First Attempt at a Lidded Box

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Well I really learned a bunch on this one! I followed the instructions I read in one of the turning books I bought. I took pains to try and get a good quality product. I probably should have left it on the lathe to put finish on it but I let my anxiousness get the best of me and I took it off. I'd sure welcome any advice on how it should be finished and anything you see that could be improved. For me, the opportunity to grow is a much greater value than praise. Thanks,

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Chris..............as I'm a new turner I haven't tried a box yet. Still need to buy a couple of scrapers and a bowl gouge.

But.......that being said...........your first box looks great to me!

[John Miliunas]

Chris, that's an awesome first attempt!!! Really! :) Finish??? Sand to @220, put some BLO on it, let it soak, wipe off excess. Once cured, put some shellac (brush or squirt) or squirt some lacquer on it and let it cure. Buff it out and she'll look great! :) :cool:

[Pete Jordan]

Chris, that's an awesome first attempt!!! Really! :) Finish??? Sand to @220, put some BLO on it, let it soak, wipe off excess. Once cured, put some shellac (brush or squirt) or squirt some lacquer on it and let it cure. Buff it out and she'll look great! :) :cool:
John,

What is BLO?

Pete

[Don Baer]

Boiled Linseed Oil


Greta looking box

[John Miliunas]

Yeah, what Don said! :D It really helps to bring the grain and figuring out. :) :cool:

[Michael Stafford]

Christopher, I agree, a wonderful first box. I also agree that it is easier to finish on the lathe. My suggestion would be to use BLO or Danish oil or a mixture of BLO and varnish thinned down to wiping consistency. Brush it on, let it soak in and wipe it off. Repeat until you are satisfied. Buff it till you get a nice shine.

My only criticism would be that the finial/handle is a little overwhelming. It look too large for the box. But my first box is compost as I blew it up on the lathe. The next will be better so go turn another.:D

[Christopher K. Hartley]

My only criticism would be that the finial/handle is a little overwhelming. It look too large for the box.

Do you mean the knob on top of the lid? I had wondered if I made it a little big.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Christopher that is a great looking box. Great work on your first try.

[Mark Cothren]

Looks great, Christopher! Very nice first box!

Thanks for the pictures!

[John Hart]

Beats out my first box....which was only a few weeks ago. Way to go Christopher!

[Ernie Nyvall]

I probably should have left it on the lathe to put finish on it but I let my anxiousness get the best of me and I took it off.

:D :D I think a few have done this... I know I have.:o

I've never done a box though and yours looks good to me. Nice job.

Ernie

[Corey Hallagan]

Ahhh, cool, kind of a bottle look hiding in a box. At first I thought it was like a weed pot with the top and then I see the lid off. Cool. Was this a green piece of wood or dry?

Corey

[Dennis Peacock]

Do you mean the knob on top of the lid? I had wondered if I made it a little big.

Chris,

Yes....the finial needs to be smaller as the size of the box compared to the size of the finial makes the finial appear to be really large.

Over all? Nice 1st turned box. You did really well on this and give it another spin..!!!:D

[Michael Stafford]

Christopher, the knob (turners tend to call them finials or handles) looks disproportionately large when you compare it to the rest of the box. Take a stroll through the perfume section of a nice department store and look at the bottles and their handles. I almost always look in the perfume department for inspiration. Sometimes I find it and sometimes I come home with knots on my head for looking too closely.

I did not mean it as a harsh criticism, just a design suggestion. Again I would have been pleased had my first box been anywhere near that good.;)

[Keith Burns]

For a first box you did very well indeed.:) I'll have to agree with the others about the finial/knob not fitting the overall form of the box. Creating the right size of finial comes with practice. All of this from someone who has never turned a box:eek:

[Don Baer]

The Finial is just right but the box is too small..;)

[Tim Beauregard]

Howdy,

Whatcha gonna do with it? When I first got my lathe I bought a chuck and did something similar, but without all that finial stuff. Just basic hollowing. I call it a ring box, but it's really just a dust collector under the lathe table.

Looks good to me.
Tim B.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Ahhh, cool, kind of a bottle look hiding in a box. At first I thought it was like a weed pot with the top and then I see the lid off. Cool. Was this a green piece of wood or dry?

Corey It was green

[Christopher K. Hartley]

The Finial is just right but the box is too small..;)

I needed a bigger branch

[Don Baer]

It was green

Well today is St. Paddey's day after all.

[Dennis Peacock]

The Finial is just right but the box is too small..;)

Woo-Hoo..!!!!!! Way to look at it Don!!!!! :D

[Andy Hoyt]

Christopher - Just glue the two halves back together, and you'll have a segmented Cell Phone Bonker. Pretty sure that would win at least two of the 347 categories that have been established thus far.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Christopher - Just glue the two halves back together, and you'll have a segmented Cell Phone Bonker.

Aah come on Andy, let me git the simple stuff first. Ya'll know that glue stuff is for the pros. Ya mention glue and I'm sit'n here like a calf stare'n at a new gate. Make'er simple, like eatin a big bole (the trunk of a tree) of chocolate ice cream..and strawberry for ya'll.

[Jim Becker]

Nice job, Christopher!

[Keith Burns]

Aah come on Andy, let me git the simple stuff first. Ya'll know that glue stuff is for the pros. Ya mention glue and I'm sit'n here like a calf stare'n at a new gate. Make'er simple, like eatin a big bole (the trunk of a tree) of chocolate ice cream..and strawberry for ya'll.

You know what holds the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream together don't ya'.....................GLUE

[Andy Hoyt]

Keith is right - but to be more correct they use Neapolitan Glue (type VI) to hold everything in place. This is a variant of Type III Spumoni Glue.

[Jim Dunn]

Very nice Chris.

[Jim Davenport]

Great job. I don't about form, "finials from spinials", I think it looks great.