How to cut a "thumb notch" in a sliding lid on a box

[jeffrey bailey]

I'm going to be making a number of boxes for a fellow craftsman. The boxes will have a sliding lid. I'm looking for ideas on the best way to cut a notch in the sliding lid for opening with your thumb. Any info is appreciated.

[Roger Newby]

Jig up at the needed angle and use a forstner bit in the drill press. You'll have to experiment a little to get the angle.

[Larry Copas]

I plunge cut on either the shaper or router table. Sharp tooling and a zero clearance face plate is required to avoid tear out. Plunge with the panel firmly against a stop.

This is the smallest notch I have a picture of but I've done smaller, especially on sliding lids.

372518

[Bill Graham]

If you're only going to be doing a few then I'd suggest a shallow gouge and do it by hand. If it's going to be an ongoing thing jig up for a machine. Just to add to the previous suggestions, you could do an inclined jig using a core box bit on a router.

[Bill Dufour]

something like a vertical panel raising bit on a shaper.

[Jim Finn]

I just use a 1/2" sanding drum on my Mastercarver. (A rotary tool like a Dremel). I use this on small box lids, (Hinged)

[Derek Cohen]

Two cuts: vertical bench chisel, then angled gouge chisel.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Berklich]

Two cuts: vertical bench chisel, then angled gouge chisel.

Regards from Perth

Derek


I follow Derek's method. Fast, easy, no set up, and if you have sharp tools then no sanding needed. You can do I in less than 1/2 the time it takes to set up a bit

[Steve Demuth]

Two cuts: vertical bench chisel, then angled gouge chisel.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I do similarly, although rather than use a chisel for the vertical, I use a small round cutting disc on a dremel to get a full-depth arc, and then use the gouge to create the channel to match that. Very fast, very simple. Sharp tools matter.

[Tom Wassack]

I'm going to be making a number of boxes for a fellow craftsman. The boxes will have a sliding lid. I'm looking for ideas on the best way to cut a notch in the sliding lid for opening with your thumb. Any info is appreciated.

Build a drill press jig to hold your lid at a very high angle and use a Forstner bit. I've built several sliding lid boxes with this method for opening the lid.

[John Sanford]

Other than Derek, y'all are overcomplicating it. You can do it using a Kreg HD Jig. Just do a very shallow cut. Might take a bit of experimenting to get the depth of cut right, and then you could go to town. You could do it with the regular Kreg Jig, but the thumbnotch may not be wide enough.

And if you want to go the expensive route, you could probably jig up a Domino and get a nice wide thumbnotch.

[Erik Christensen]

guys like derek take all the fun out of woodworking.... come up with a way to do is safer, faster, easier & better with just simple hand tools...... where is the tool budget going to end up with that kinda attitude....

[John Gornall]

I have a 3/4" chisel ground to a radius that matches a 3/4" gouge - push chisel in then gouge to complete