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View Full Version : Help needed: 1/16” gap between box body and lid on one face only.


Will Mullendore
05-14-2023, 9:29 AM
When cutting the lid off this box, I somehow created a bow on only one side of the box body. The lid is flat and the other 3 faces mate up fine.

What are my options for fixing this?
Steve Engelschall
05-14-2023, 9:51 AM
I'd stick 80 grit sandpaper to something super-flat (I use a piece of granite slab left over from my kitchen counter installation). Scribble pencil around the top lip of the box body to measure progress. Then flip the box over and sand it on the slab until it's flat. That means you'll be taking 1/16" off the sides and back.
Andrew Hughes
05-14-2023, 10:44 AM
You did nothing wrong. The wood warped tension was released when the top was cut.
Tennessee aromatic cedar that box will smell great.
I use a hand plane when I have this happens
Good Luck
Will Mullendore
05-14-2023, 4:45 PM
Andrew, this was good to hear. I was kicking myself wondering where I went wrong.

I was able to flatten it out to an acceptable degree by sanding the top.
Tom Bender
05-20-2023, 6:59 AM
Glad you resolved it. Here's another option.

If that warped piece is, say 12" long and 3/8" thick, open the gap to 3/16" wide and 10" long. Glue in a piece of Ebony 3/16" x 10" x 1/2" and you have a lip to open the box.
Mike Henderson
05-20-2023, 11:08 PM
I'd stick 80 grit sandpaper to something super-flat (I use a piece of granite slab left over from my kitchen counter installation). Scribble pencil around the top lip of the box body to measure progress. Then flip the box over and sand it on the slab until it's flat. That means you'll be taking 1/16" off the sides and back.

I do the same thing. If you can get a big piece of sandpaper, such as part of a belt for one of those big belt sanders, it works well. You can run the box and top over a bigger area. A piece of MDF will be flat enough.

Also, for a way to open the top, I use a small piece of contrasting wood (maybe ebony) about 2 inches long. I curve the front and then inset it into the lid in the middle. You can see how I do that on this page (https://mikes-woodwork.com/BoxTutorial-2ndVersion-6.htm) of a tutorial I did on box making.

Mike