standing on a
distinctive set of feet,
a box takes on a life of
its own as a piece of
furniture. Without them,
it tends to blend in and
look like an accessory.

104 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, this page (right) and opposite page: John Tetreault
Box Details

Online Extra
Learn how to build beautiful boxes in a
video workshop with Doug Stowe. Go to
FineWoodworking.com/boxes.

Open interiors quickly

become a jumbled
mess, but a few dividers
keep jewelry sorted and
organized. Arrange them
to suit the contents.

A s a professional box maker, I’ve thought a lot about

what it takes to turn a humdrum wooden container
into a unique and desirable piece of furniture. I’ve
learned that the appeal of a box is due in large part to the de-
tails, like the shape and size of the pull. That’s why I approach
safe techniques for
machining them. I’ll
share some of my de-
signs for feet, pulls, and
dividers and demonstrate the
every new box as a design opportunity, a chance to create techniques I use to make them. Even if you don’t want to
new and distinctive details that allow my boxes to stand out. make the exact designs I do, you can use my techniques to
But there’s more to it than design. You also need to be able to make your own safely and accurately.
make these parts, which can be a challenge because they tend
to be very small. That’s forced me to develop accurate and Doug Stowe makes boxes and furniture in Eureka Springs, Ark.

BOXES 105
 Feet can raise your box above the crowd
A box that sits directly on a table or dresser
tends to blend in and get lost. But one raised
by feet or legs makes a clean break from the
surface beneath it.

PERFECT PROPORTIONS

⁄ -in. radius
38

BRACKET FEET ARE 1¼ in.

ELEGANT AND STABLE ⁄ in.
58

The curves and symmetry of a

bracket foot add a graceful and ⁄
5 16 in.
1¼ in.
formal base for a stately jewelry ¾ in.
½ in.
box like this one. The feet aren’t
very tall, so I make two at a time
on a single blank (making use of
both long-grain edges) to keep my
hands well away from the router
bit. On feet this small, any lack of
symmetry would immediately be
seen, so I use a stop block on the
infeed side of the router table to
start the cut for each foot.

Use a stop for symmetrical feet. After Rout halfway, then flip. There is no stop on the outfeed
routing the lower arch on the foot, move side, so don’t risk getting too close to the foot on the
the stop and fence to rout the higher one. trailing end.

Cut the foot free, then miter the ends. Set the fence
and rip all four feet at once so that they are the same
height (left). Because the feet already are at final length,
use a stop block so the miter is accurate and doesn’t
shorten the foot (above).

106 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, except where noted: Matt Kenney

 STILT LEGS ARE PLAYFUL
Because they are so akin to the body part they’re named for, legs
present an opportunity for levity. The mitered legs on this box give
it an almost animated quality, and I like that playfulness. I use a
template to rout the shape, making it extra long so that it can be
clamped to a long blank (and then to my bench). The fence on the
template ensures that the shape is routed square to the miter joint,
which is cut prior to shaping.

A LEG WITH FLAIR

11⁄16 in.

2¼ in.

Cut the miter

first. Miter the
edge of a blank
long enough for
all eight halves
⁄
9 16 in. needed to make
the four legs.

TEMPLATE AND FENCE

Template, ¼ in. thick

by 17⁄ 8 in. wide

Fence, ¼ in. thick

by ½ in. wide Clamp on the template. Place the workpiece against Rout the shape. Use a flush-trimming bit so that
the fence of the template and clamp both so that they the leg is an exact copy of the template. After
overhang the workbench. routing the first half, flip the blank end for end and
rout the second one.

Glue up the leg.

Use a glue block to
reinforce the miter
joint and support
the box from below.
Packing tape and
rubber bands add
clamping pressure.

Cut to length. A stop block guarantees that all eight leg halves are the
same length, creating a box that won’t rock after assembly. A pencil
eraser is the perfect hold-down for small pieces.

Drawings: Vince Babak BOXES 107

 Pulls invite people to open the box
LITTLE PULL DOES BIG WORK
There are times when a pull shouldn’t call too much attention to itself, like on this
understated jewelry box. This one is just big enough to get a finger under and lift. Its
small size might be a design plus, but it’s a woodworking challenge. I overcome that
problem by shaping the pull on a larger piece of stock and then trimming it to size.

¼ in.
1 16 ⁄ in. 1¼ in.

⁄
3 16 in.
⁄
7 16 in.

1 16⁄ in.
MAKE THE TENON ⁄ in.
18 1 in.
⁄ in.
18

⁄
1 16 in.
Shape then
trim. After cutting
Rout the tenon
the shoulders
on a long
at the tablesaw
blank. Then cut
and chamfering
the blank into
the end, using
shorter widths
a pencil to hold
to shape.
down the part,
free the pull from
the blank.

⁄ -in. straight bit

38

FAN-SHAPED PULL 38 ⁄ in.

IS READY FOR LIFTOFF ¼ in. 17⁄16 in.

This pull starts as a long 18 ⁄ in.

piece of stock and involves
two router operations. A Cove,½-in.
core-box bit creates a cove radius ⁄
3 16 in.
at the base, and a straight bit ½ in.
creates the tenon. Like the
pull above, complete all of the ⁄
11 16 in. ⁄
1 32 in. ⁄
3 16 in.
shaping before cutting the ⁄
5 32 in. 3 16⁄ in. ⁄ in.
18

pull from the blank.

ROUT A RELIEF THEN FORM THE TENON

½-in. radius ⁄ -in. straight bit

38

core-box bit

Smooth curve. A push block behind Precise tenon. Take several passes to
the blank prevents tearout and keeps sneak up on final thickness, using dial
it square to the fence, guaranteeing a calipers to check against the mortise
straight cut. as you go.

108 FINE WOODWORKING

TWO-PART LIFT DOES DOUBLE DUTY
I use a pair of these lifts on opposite sides of boxes that need to
be mobile, such as those for stationery. One part of each lift is
mortised into the box and the other into the lid. When you pinch
the two parts between your fingers, the lid is held in place and the
box can be picked up. But the cutout in the lower part lets you
get a finger under the upper part and take off the lid. Making the
lift isn’t particularly difficult, but it won’t work if the shape isn’t
just right. So take your time with the design, tracing it onto the
blanks and then refining the shape.

Rough out the parts. A scrollsaw is best because its blade is narrow
enough to follow the tight curves.

Refine the shape

with sandpaper.
Stowe groups the
Draw the basic shape. Stowe uses a half-template cut from a manila pulls to make it
folder so that the two halves of the pull are symmetrical. easier to keep the
edges square to
Every other pull the faces. He uses
gets a cutout. 1-in.-wide sand-
Simply modify the paper glued to a
existing template pencil to get into
and trace the cut- the tight curves.
out onto two of the
pulls already drawn.

A PERFECT PAIR
3 in.

½ in.
¼ in.

⁄
3 16 in.
½ in. ⁄ in.
78

www.f inewoodworking.com BOXES 109

Dividers sort out the inside
Boxes with one large interior space become
cluttered quickly. You can improve organization and
utility with simple dividers, sized for the objects
they’ll hold, whether that is jewelry, minerals, tea,
or keepsakes.

OFFSET DIVIDERS HIDE THEIR JOINTS

The bridle joint holding these dividers together isn’t difficult to
make, but it would be more visible from the top if the intersecting
parts were the same height. That’s why I make the shorter ones
slightly taller than the long ones. The added height creates the Thickness of
slot equals
illusion that the long dividers are mortised into the short ones. thickness of
dividers.
⁄ in.
58

13 ⁄ 8 in.
1¼ in.

⁄ in.
58

Two stop blocks control slot width. Stowe makes the first cut with the
divider pushed against the stop on the left. He makes the second cut with
it pushed against the right-hand stop. Make test cuts to get the fit right.

Don’t hold the divider with your hands. Use a clamp instead, so that Hide the joint. The short dividers are taller than the long ones. That extra
your fingers are well away from the blade. bit of material hides the slots.