Urn boxes for the cats

[Brett Luna]

We have three cats who departed us over the last several years and a while back, my wife asked if I could make urn boxes for them to replace the tins provided by the cremation service. The project was then delayed by making a box for a friend’s dog and then one for our own dog. I recently bought the Incra iBox jig I’d been eyeballing for a while and decided to put it to use on these boxes.

Rather than inter the ashes through the bottom, as with the previous boxes, I decided to fit these with sliding lids. Each has a contrasting lid of different wood species: canary, zebra, and leopard wood. The top finger joint slots at the rear of the boxes received an insert to match the lid. I think I’ll keep the finish simple: a couple of coats of thinned seal coat, followed by paste wax.

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[Art Mann]

Nice boxes. Was the iBox jig as good as you hoped it would be?

[Jim Becker]

Those are really beautiful!

[Brett Luna]

Thank you both.

Was the iBox jig as good as you hoped it would be?

Every bit as good. After some test cuts, I achieved perfectly fitted joints. However, with it's all metal construction, I was a bit nervous running it on my SawStop. During setup, I checked clearances several times. I should have check once more. I mis-adjusted a material support and barely nicked it on the next pass, tripping the brake on a new Forrest finger joint blade set. Several minutes of therapeutic cursing ensued. I'll be sending the blades in for repair. At that cost, it's a mistake I won't make again for lack of checking.

[Keith Westfall]

Did one for a friend for their little dog...
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Cherry with some walnut trim. Top comes off to be glued on later.

[Ron Citerone]

Really pretty stuff there. Thanks for sharing.

[Nick Decker]

Thank you both.



Every bit as good. After some test cuts, I achieved perfectly fitted joints. However, with it's all metal construction, I was a bit nervous running it on my SawStop. During setup, I checked clearances several times. I should have check once more. I mis-adjusted a material support and barely nicked it on the next pass, tripping the brake on a new Forrest finger joint blade set. Several minutes of therapeutic cursing ensued. I'll be sending the blades in for repair. At that cost, it's a mistake I won't make again for lack of checking.

Very nice, Brett. I've been using the I-box for a while now, but only with the router table so far. Probably a little slower than the table saw, but still excellent results. I've been thinking about switching it over to my SawStop, but have been reluctant because of just what happened to you. Anyway, I really like how you incorporated those lids.

[Dave Lewis]

Verry nice.

Simple but elegant.