box making book

[Robert Trotter]

I am wanting to try making some boxes and I was looking for some inspiration and some technique / construction info, but I am a neander with none of the electric tools that seem to be used in books that I have read reviews for.

Does anyone have any recommendations for books focused toward hand tool woodworkers? Not an expert but not a beginner either. Just a beginner box maker so a few of the basics but some ideas and construction concepts for some of the more challenging box constructions would be nice.

Rob

[Steve Branam]

Sounds like a publishing opportunity!

[Brander Roullett]

I am a neander with none of the electric tools that seem to be used in books that I have read reviews for.

You know, I noticed that too. I'm wanting to make boxes as well, and all of the box making books want you to do mitered joints with the table saw.

It's not a how to book, but the book "Treasure Chests: The Legacy of Extraordinary Boxes" by Lon Schleining is quite inspirational.

There is one of the Roy Underhill books, Woodwrights Apprentice (a neander must have anyway) has a chapter on Jefferson's Book Boxes, and a Sailors Sea Chest that are great training for building boxes. I believe there is also another box/chest in there as well.

You can also de-construct the concept of a box into joints, and build it that way. There are plenty of books on joinery, and you can dovetail the sides and rabbet the bottom, and voila BOX!

I agree on the frustration of reading books that have subjects you want, but they are exclusively power tool oriented, there is a book on Civil War woodworking with projects that is all power tool. I like some of the things in the book, but they were built WITHOUT power tools originally. Why on earth would a re creationist focused on accuracy, build all the stuff with power tools? sigh.

Badger

[Gary Hodgin]

Robert,
I have a couple of books on box making that seem to be pretty good. I really haven't used a plan from either but that's simply because I haven't had the opportunity. You might find a better price somewhere else.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005037/5705/The-Complete-Illustrated-Guide-to-Box-Making.aspx

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003367/2543/BoxMaking-Basics.aspx

Gary

[Brander Roullett]

Robert,
I have a couple of books on box making that seem to be pretty good.

Are they neanderthal friendly? :)

[Tony Shea]

The Taunton's version of box making that I just preveiwed seemed to be somewhat neander friendly. But this was after I did the preview therefore only saw a few pages.

This thread is very timely as I just recently have been looking around at some box making books as I am going to be making one with my girlfriend for her mother. Mostly done with handtools other than dimensioning the stock. It will be dovetailed with a raised panel lid. The inspiration is from Krenov and his jewelry box in a Cabinetmaker's Notebook.

[Gary Hodgin]

Are they neanderthal friendly? :)

Brander,
Unsurprisingly, I can't find the Taunton Book by Doug Stowe right now, but did fine my copy of Box-Making Basics by David Freedman. As best I can remember the Stowe book discusses and illustrates more neanderthal teachniques than Freedman.
Freedman's book consists of six chapters: Basics of Box Making, Mitered Boxes with one-piece lids, Boxes with decorative lids, Boxes with slot hinges, Boxes with pin hinges, and Boxes with butt hinges. Chapter 1 (Basics of Box Making) is about design, stock prep and selection, and finishing. The remaining chapters have a section on techniques and one on projects. Three projects in each chapter. The techniques section uses almost entirely non-neanderthal, but it's pretty easy to see how neanderthal techniques could be applied. (handsaw vs tablesaw, miter box vs CMS, hand plane vs planer, and so on)
Gary

[Robert Trotter]

THanks for the replies, I will check things out.

Maybe I'll just have to get a good book with how things go together and some inspirational pics and as stated just think about how to do things by hand.

Rob

[Rob Young]

I can't think of any particular book that would have all that you need.

For design inspiration Doug Stowe's book is as good as any but he does rely on the tablesaw for much of his stock prep and quite a bit of the joinery.

However if you stop to think about what it is he is doing with the tablesaw it isn't too hard to think of ways to do all these things "by hand".

Cutting miters by hand isn't tough. Building a shooting board and miter accessories isn't tough. Grooves, dados and rabbets aren't hard either. Just takes a little thinking.

Cutting splines into a mitered joint isn't tough either. You can do a single saw kerf with a sharp saw and use veneers at first. Then work up to cutting two kerfs chiseling out between. I can think of some jig designs that are mostly references surfaces for guiding the saw plate or chisel flat to help. They might require some creative clamping or perhaps temporary gluing (hey, hide glue opportunity!).

If it doesn't offend your delicate sensibilities, consider a transitional approach. Pick one of Doug's box designs (or anybody's, or your own, just need a starting point) and see how many operations you can move from power- to hand tool. Don't try to do all of it, maybe half or 2/3. Then start working out how to port over any other operation of technique.

Then write "the book". :)

[AJ Hamler]

Hi Brander...

First, thanks for buying my book!

As I stated in the first chapter of "Civil War Woodworking," my point for the book was not to teach traditional woodworking methods and the use of old tools. There are plenty of books on that subject already, but at the time I was writing the book there were none at all on re-creating Civil War objects. (Now, there's only one. <g>)

Rather, I wrote the book to make accurately re-creating these items accessible to the largest number of people. Proficient hand-tool skills and 19th-century woodworking techniques are something few people possess, especially among the reenactors who are the main audience for the book. On the other hand, most reenactors and just about every woodworker out there have access to -- and skill using -- power tools.

To combine both subjects -- plans for accurately creating Civil War reproductions and a tutorial for 19th-century hand tool techniques and skills -- would have required a book double the size of what it was. That was not an option.

Instead, I focused the book on ways that most reenactors, and any woodworker interested in the subject, could get the projects done accurately and quickly. To that end, I also discussed in the book ways to hide the fact that modern power tools were being used (such as removing planer marks and sanding swirls). Also, for every project in the book I insist that only period-correct hardware and finishes be used, and I included sources for these. Further, for a couple unusual 19th-century techniques not commonly found in woodworking books -- such as riveting furniture -- I do include instructions.

In short, the book wasn't about using hand tools -- which I stated in the first chapter -- but rather about making the projects accessible. If you bought the book expecting it to focus on hand tools, I feel bad about that and I sincerely apologize. I'm just finishing up a second volume of the book which will be out next year, and I plan to go over the first chapter carefully so that message is clearer than it was in the first one.

A.J.