This is a real nice bank, especially the burl. I have several of these P.O. doors and been wanting to make something similar. Now I have to get them done. Thanks for the inspiration!
Box pictures-everyones!
- Thread starter Mike1950
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With Christmas coming up faster than I want it to.... here's a little idea some might consider. If you have someone who enjoys games like dominoes, Yahtee, dice poker, card games, cribbage, dice etc. make up a little box with a few choices. You can find the necessary components (Yahtzee score pad, dice cup, cribbage pegs, etc) for most of the games I mentioned on line for under $10 apiece. So you can make as upscale as you want. Rob ( @rob3232 ) sold me some beautiful wavy oak so I used it plus some rainbow poplar and a walnut / maybe elm burl? I got from someone on WB. The dividers are just some 3/16" plywood I scrounged from a shipping crate years ago, The pencil holder is just a block of mahogany with holes drilled in it and the pencil are old golf course pencils. The nice thing is it's all contained, no need to go searching for a piece that went walkabout.
Here's the box open. The dominoes are in the black case next to the Yahtzee score pad. I trimmed off the margins of the Yahtzee score pad so it was the same dimensions as the dominoes case, just made it simpler. I didn't think about it but you can easily accomodate the cribbage pegs as well by making one side of the pencil block higher (so you don't have to fish around with your fingers) and drill more holes for the cribbage pegs.
Here's the box open. The dominoes are in the black case next to the Yahtzee score pad. I trimmed off the margins of the Yahtzee score pad so it was the same dimensions as the dominoes case, just made it simpler. I didn't think about it but you can easily accomodate the cribbage pegs as well by making one side of the pencil block higher (so you don't have to fish around with your fingers) and drill more holes for the cribbage pegs.
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Such a great idea! My wife & I are big game players, so this will have to go on the to-do list! How did you attach the dividers on the inside of the box? Chuck
Good job Doug
I decided to route shallow dados in the inside walls of the box to slide the dividers into. I cut them about half inch shorter than the height of the dividers. Then I cut shallow notches off the end of the divders, so essentially they're hidden dados (if you look closely in the photo of the open box you can see the top of one of the dividers doesn't quite match up to the other. I also cut shallow dados into the long divider to capture the two short dividers.
The sequence of construction was :
1. Cut the sides of the box proper and test fit in the frame clamp. Once I'm satisfied with the box, I figured out how I wanted to use dividers to create the individual sections - e.g. a long narrow one for the dominoes and Yahtzee score pad, a larger square section for the dice cup, and two narrower sections for playing cards and the pencil holder.
2. Measuring from the inside edge of the 45 degree miters, mark where the inside dados go and route them.
3. Sand and finish the interior sides of the box (just easier to do this before gluing it together, but you could do it after gluing.
4. Glue the box sides. Measure and cut dividers from thin plywood.
5. Next build the lid to fit however you want (note, if you're using the hidden pin hinges, you need to make the lid and drill the pins and install the lid at the same time as you glue the box into shape).
6. Oh, for this box, I made the bottom trim, so I cut the rabbets for that before i glued the box together also. So next I cut the bottom trim pieces and carefully fit the 45 degree miters to get a nice clean fit. Glue the bottom trim piece on.
7. Sand and finish the outside of the box. Test fit, sand and finish the dividers and glue them into place (I supposed if your dados are tight you could just let the dividers ride in the dados without glue).
8. Cut shallow dados for the hinges and attach the lid. Drill 1/8" holes and glue in magnets.
9. The bottom trim left room for a piece of plywood for the bottom, so last thing I did was cut and fit that plywood and glue it into place.
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Thanks Jim. Did you sell me that rainbow poplar? I can't recall who sold it.
Ah, see the stopped dados now. Thanks for sending the sequenced build. Very helpful. Why did you use plywood for the dividers, and not thin hardwood? And why plywood for the bottom? Chuck
Mostly because that's what I had on hand. But in general, plywood is less likely to warp, bend or crack.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #109
Plywood is very stable. Less likely to expand and force joints open. I leave bottom loose and glue on one side only.
Do you also use plywood for the bottoms of your boxes? Chuck
Yes, and you can get it with the outer veneer layer in various wood - I see it most often in birch which is a nice neutral wood and can be stained if you want to more closely match the rest of the box. Lowes and Home Depot carry 1/4" (and I've seen an underlayment version that I think is slightly less than 1/4" but not as finished). Hobby stores carry 1/8" plywood.
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Not me Doug. I still have some mesquite we talked about a while back but never finalized. I believe you were looking to make some cribbage boards for yourself. Pm if still interested. Jim
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #113
Always. Drawers also. Loose fit and glued one side maybe 1/3
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #114
I will add, little boxes no on plywood. Still loose fit.
Are your boxes sitting on a lathe
Glad to see you back a few days in a row. We've needed help keeping the old bugger in line.
Been working on this one for some time. Lot's of detail to get right. Had this really watery looking piece of curly maple for some time - from a WB member but can't remember who, sorry. Got the lace sheoak from Fred ( @Friedrich9 ). It was a blank roughly 2.5" x 3" x 10", I resawed it into 5/16" thins for the sides. The corner trim pieces are cutoff from the curly maple. The lid frame is bubinga also from John ( @JD1137 ), because it matched the red lace sheoak pretty well. Handle is made from cutoff from the bubinga, dowel plugs inserted to reinforce the glue joint. The the abalone inlay on the lid is left over trim pieces from my guitar coach, waste not want not. I didn't like the fit between the curly maple and the bubinga frame of the lid so I cut some real thin strips from black ebony and then shaved the maple and inserted them between the bubinga frame and the curly maple panel. The bottom is just some 1/8" birch ply. No hinges this time, I wanted to see if I could make a lid that fit nice and snug but didn't bind and surprisingly I did it. The lid fits perfectly. 5 coats of wipe on poly, rubbed out with a micro pad and then waxed with Min Wax paste. Probably gift this one to my wife for Christmas - although she doesn't need any more boxes. She can gift it to someone else.
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That is well and truly amazing. That lace sheoak is the understated star of the box. The contrast of the woods draws you in and the wood and details do the rest.
Ooooohhhh I like it. Especially like the sheoak. Outstanding!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #120
Very nice work and wood