Boxes?

[Carole Valentine]

Tenon in the top or bottom? Is it just a matter of preference? Haven't tried a box yet, but I'm getting itchy to try one.

[Jim Dunn]

Carole I'm not prolific, terrific, or any good for that matter but I just turned it with a tennon turned on both ends then parted it and hollowed out the bottom then the top. See my post on the opps of turning the lid. Maybe after seeing this you'll want to wait on somebody else to tutor you:)

Jim

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

The way I was taught was Tenon on both ends, Part off the top.
Turn the inside of the top and finish inside.
Turn the inside of the bottom, finish and adjust the lip so lid fits TIGHT. Shape the outside, part off the tenon on the top and finish outside.
Part off bottom and finish as necessary.

You're done.:D

Piece of cake.:cool:

Bruce;)

[Pat Salter]

Carole, Bruce has the right of it. If you have AAW's American Woodturner summer 05 issue, there is a good article in there by Alan Lacer. Also I bought Richard Raffin's book on making boxes after watching the video. Excellent read. there are a lot of pictures of differant shapes etc.

[Bill Stevener]

I donoo, the way I am reading Carols question, as the word "in" is used, as to not the word "on".

I would think, it's as to the way one would like it. I have turned some where the top fits into the bottom, and others where the the top fits over the bottom. Could be just the mood your in ????? Then again weather or not one is going to hollow the top ????

Make sense, :confused:

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Gary DeWitt]

Just saw Alan Lacer demo turning a box today at our turning club. He said historically, most of the time the tennon is in the bottom, but he had seen it both ways in antique turnings, and felt it was a matter of personal taste. The one he turned had the tennon in the bottom.
I havn't turned many boxes, but to my mind, when you take off the top, wouldn't it be better to see the bottom without the distracting tennon?

[Michael Stafford]

I don't know if you are asking the question about where the lid and body of the box overlap or whether you are talking about the tenons that you use to turn the top and bottom with.

I will assume you are talking about the overlap at the flange where the lid and body meet. I make them with the lid overlapping a flange on the body of the box. You can make them the other way around I suppose. I have made simpler boxes that had infitting lids as opposed to overfitting ones.

I agree with Pat that buying Richard Raffan's book on "Turning Boxes" is a great investment. I learned how to turn boxes from his book.

[John Hart]

As a non-terrific turner, I can only voice my view on structure. I would think that the tenon on the bottom half would be preferable, in that a box has stuff in it. example: If you filled it with sand and then tried to push a Lid-based tenon on the box, it would have to push the sand out of the way. With a tenon on the bottom, you could fill to the brim with sand and the lid would just fit over that brim.

As a prolific turner, I'd just make every possible configuration without concern for which way is right and then post all of them, all the while, labeling all my finishing steps while they cured on the microwave and various other countertops in the kitchen.:D

[Carole Valentine]

As a non-terrific turner, I can only voice my view on structure. I would think that the tenon on the bottom half would be preferable, in that a box has stuff in it. example: If you filled it with sand and then tried to push a Lid-based tenon on the box, it would have to push the sand out of the way. With a tenon on the bottom, you could fill to the brim with sand and the lid would just fit over that brim.

As a prolific turner, I'd just make every possible configuration without concern for which way is right and then post all of them, all the while, labeling all my finishing steps while they cured on the microwave and various other countertops in the kitchen.:D

John, apparently you and I both look at things from the standpoint of function, cause that is exactly what I was thinking! Tenon on the bottom it is! This is going to be a case of just winging it since I have no books, videos or back issues of mags to study. But then that seems to be the way I do most things.:D Oh, BTW...I am starting to like the "no-finish" finish, but then I guess all that fine sanding and burnishing IS a finish, isn't it?

[Curt Fuller]

Carole, here's a link to Chris Wright's box turning method. Pretty straight forward way to do it.

http://turnwood.net/projects/how_to_turn_boxes.htm