since everyone is making boxes...

[Leo Zick]

is there a howto? :)
they look fun, but im not even sure where to begin :(

[Matthew Hills]

What type of box is inspiring you? bandsaw or joinery-based?

Maybe take a look at The American Woodshop Episode 1510-Custom Band Saw Jewelry Boxes:

http://www.wbgu.org/americanwoodshop/Episodes/season15/index.html


Matt

[Brian W Evans]

This has come up a lot lately, but it's worth repeating. Any of Doug Stowe's books is a great place to start. An even better place is his DVD (http://www.amazon.com/BASIC-BOX-MAKING-Doug-Stowe/dp/B000UZS7ZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1233155782&sr=8-1). It is probably the best woodworking DVD I've seen. Right now it's on sale at Amazon for $15.98 (no free shipping, though).

I'd also recommend checking the woodworking projects forum on SMC for pics, as well as the gallery on FWW (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Gallery/GalleryHome.aspx)'s site, and the gallery on woodweb (http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/galleries/project.cgi). Look to see what kind of boxes you like and get inspired.

[Brian Kent]

I really go a lot out of "Box Making" by Doug Stowe.

[Bill Huber]

+1 on Doug Stowe's books, they are very good.
What I have found in building boxes is you learn a lot. You can let your imagination run wild and do all kinds of different things with them and at the same time learn a lot.
You can use all different types of wood and make all different types of joints and boxes. At the same time you are not spending a ton of money to make them.

http://www.dougstowe.com/

[Dewey Torres]

+1 for Doug Stowe. One of the best if not the best box maker in the US and shows how to accomplish it with minimal tools.

[Tony Ward]

For Bandsawn Boxes ~ www.tonyward.org (http://www.tonyward.org)

[Leo Zick]

wow, great sites, thanks!

i like lumberjocks.com a bit more than the gallery site, at least for layout.

unfortunately, i dont have a bandsaw. any recommendations or howtos with a tablesaw and router?

i assume you glue the box up as a cube, then cut it open with the tablesaw for the lid, correct? that seems like a pretty simple box though. it would be nice to learn how to make all those joints.

thanks!

[Brian W Evans]

Doug Stowe's DVD shows how to do a few common box-making joints. You can definitely make some great stuff without a band saw. Your main problem is going to be resawing your lumber. Small boxes usually don't look good with 3/4"+ lumber and you probably don't want to plane the wood down to 1/2". Resawing can be done on the table saw up to a max width of 5-6" if you have a good blade. Doug Stowe explains how in one of his books and possibly on the DVD as well.

[Leo Zick]

Doug Stowe's DVD shows how to do a few common box-making joints. You can definitely make some great stuff without a band saw. Your main problem is going to be resawing your lumber. Small boxes usually don't look good with 3/4"+ lumber and you probably don't want to plane the wood down to 1/2". Resawing can be done on the table saw up to a max width of 5-6" if you have a good blade. Doug Stowe explains how in one of his books and possibly on the DVD as well.

i havent been comfortable resawing on my tablesaw. maybe ill get lucky and justify a bandsaw..lol. really rather have a dust collector though!

ill check out the DVD, thanks all

[David Keller NC]

Leo - You can successfully saw a box apart to create the lid with an hand-saw, just not an "ordinary" hand saw you might find at a Home Despot. These are almost exclusively coarse, cross-cut saws, and they will make a mess of a trying to saw the rip cuts on a box.

Instead, you need a decent rip back-saw. There are lots of companies that make good ones, among them Lee Valley ("dovetail" saws, if done correctly, is a rip-filed saw), Mike Wenzloff and Sons, Lie-Nielsen, Adria, etc...

Antiques Disstons are also a possibility - assuming you get a good one.

If you do a good job of preping your lumber before you assemble the box, and a good job with a marking gauge, this is actually pretty easy. And will be a lot easier if you get someone skilled in hand tool usage to show you how.

[Sue Wise]

Another good book is
Box-Making Basics: Design, Technique, Projects by David Freedman