Hexagon Box Question

[Jim Rimmer]

I am making a hexagon box for a grandaughter. I never understood why guys on this site made prototypes until I started designing and thinking about this box. So I made a prototype of SYP. It's a good thing I did - I've already learned a lot. Now I have a question. I cut it apart to make the top (and I thought about this for a long time and knew it would happen) and now the top is smaller than the base due to the kerf and planing/sanding the cut. (see pic)
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So what do I do now? Leave the gap at the front? I think I will have to in order for the hinges to work. On the final version do I make to half hexagons so they will mate? I think it will be harder to glue up and you lose half the box capacity.
Any ideas or comments? TIA for the help.

[David DeCristoforo]

Oops.... the "gap" at the front is not going to look good. And making "half hexagons" will not only decrease the box "depth" it will also require that the box sit on a "point" and that is not going to work too well either. I would seriously consider making two identical boxes and cutting the top from the second box. That's lots of extra work for sure but, hey... it's your granddaughter...

Another option would be to make the lid from two "side sections" that are not attached to the ends. Just leave the glue out of the appropriate joints when you assemble the box....

[jon hamer]

Somehow, I suspect you've thought of both of these already...

The easiest way to deal with what you have may be to fill in the thickness of the phantom kerf with a contrasting material, making it a design feature by attaching it to the lid.
If you're not happy with that product, you could try anew, but make the box bottom and top separately, copying the dimensions from the prototype box with the filler strip in place, leaving you with a matching set.

Has anyone got a better way of solving this?

[Larry Rasmussen]

by using contrasting colored wood strips to fill in what the saw kerf and sanding removed. With a steady hand it would look like a custom touch instead of a fix.

Luck on this,
Larry R
Seattle

[sean m. titmas]

Cut the box on the T/S and than glue on a strip of wood to replace the wood that was the saw kerf,

or

cut it on the band saw and plane the exposed sides flush to maintain the miters and eliminate the offset.

[Noah Katz]

What about cutting it vertex to vertex, skipping one between?

[johnny means]

cut the front, back and sides were the box will open before glue up. Use double face tape or a paper joint to stick the parts back together before assembly. once everything is all dried up split the top off with a chisel. You have to be careful to only do certain steps before or after making the temporary joint. This is a great little study in sequencing a project.

You could also use two hex shaped jigs with markings to build the top and bottom at separate times.

[sean m. titmas]

Jim,

What do you plan for the exposed end grain on the sides of box? It would look sharp if you miter the 6 sides to the sextagon (sp?). that way no end grain shows.

[Doug Shepard]

...or

cut it on the band saw and plane the exposed sides flush to maintain the miters and eliminate the offset.

That would be my vote. Much less kerf width and gap to remove.

[Jim Finn]

What about cutting it vertex to vertex, skipping one between?
Yes, that is my thought. Just cut the box on the miter line and the top and bottom will match perfectly. Nice looking box. I like your idea I just may make one myself.

[Lee Schierer]

cut the front, back and sides were the box will open before glue up. Use double face tape or a paper joint to stick the parts back together before assembly. once everything is all dried up split the top off with a chisel. You have to be careful to only do certain steps before or after making the temporary joint. This is a great little study in sequencing a project.

You could also use two hex shaped jigs with markings to build the top and bottom at separate times.

That's what I would do.

Or maybe make two boxes and cut one thin lid and one a saw kerf thicker and switch lids. Without trying it I don't know if that would fix the gap problem though.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...cut the box on the miter line..."

Cutting the box in this manner will reduce the problem but it will also make for a very shallow box with a very deep lid. Cutting the pieces prior to glueing up is a good idea. Tape them back together as "johnny" suggested and then cut the pieces to final size. But the more I think about it, if I were making this box, I would glue up the ends with four "sides" to form the box and then glue the last two sides together to make the lid, leaving the ends uncut...

[Bob Fraser]

As David suggests, "seriously consider making two identical boxes" and then cut the second as you did the first one.

It would give you two boxes not?

One that is the top "half" times two,
and one that is the two bottoms, slightly larger than the box made from the two top halves.

bob

[Jim Rimmer]

Thanks for all the ideas. Right now I am fiddling with the contrasting piece to fill the kerf/sanding gap. The two box idea would work and give me two boxes.

I don't quite understand the idea of cutting on the vertex. Are you suggesting a V shaped lid? Or a box with eqaul sized bottom and lid?

As for the end grain, that's another area I'm thinking about. I used splines in the edge miters of the sides and was going to use contrasting color splines in the final version.(that's why the contrasting filler appealed to me) The end pieces have rabbets that fit into the side pieces. Trying to get the side miters, the hexagon angles, the rabbets to all work at one time and then adding another set of miters sounds pretty challenging. I am giving some thought to the end grain but haven't solved it yet.

[John Coloccia]

"...cut the box on the miter line..."

Cutting the box in this manner will reduce the problem but it will also make for a very shallow box with a very deep lid. Cutting the pieces prior to glueing up is a good idea. Tape them back together as "johnny" suggested and then cut the pieces to final size. But the more I think about it, if I were making this box, I would glue up the ends with four "sides" to form the box and then glue the last two sides together to make the lid, leaving the ends uncut...

David nailed it. If I were doing this, I would build the lid separately. Separating pieces after it's built is always a very fiddly operation and way too hard to get right, despite seeming like the easiest way to get matching parts. I would just make a new lid.

The band will look nice, though, if that's what you decide.

[John Schreiber]

Lots of good solutions above.

How about making a seven sided box with two or three sides unglued? I drew up this plan a while ago as a shoulder box for carving tools. It would be made with leather reinforcements and a strap. Haven't built it, but I might some day.

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[Noah Katz]

Yes, that is my thought. Just cut the box on the miter line and the top and bottom will match perfectly. Nice looking box. I like your idea I just may make one myself.

Cutting it in half is skipping two vertices, I meant just one.

[sean m. titmas]

How about making a seven sided box with two or three sides unglued? I drew up this plan a while ago as a shoulder box for carving tools. It would be made with leather reinforcements and a strap. Haven't built it, but I might some day.


That has been the best idea presented so far. With the leather straps added it will be one cool box. i will use your idea as an inspiration on my next box making weekend.

[Jim Rimmer]

Here's the latest on the hexagon box. I have had a h*** of a time making the lid fit. However, I learned a lot from this prototype and I guess that's what they are for. As you can see in the pic, I still didn't get the lid to fit right (gap on the end). I think on the final product I will leave the top side off during glue up and make a flat lid of that side. I need to increase the dimensions a little so that will give a 4 1/2" opening which my medium sized hand will fit in and the box is for a girl who should have small hands even when she's grown.

There are so many mistakes on this I hesitate to even post a pic, but I keep telling myself, it's a prototype, a learning experience.
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If anyone is considering a box like this here are some gotchas:
1. Pay attention to the grain orientation on the end pieces. I ended up with one horizontal and one vertical. (Easy to do when gluing six splined miter sides and the end pieces at the same time)
2. Be careful when cutting the grooves for the splines. Since the sides are mitered (angled?) don't get to close to the outer edge or you'll go through. (Guess how I know this? Only ruined one side, though)
3. Figure out some other way to make the lid.