box 005

With the complexity of the last box, I wanted to go with a simpler design. I had this piece of pine with a wonderful grain pattern and wanted to use it at some point. This was a good chance to use it. I didn't want to break up the pattern, so I "wrapped" it around the sides with the seam on the back. This was also a good opportunity to try out some abalone inlays that a friend help me buy. I never worked with abalone before so I didn't know what to expect. Actually it turned out to be quite easy. The stuff sands fairly well along with the wood. I was afraid that it was going to be too hard. Other than some finishing issues, turned out pretty good, I think.

A friend wants to see the process for the creation of these boxes, so I try taking snap shots along the way, but forgot half way through, DOH! But I'll put up what I have.

Step 01: the concept sketch
The concept was, well, simple


Step 02: the gathering of materials
I got some Cherry wood from a friend and used a strip of nicely grained Pine. The Cherry wood strips were cut to the size of the Pine. The lid was also cut and Cherry wood strips to match.


Step 03: the gluing of stuff
Glue was applied to the main box strips and clamped together to dry over night.


Step 04: the cutting of stuff
After the glue's dry, the strip was put through the plainer for uniform flatness. Because I wanted the grain to wrap around the corners, a band saw was used to cut the four equal length pieces. This is because the band saw has a thinner blade than the table saw, and would take out less material so the corner joints match closer when assembled. The pieces were then double stick tapped together and the edges trimmed with a table saw. They were then taken apart and the corners were carefully cut at a 45 degrees on a 12" miter saw.


Step 05: the gluing of stuff, again
I forgot to take pictures of the abalone strips and the cutting of the bottom for the box, but they're pretty straight forward. The four pieces were glued together with the bottom of the box as a guide. A small channel was cut with a mini milling machine on all four sides and the abalone was glued in with superglue. Since I did not have a cutting bit narrow enough for the abalone, a bigger channel was cut, then the gap was filled in with a thin strip of pine as an accent color/border. At this point, I decided the bottom was too plain, so I cut an additional bottom and milled out a channel so it acts like a platform. The new bottom was then glued to the existing bottom.


Step 06: the sanding
Sanding comes after everything is dry. Sanding is boring. Sanding is messy. I do not like sanding. I usually use 80 grit, then to a finer 100 grit sand paper. This one required 320 for a smoother surface.


Step DOH!: no more pictures
Anyway, the majority of the work was done. The only things left were additional milling of a platform for the bottom. The assembly of the lid was strait forward, one piece of Pine with a Cherry wood border. The abalone dot was easily done with a drilled hole and superglue in. Sanding, sanding, and more sanding. Once it's all done, the interior and inside of the lid was covered with craft paper.

The finish on this box was a pain in the behind, due mainly me trying a water based clear finish. The wood soaked it up, raising the grain of the wood that I so painstakingly sanded smooth. Normally, that could be a nice affect, but not this time! I had to sand it smooth again...several times. I gave up and instead, used several coats of an oil based finish, then sanded the entire box with steel wool. As mentioned before, the final piece is always a little different from the initial concept.

These pictures were taken by a co-worker with a Canon digital SLR and a strobe flash setup. I think I'm going to have to get me a digital SLR, heh.