Hinge Lid Boxes

[gee-dub]

Killing a little time and scrap while an errant finish cures for a while. Now that I have a vacuum pump and bag I find myself sawing off even thin amounts when I may have just milled them off in the past.

Since I am burning up scraps some pieces are smaller than I like to machine. Here I'm using an often discussed method of hot-gluing on side rails to make planing a little easier.

Here's some blank material milled to about 1/2".

I always smile when the insert heads handle figured stock without tear out.

The dimensions of these boxes was driven to some extent by the size of the scraps on hand.

I use a small sled and stops to cut the sides and ends.

And now just like an episode of 'This Old House' we break for commercial and come back to finished dovetails.

Sometimes I get lucky and the dovetails fit really well. In this case a handscrew acts as a dovetail un-fitter.

For the bottoms I use something decent but try to find scraps with some pop for the tops. I found this piece of maple at a yard years ago and thought there might be something better than generic hard maple hiding in it.

A little quick work with a No 4.

I have tried to match up various scraps to get a decent match. Some views are better than others

I use a small block plane to level the tops and bottoms. I have a couple of irons for this little guy; one at a low angle for most tasks and this one at a steep angle for figured material.

I use this small diameter slot cutter from Lee Valley to cut the grooves for the floating tops and bottoms.

The test box I made from maple looked OK so I will finish it off as well although it is smaller due to the size of the scrap I had.

Here's some blanks milled and cut to size for the tops and bottoms.

I'll do the joinery and profiles on them next.

 

[gee-dub]

I am using a large diameter bit so I switch to the thicker router fence faces.

I don't really need a bit this big but it has the profile I want.

Once the tops are profiled I groove the edges as the first step in the joinery. I use a .125" kerf blade that leaves a flat bottom.

I then trim back the underside to leave a 3/16" tongue all the way around.

Using the method I did for adding the panel receiver grooves on the sides of the box gets me a rounded corner. These can be chiseled out or you can round corners. With the scale of these I will just round the corners.
Yet another use for an old card.

It only takes a few swipes with the rasp to round the corners.

One end of the panel goes in a pin board.

Another end.

Add the tail boards and this is what it looks like just loosely pushed together.

The inside view of the top and bottom will look like so.

Dinner time . . .

 

[Chestnut]

These look great. So are these just being made because the time is right and will be saved for that just in case gift?

With your thin slices, that's both a great idea and could lead to trouble for me. I have some thin scraps that i saved because I knew I'd end up using them. Well it's been 4 years now. Have you ever thought about making your own plywood panel? I did that once using pretty thick plys and it turned out great, but i want to try it with thinner material. I don't think that I'd use it very often but it could be useful in an odd place where I wanted to try something different.

[gee-dub]

On 4/28/2022 at 4:15 AM, Chestnut said:

These look great. So are these just being made because the time is right and will be saved for that just in case gift?

Bingo!  I'm sure I'm not the only one that gets asked if we have something for so-and-so's birthday, wedding, or whatever . . .

Me: "When is it?"

Them: "Day after tomorrow."

Me: "Uh . . . "

As to hanging on to scrap fr way too long; yep, guilty.  A couple of times a year I will empty the shorts bin and choose who gets to live and who becomes firewood .  It can be tough but, scrap space (and usefulness) s finite.  I was thinking I may pre-veneer some thin substrate.  Maybe small decorative panels would be more readily used than just thin scrap(?).

[pkinneb]

Nice!!

 

[gee-dub]

I realized that I got a bit too far into production mode and made the bottoms the same thickness as the tops. After resawing the bottoms to 1/2" I beveled a profile with the same bit I used for the tops. In this case I do the typical crosscut first so that the long grain cut will clean up any tearout.

Same flat bottom x 1/8" blade set at 1/2" height.

For this operation I cut the long grain cut first. This lets any cross grain tearout get hidden down in the groove.

With everything else unchanged I lower the blade to cut off the lower 'finger'.

For this operation I return to the cross cut first so the long grain cut will clean up any tearout. Since the small strips being cut off are trapped between the fence and the blade one has to be sure to stand to the side to avoid the little spears of spoil that can come shooting off the blade.

One of my sleds hanging in the stored position catches the brunt of the spears in flight.

And you end up like so on the bottom.

And like so overall.

Now the next three.

[Coop]

Just MO, whether doing dt’s or box joints, I prefer to have the pins proud of the connecting board as it’s easier to flush them down than the side itself. 

[wtnhighlander]

I like that under cut bottom, @gee-dub! The shadow line makes the box stand out from its surroundings.

[gee-dub]

A lot of landscaping and other 'backyard' work has taken me down the bunny trail for a few days. Here's a quick catch-up.
I am always amazed how some of these central American hardwoods come off the machine. This red heart (probably Chakte Kok) is right off the jointer, planer and router table.


I use a bowl bit and the router table to hollow out the 3/4" thick tops to reduce weight. This gives a better balance when using stop hinges.

This is especially true on things like red heart, bubinga, and purple heart that are so mineral rich.

[gee-dub]

I use "wave" discs (or whatever they are called now if different) to sand the tooling ridges out.  Also employing an ad-hoc dust collection method.  If you don't have a tube sock full of marbles in your shop, you're missing out.

They come out like so.

I will soften the scalloped edges some more to try to give it a quasi-hand tooled look.

[wtnhighlander]

@gee-dub, who makes / sells that sanding device you have the wavy discs on?

[Coop]

On 5/4/2022 at 9:15 PM, wtnhighlander said:

@gee-dub, who makes / sells that sanding device you have the wavy discs on?

+1

And who makes that caliper?

[gee-dub]

You guys are like me. I have learned so much from stuff I see in the background of people’s pictures I couldn’t begin to list it all.  The small Velcro sanding pad came from Klingspor as did my original “new wave“ abrasives. I have since picked up the wavy edge abrasives here and there but Klingspore was the original source.  If you are referring to the drill motor it is a Milwaukee hummingbird.

I have two other sizes of pads, one smaller than the one shown and then one smaller still. I believe the smallest one is 3/4 of an inch. They also use Velcro but are a much softer foam than the wavy disc pad.

The calipers are a Veritas product sold by Lee Valley.  Originally designed for Turner’s to check vessel wall thickness but I find many uses for them around the shop.

[gee-dub]

I finish the inside surfaces before glue up.

That mystery maple turned out to have some decent figure.

 

[Coop]

I’ve jury rigged different methods of measuring the inside thickness such as you’re having to measure and I don’t see that Lee Valley carries this any longer.

I bet this will serve well for me. Thanks @gee-dub.

https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-8-Digital-Outside-Calipers/dp/B002PU77Q8/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B002PU77Q8&psc=1

[gee-dub]

@Coop Tried to send you a PM. I think I have one of those not in use.  If so, it's yours.

[Coop]

It just doesn’t take me long to place an Amazon order, unfortunately and I just did! Appreciate the offer though! 

[gee-dub]

I often use scraps as cauls or cobble something together to assure the dovetails seat during glue up.  I had a split piece of pecan in the burn pile.  I was able to make enough pieces out of it for some more resilient corner cauls that I can use over and over.

These are scaled for box sides up to 1/2" thick which covers most of my box work.

I shellacked them, paste waxed them, and they get used like so.

I have developed the habit of putting a blob of silicone rubber in the grooves that hold the small floating panels.  This allows me to adjust the final position of the panel even after the clamps are on the box body.

Once the silicone sets I have some custom formed 'space balls' that allow for wood movement while keeping the panels centered.

Three more to go.

 

[gee-dub]

I'll take a hand plane to these tomorrow and cut the lids off.

[Coop]

I sure like those cauls! 

[Mark J]

On 5/5/2022 at 7:41 PM, Coop said:

I’ve jury rigged different methods of measuring the inside thickness such as you’re having to measure and I don’t see that Lee Valley carries this any longer.

I bet this will serve well for me. Thanks @gee-dub.

https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-8-Digital-Outside-Calipers/dp/B002PU77Q8/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B002PU77Q8&psc=1

Those calipers work great.  I pull the battery out between projects to preserve battery life.

[gee-dub]

I've had folks ask about cutting the tops off of the boxes in previous threads.  I took a few extra shots and hope this will help someone out.  The process for this type of box is basically make all the parts and glue up the box as a 6-sided cube.  Then you cut the top off.  After that you can add hinges, make it a lift-lid or whatever you like.

The following process is done after you have planed any proud fingers or tails/pins flush and done some initial surface prep on the box.  That is, you do not want the box changing dimensions significantly after you cut the top off.

The top of the box will ride against the fence.  I have done a fair amount of surface prep on this figured walnut so I add a couple of strips of tape for protection.  The little blocks you see are about 4" long, 1/2" thick and have a perpendicular strip set in lengthwise that matches my blade's kerf.  I have three of these.

The blade is set about 1/32" higher than the box sides are thick.  For the first cut I clamp on a backer board.

Flip the box over and insert one of the "kerf keeper" blocks.

You will notice that I have taped the block in position.  I come from the school of "secure your load" (even if it is just a shovel in the back of the pickup) so I secure the block.  Should anything unexpected happen the block will not become a projectile.  With the first cut toward you, make the second cut.

Rinse and repeat until you have three blocks taped in place and one side left to be cut.

Cut the last side, remove the tape and blocks and here you go.

Even if your box is a smidge out of square your top will hinge perfectly.

Three more to go.

 

 

 

[treeslayer]

Consider that “kerf keeper “ idea stole @gee-dub, I’ve always cut just shy of the thickness of the box and separated the top and bottom with a flush cut saw but I think your way would be better and faster, thanks for the idea

[gee-dub]

Glad it may be useful .  Here's the other three.

Time to dig into the hinge box.

I have used these Lee Valley stop hinges with success in the past.

Something didn't look right.  I went in and checked a box I made years ago.  This led me to go with the longer hinges.

I use a piece of scrap to set up the router table to mill the hinge recess.

Time to spend some Mother's Day time with the family.  I'll be back.

[gee-dub]

Mother's Day festivities are over.  I wanted to test the hinge mortise.

I use some small steel screws to test with.  I also use them to cut the threads for the little brass screws that will eventually be used.

There is too much reveal for me.  I will make the hinge mortises deeper.  I want an even reveal when I have the felt dots that will pad the front corners in place; a fat 1/32".