Box top's

[Marmotjr]

This turned out to be really hard to google, as I could not find any good links for what I was looking for, just a bunch of stuff about reclaimed pallets and other commercial boxes.  And If it was wood working, then it was a how not to do a box top, but few examples of how to.

So If I'm making a smaller wooden box (say 10"x8", 6" high), and I want a top that is from a single board (or even a glued up small panel), how are some of the ways you guys would do it?   I know I could do like floating panel, but some of the boxes I don't want the lid recessed.  I could just do the lid as the board, and attach it to the box with a hinge, but again, on some of the boxes, I'd like the sides to be the vast majority of the box, but have the hinged opening halfway for example.  

So, how do you make a box top that won't violate movement rules?

[Stew]

That's a good question.I have wondered the same thing, I've made a few with floating panels that looked okay and I've made a some from solid pieces. The solid one's seemed to have a tendency to cup a little bit. I may have been doing wrong though.

[wtnhighlander]

Make the top as a panel with no frame, i.e., just a board on hinges.

[Eric.]

Here are a couple hingeless options.  The first one has a liner and the lid is just dropped in and rests upon it.  The second one is a little pencil box and has a tongue and groove construction.  It slides in and out.  With small boxes like this you don't have to worry about movement quite so much because it's almost negligible at these sizes.  If you find the lids ever get sticky just take a couple shavings off with a block plane and you're back in business.

I think your question might be going over my head though so these might be irrelevant to you...

 

 

 

[Tpt life]

Go to 3:40. This is one option. 

 

[gee-dub]

There are so many ways to do things.  These tops float and the profile is such that the top surface runs out over the frame.  You could run all the way to the edge although it would change subtly as the wood moves throughout the year.

The top and bottom are hinged together.  Here's another example from the same run.

Think of the floating panel as a blank slate.  The joinery is what takes care of movement.  The profile determines the character.  You can even scroll them for a little pizazz.

Think about your raw structure.  Once you have that, the variations are to your choosing.

[Marmotjr]

Thanks guys!   This actually helped quite a bit. I think I was both just over thinking it, and stuck in mindset like a cabinet door would be made.   @gee-dub, how much gap do you leave in between the top and sides in the groove?  

I know this is a simple concept, but for some reason, I'm making this way more difficult in my head.

[Eric.]

9 minutes ago, Marmotjr said:

how much gap do you leave in between the top and sides in the groove? 

For a panel that small, 1/16" on each side will be plenty.  And if you build it in the summer, you could leave even less, since most likely the wood is at its highest MC for the yearly cycle.

[chashint]

Dang boys.....those are nice boxes.

Much respect for your work.