First box/project

[Marc Lapointe]

Well first project in a very long time (35 years or so) is finally complete without a day to spare for Mother's Day. Carribean Rosewood with African Mahogany and Spanish Cedar inside. Learned a lot and luckily most of my mistakes are hidden! Welcome any comments that would help me along.

[Greg Peterson]

35 year hiatus? And you pull a stunt like this? Have you no shame?

I give up. I'm just going to sell all my stuff and become a worm farmer.

Stunning. Beautiful design and apparently a spectacular execution. Great job!

[Marc Lapointe]

35 year hiatus? And you pull a stunt like this? Have you no shame?

I give up. I'm just going to sell all my stuff and become a worm farmer.

Stunning. Beautiful design and apparently a spectacular execution. Great job!

Thanks Greg. I can't take much credit for the design as I lurked on these forums and the web for some time getting ideas and learning what I needed. Took what I liked and put it together. Wish I could remember all who I should thank but there are several Creekers who helped me along especially Howie who got me past a trouble spot with the finish.

[Jim Rimmer]

Great project...and apparently no rust on the skills after 35 years.

[Von Bickley]

Marc,

GREAT looking box...... :)

[gary Zimmel]

Nice work on the box, very nice work
Looks like you haven't lost the touch Marc...

[Eiji Fuller]

That is one super cute box. I really like the design with the rounded sides.

One thing I find annoying about WWing forums is all accolades and no constructive feedback. So here's mine. these are just my thoughts please dont take them personally

I would have liked to see the lid handle with an angle or rounded to match the side.

The dovetail splines look a little off with the rounding of the sides. maybe straight splines would look better?

the finish needs work.

Overall a lovely box well executed.

[Marc Lapointe]

I would have liked to see the lid handle with an angle or rounded to match the side.

The dovetail splines look a little off with the rounding of the sides. maybe straight splines would look better?

the finish needs work.

Overall a lovely box well executed.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the comments. I won't even get into the trouble I had with this finish so not surprised by your comment there. I will say that the last box I made was in Cub Scouts so I over stepped my capabilities with this project and I would expect you pros would see many issues with this but the wife loves it so life is good. :D

Marc

[Dennis Lopeman]

At least you made it by MothersDay! I have a box project I was trying to complete, too, but did NOT make it! I still need to get the lid on, sand, finish, etc! Oh well

Nice box, BTW!

[Dennis Lopeman]

and never mind those critiques!! I think you did a good job, after 35 years of not doing anything else!!!

I like the inner box organizers, with that little handle! I think I will steal that idea, OK?! :D

[Marc Lapointe]

and never mind those critiques!! I think you did a good job, after 35 years of not doing anything else!!!

I like the inner box organizers, with that little handle! I think I will steal that idea, OK?! :D

Go for it! Might not be able to tell by the pics but I took an orbital sander and used just the edge at an angle to 'indent' both sides so when it is grabbed, it is like a 'handle'.

Marc

[Dennis Lopeman]

Thanks! I love sanding things to shape. It's almost like carving. My ShopSmith sanddisk can make quick work of things, too. I recently got the conical sanding wheel - I haven't tried it yet, but it is suppose to be able to sand without swirl marks!! Maybe I'll try it tonight, since I need to fix my box lid.

I made my box lid before my carcass... yeah - I little backwards, but it's how I tend to do things. My Lid had the "important" pieces of wood in it, so I wanted to design the box around it. I suppose you will see that, once I get around to posting pix of it.

Well - thanks - hope to see you grow to please these guys and see more of your work!!! (BTW - These guys are for the most part GREAT and really only want to help US become better!)

[Dennis Lopeman]

OH - I guess I really ought to say something about the critisisms... I didn't mean that we should not welcome them... I CERTAINLY do... I for one won't be offended.

and @Greg - there's decent money in worm farming. I have a friend who is a nurse who had her worm farm on the side. She sells the leftover casting for gardeners, too! She just expanded and just about tripled her size and production. She's a big time DIYer, too! I love ppl like that.

[Marc Lapointe]

OH - I guess I really ought to say something about the critisisms... I didn't mean that we should not welcome them... I CERTAINLY do... I for one won't be offended.

I welcome the criticism as it's really the only way I'll get better because from what I've been reading, the crit comes with a tip to do it right. Besides, I can only take so much from my father-in-law, new sources are always welcome;)

[Bill Wyko]

I realy like the curved sides, the DT's would work a little better for my tase if they were through DT's. The handle on the tray is a very nice touch. The handle for the lid is a main attraction, you want to be as pleasing to the eye as possible.
You've done a great job, especially being out of it so long. I look forward to your future pieces.

[Van Huskey]

Very nice box! Amazing after taking 35 years off!!!

[John Keeton]

Beautiful combination of woods, and you did a fantastic job on this piece - particularly being away from woodworking for that long. Great re-entry!!

[Marc Lapointe]

I realy like the curved sides, the DT's would work a little better for my tase if they were through DT's. The handle on the tray is a very nice touch. The handle for the lid is a main attraction, you want to be as pleasing to the eye as possible.
You've done a great job, especially being out of it so long. I look forward to your future pieces.

Bill,
I'll show my ignorance here a bit but what do you mean by "through DTs". A DT joint as opposed to splines?

[Dennis Lopeman]

DT = DoveTails

So in this case; through dove tails...

Did you do Splines or do the KeHoe Jig thing: http://www.dovetailspline.com/

From the picture angle it's hard to see.

[Marc Lapointe]

DT = DoveTails

So in this case; through dove tails...

Did you do Splines or do the KeHoe Jig thing: http://www.dovetailspline.com/

From the picture angle it's hard to see.

I built my own jig to hold the box at 45 degree to the router table and ran the whole thing through to cut the dovetail spline slots prior to rounding the sides. I rounded the sides by running it through the table saw at three different angles moving the fence an 1/8 after each cut. Sanded the edges from the cuts to complete the 'roundness'. Might be an easier way but it worked out in the end. If I do it again, I think I'd add a 4th cut at another angle to minimize the sanding.

[Dennis Lopeman]

Watch the video on that site - the link I put above - maybe that will give you some other ideas on how to knock those out faster and more efficiently.

[Mark Valsi]

very nice.

about criticism. I love the negative criticism, because it helps me to improve, and I know there is a lot of room for that in my work !