Build Along - Letter Box

[Brokenolmarine]

I went out to the Woodshop a couple days ago with the intent of making another custom cane, for something to do.  I have a couple already, but the idea hit again after watching a few videos.  I was going to make a black walnut cane with maple inlay.  I found a nice 2x2 piece of black walnut and started to plane away the gunk that builds up when the wood is stored for a few (ten?) years.  Then, as the grain started to appear, I was shocked... that walnut, was mahogany. 

I am nothing if not flexible, and I decided on the fly that this wood would NOT become that cane.   Also on my project list was a storage box for the LETTER stamps for the leather bench.  This would do nicely.  I had been keeping the stamp heads in the factory foam tray, what a pain in the ... um... behind. I had the design in my head for a while.  This would be perfect.  Normally I would do nearly all the work with hand tools, but Arthur was visiting and I would add the Table Saw to the task.  Since I had a few 3D stamps as well, I laid them out on the granite and played with the layout until I was happy, then measured until I knew the size I needed.

[Brokenolmarine]

I cut a piece of the mahogany long enough to accommodate the 13-1/8 x 3-1/2 I needed.  Then I set the blade depth for the dados I wanted.  I ran the edges against the fence on the saw, rotated the wood 180 degrees and ran across the blade again.  I had two parallel dados on one side.  Now, rotate the wood 180 degrees and repeat.  Now I have two sets of dados on opposite sides of the wood.  Rotate the wood 90 degrees and mark the centerline down the length.  Set the blade and rip down the center.  BOOM, sides.

I repeated the process with the leftover wood and now had sides for two boxes.  I set up the chop saw and cut the 45 degree angles to make box joints.  As always, I test fitted the sides.

The rectangular box will be the letter box, so I tested it's fit around the letter layout.  Perfect.

[Brokenolmarine]

Next up was cutting the dual panels to fit the dados.  The box will be glued together with the panels in place and then the shaping and sanding will take place.  Much easier to do with the box whole, it's more stable than trying to do with a base and lid.  Once the box is almost complete, you run the box over the table saw blade, using the fence to insure consistancy.  Run the long sides first, push in wedges and tape to secure, then cut the short sides.

The letter box will get a carved/tooled leather insert on top.  The square-ish box will get a spalted maple insert on top and go to the wife as a gift.  She can use it to keep sewing accessories in for her She Shed (or Bitch Barn as the Daughter calls it.)  I have some beautifully grained spalted maple to accent that mahogany.  Her shop was set up from a bare building we ordered, then finished the inside.  It's very nice.

 

[Chux]

I thought you made a leather mailbox!! Lmao

[Brokenolmarine]

That would be cool, inside an apartment hallway... until some punk trashed it because they were jealous.  (30 years in LE, yup, someone would. )

[Brokenolmarine]

Funny thing about the She Shed... that door WAS gloss white, but when the Oklahoma sun would hit it in the afternoon... the refected glare would come right thru the back door like a laser and blind me.  I told Miss T she could either live with keeping the back door and the back door blinds closed after lunch, or choose a flat dark color for the door. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Brokenolmarine

[kgg]

1 hour ago, Brokenolmarine said:

She Shed (or Bitch Barn as the Daughter calls it.)

Just about split my sides when I read that. Nice building.

kgg

[Brokenolmarine]

Out in the shop for a session this afternoon.  I used some time fitting and planing, fitting and planing until I got the wife's box right, then pressure fitted it to insure all was right.  Since this box was made from excess, the long sides were slightly thicker than the short sides and they had to be planed down to the same thickness.  The thing about handmade, especially those with handtools, is that you hand fit things.  Part of the pleasure of the task.

 

The pressure fit check is important because you apply pressure during glue up.  If you hand check all the joints and they look great, then apply pressure...  ... sometimes they don't look so great any longer.  Next up I pressure checked the Letter Box.  It matches up fine.  I am looking at the inside edges.  The outside edges and the top edges will be adjusted (planed or whatever) after the glue up.)  As you can see in the pic below, the right hand short side is a tad higher.  I'll clamp the box down and plane that smooth after.

Both boxes were broken down, and the pieces carefully laid out to maintain their position.  Glue was applied to all eight corner contacts and ONE side of each of the panels for each of the two boxes, and they were reassembled.  Once this was done the clamps were applied and tightened just enough to take the slack.  Then the boxes were adjusted to square up the inside edges.  Than pressure slowly applied until you could pluck the strap.

They will be left in the band clamps while I work on the two inserts, give them plenty of time to set.  Then the clamps will be removed and the real work begins. 

[Sheilajeanne]

16 hours ago, Brokenolmarine said:

Her shop was set up from a bare building we ordered, then finished the inside.  It's very nice.

That is VERY nice indeed! I especially like the dragonfly decoration - nice touch!

[PastorBob]

Very nice indeed!