Ron Smith ... Richmond, VA
12-18-2003, 11:17 AM
My SIL asked if I could make her a box to store a bible in. The bible is from around 1800 and her father is giving it to her, but she has nowhere safe to keep it. It's 11' X 9" X 3 3/8" in size. I've never made a box before, except round ones on the lathe. So being adventurous, I enlisted my neighbor, Jim Guyton, to assist and coach me. He's a furniture builder, so he pointed me in the right directions.
Since this would be the first ever (I'll make her a better one as my skills improve) ... I made the case out of pine shelving board we had on hand. The top was a piece of oak we glued up. I learned how to cut dovetails and use the bisquit joiner. He next showed me how to use the planer on the top to get it uniform thickness and the shaper to do the half roundover on the top. He showed me how to slot the sides to let the bottom "float" instead of nailing it in place. Sanded all the pieces and dry fit. Then we glued up and clamped overnight. He showed me how to stain the case to match the top. A couple coats of Danish Oil and some antique brass hinges ... and TA DA ... finished, except for a clasp on the front. The final OS dimensions are 14" X 11" X 5". The IS dimensions are 12" X 9 1/2" X 3 5/8", so it ought to be snug. Thanks for looking.
Since this would be the first ever (I'll make her a better one as my skills improve) ... I made the case out of pine shelving board we had on hand. The top was a piece of oak we glued up. I learned how to cut dovetails and use the bisquit joiner. He next showed me how to use the planer on the top to get it uniform thickness and the shaper to do the half roundover on the top. He showed me how to slot the sides to let the bottom "float" instead of nailing it in place. Sanded all the pieces and dry fit. Then we glued up and clamped overnight. He showed me how to stain the case to match the top. A couple coats of Danish Oil and some antique brass hinges ... and TA DA ... finished, except for a clasp on the front. The final OS dimensions are 14" X 11" X 5". The IS dimensions are 12" X 9 1/2" X 3 5/8", so it ought to be snug. Thanks for looking.