I only make scrolled boxes and have never made a regular box.  My husband seems to think I have to make box joints.  I am not a box joint kind of gal, so I have avoided regular boxes like the plague.  lol  

The recipients of the wine box made the actual box because I didn't want to scroll the box due to it's height which would have required multiple layers stacked one on top of the other. It sounded like a headache so I turned them down.  They wanted the personalized lid so badly they made the box themselves.  lol  

My question, if I were to just glue up the sides of a regular box say the size of the wine box (14 1/2 inches long x 4 13/16 inches wide x 5 inches high) would it be strong enough to stay together?  We have some kind of a box joint jig, but I have never used it, and we have a router which I have trouble controlling it.  

Are there any simple ways to make a regular box?  Any tips on getting the box square?  Any tips on clamping the box?  We do have a brad gun and other pieces of equipment I don't know the name of and never use.  So if you suggest a particular piece of equipment, unbeknownst to me, we might have it.

Any help would be appreciated.  

SQ

---

Happiness is wood chips flying!

As I'm sure you are aware, there are a great many joints used to make boxes. 

The simplest is just a butt joint with nails or screws...glue is optional.

Then there's the mitered corner box. Pretty much need a table saw or hand saw, plane and a shooting board for that one. It's a nice clean joint and, for a small box, glue and clamps will suffice. There are a myriad of ways to embellish and strengthen the miter joint. Splines within the joint, feathers across the joint, and dovetail keys, to just name a few. 

Then there is the dovetail joint. Elegant, easy to make by hand (tedious, requires sharp tools and a good eye) or with a router. But not being a box joint kinda gal, dovetails wouldn't be your thing, either. 

There's probably 2 dozen or more additional ways to join wood to make boxes and maybe 3 times that number of methods. 

For wine boxes, my choice would be finger joints. Resembles a box joint only a lot daintier. Requires a router in a table and finger joint bit, some study and (at first) nerves of steel. 

CAUTION! Once you embark on box making, there  is no turning back! It's an addiction with no hope of recovery.

---

Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Gene,

Thank you for the information and warning.  lol  I will check out finger joints.   I am determined to make the entire wine box next time.  

Thanks again,

SQ

Gene Howe said:

As I'm sure you are aware, there are a great many joints used to make boxes. 

The simplest is just a butt joint with nails or screws...glue is optional.

Then there's the mitered corner box. Pretty much need a table saw or hand saw, plane and a shooting board for that one. It's a nice clean joint and, for a small box, glue and clamps will suffice. There are a myriad of ways to embellish and strengthen the miter joint. Splines within the joint, feathers across the joint, and dovetail keys, to just name a few. 

Then there is the dovetail joint. Elegant, easy to make by hand (tedious, requires sharp tools and a good eye) or with a router. But not being a box joint kinda gal, dovetails wouldn't be your thing, either. 

There's probably 2 dozen or more additional ways to join wood to make boxes and maybe 3 times that number of methods. 

For wine boxes, my choice would be finger joints. Resembles a box joint only a lot daintier. Requires a router in a table and finger joint bit, some study and (at first) nerves of steel. 

CAUTION! Once you embark on box making, there  is no turning back! It's an addiction with no hope of recovery.

---

Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Depending on the thickness of the wood you could use pocket screws.

Sue, you can certainly butt joint the box ends together, for a box that is used as a table top item, a simple butt joint is sufficient. If your going to use the butt joint (simply gluing the corners together) you should smear a little glue on the end grain boards and let it dry for a few minutes until it forms a haze, then you can proceed to apply glue on both pieces and clamp. Pre-treating the end grain in this manner assures that when you go to the final glue up, the glue doesn't soak into the end grain and leave the joint dry.  So yes, the simplest form of joinery, the butt joint, has a place, and for a simple box that sits on a table top this is sufficient.

You can add a little more strength to that simple butt joint, after it is all glued up and set, you can drill small holes in the corners in order to insert some dowels in the holes, now you have a doweled joint, and when planed and sanded flush it looks wonderful. You can see in the photo of my chair, that doweled joinery has it's place.

Doweled joinery is time tested and works very well.

You can also screw your corners together, be sure to counter sink the screws deep enough that you can add wood plugs to cover the screws.

Now you say you have a box joint jig, can you please take a picture of it post it here, or tell us what make and model it is and we just might have one ourselves. And I am thinking selfishly, this might make a great video for us to produce showing the use of the jig.

Now for the bottom of the box, again a simple surface to surface glue up is sufficient. You could glue up a bottom panel right to the bottom of your sides, use a nice contrasting wood and I am assuming your using all solid wood for this. You know how to make nice lids obviously so this should be the funnest part for you!

I am really interested in what jig you have in your possession, so lets see what you got.

Let me know if any terminology I have spoke is foreign, and let me know if anything I have said is not clear.

We can do this Sue!

---

John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

What about something different like turning a segmented cylinder with a turned cap?

This is how I do a quick and dirty locking joint. You only need to use the table saw. No special jigs.

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-cut-a-lock-joint/index.html

Lew

Lots of good suggestions so far. Another good joint for boxes is the locking rabbit joint. Very similar to the one Lewis suggested. The difference is both piece can be ran flat on the table if you find it intimidating to stand a box side on end. 

John,

Your information was clear and concise - thank you!  The butt joint sounds simple enough but apparently they are not that strong.  The doweled joint has more strength and looks good.   Using screws instead of the dowels and using a plug seems easy enough.  I'm confident I can master any of those.  

We have a box jig made from Woodsmith and a dove tail jig.  Pictures attached.  I am aware that the box jig is used on the table saw, and the dove tail is used with a router.  All I can find on the Woodsmith box jig is kit # 4502 658.  I have never used a router.  I can use a table saw.    I'm thinking the box jig would be the easiest to learn I've not used the router.  A video on how to operate the jig would be a huge help.  

SQ

John Morris said:

Sue, you can certainly butt joint the box ends together, for a box that is used as a table top item, a simple butt joint is sufficient. If your going to use the butt joint (simply gluing the corners together) you should smear a little glue on the end grain boards and let it dry for a few minutes until it forms a haze, then you can proceed to apply glue on both pieces and clamp. Pre-treating the end grain in this manner assures that when you go to the final glue up, the glue doesn't soak into the end grain and leave the joint dry.  So yes, the simplest form of joinery, the butt joint, has a place, and for a simple box that sits on a table top this is sufficient.

You can add a little more strength to that simple butt joint, after it is all glued up and set, you can drill small holes in the corners in order to insert some dowels in the holes, now you have a doweled joint, and when planed and sanded flush it looks wonderful. You can see in the photo of my chair, that doweled joinery has it's place.

Doweled joinery is time tested and works very well.

You can also screw your corners together, be sure to counter sink the screws deep enough that you can add wood plugs to cover the screws.

Now you say you have a box joint jig, can you please take a picture of it post it here, or tell us what make and model it is and we just might have one ourselves. And I am thinking selfishly, this might make a great video for us to produce showing the use of the jig.

Now for the bottom of the box, again a simple surface to surface glue up is sufficient. You could glue up a bottom panel right to the bottom of your sides, use a nice contrasting wood and I am assuming your using all solid wood for this. You know how to make nice lids obviously so this should be the funnest part for you!

I am really interested in what jig you have in your possession, so lets see what you got.

Let me know if any terminology I have spoke is foreign, and let me know if anything I have said is not clear.

We can do this Sue!

---

John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Mike,

Appreciate the information.  I goggled that term and I would need to buy a pocket hole jig, it appears.  I will keep that in mind.

SA

Mike Dillen said:

Depending on the thickness of the wood you could use pocket screws.

Mike,

That could be beautiful.  I haven't tried a turned cap.  That's a thought.  

SQ

Mike Dillen said:

What about something different like turning a segmented cylinder with a turned cap?

Lewis,

Good information.  

SQ

Lewis Kauffman said:

This is how I do a quick and dirty locking joint. You only need to use the table saw. No special jigs.

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-cut-a-lock-joint/index.html

Lew

Mike,

I looked up pocket screws and it sounds like I would need a pocket hole jig.  I already have two jigs I don't know how to use.   

SQ

Mike Dillen said:

Depending on the thickness of the wood you could use pocket screws.

The kitchen drawers in my 20 year old kitchen that I just replace had butt joints, glue and nails. None of them had failed. The down side is if the joints are highly visible you see the end grain.

Richard,

That's very clever.  Thanks for the info. Yes, agreed very similar to the locking joint.  Appreciate the information

SQ

Richard McComas said:

Lots of good suggestions so far. Another good joint for boxes is the locking rabbit joint. Very similar to the one Lewis suggested. The difference is both piece can be ran flat on the table if you find it intimidating to stand a box side on end. 

I have always been a little box phobic myself but I tried the locking rabbet method mentioned above and my boxes came out well the first time. I don't know what your material is but hardwoods and good plywood and even MDF should work. All you need is a table saw, glue and some clamps: no fancy jigs needed.

Bruce

Lew,

I really like this joint. I use it for drawer boxes because of it's strength and simplicity. I make them on the router table, though. Using a Shopsmith with a SawTrain has it's disadvantages. One of which is changing blades. The router table is always ready to go.

Lewis Kauffman said:

This is how I do a quick and dirty locking joint. You only need to use the table saw. No special jigs.

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-cut-a-lock-joint/index.html

Lew

Something I have been kicking around in the back of my head is making a box "Log Cabin Style".  Rip strips of wood 3/8" to 1/2" thick and glue them edge to edge.  As long as you cut the wood at the same time, they should all be the same height and width and would fit well. You could also use contrasting species.  This would be a way fo making "finger joints" without all the measuring.  When the glue has set, sand the ends flush on a belt sander.  The bottom could also be strips...

 

About 30 years ago, I made plant stands in a similar way - except instead of stacking tight on all four sides I had alternating strips of wood and open.  The legs were glued vertically in the outside corners.  Out of the dozen or so I made, the only one I know where it is today is at my Mother-In-Laws.  If I can get by there soon I'll post a pic.

 

Back about 20 years ago when I made Cedar Hope Chests, I used my table saw with an adjustable carbide dado blade and used rabbit joints on the ends, then used #6x1 self tapping wood screws to hold them together along with a bead of wod glue. Then I would rip a piece of scrap cedar and use the plug cutter in the drill press and make matching plugs to cover the screw heads and then sand em down flush. Looks great too. I made over 200 sedar chests. I was doing them in an assembly line form. I would cut all the pieces to make a dozen ata time.

Tom,

You just gave me an idea. Thanks. It's so rare I get one.

If two different widths were used and the sticks were alternated, a gap the size of 1/2 the differences in width could be incorporated. With some cogitation, (a lot, in my case) graduated gap sizes could be obtained. 

Gotta give this some more thought. 

Thanks again, Tom!

Tom Clifton said:

Something I have been kicking around in the back of my head is making a box "Log Cabin Style".  Rip strips of wood 3/8" to 1/2" thick and glue them edge to edge.  As long as you cut the wood at the same time, they should all be the same height and width and would fit well. You could also use contrasting species.  This would be a way fo making "finger joints" without all the measuring.  When the glue has set, sand the ends flush on a belt sander.  The bottom could also be strips...

 

About 30 years ago, I made plant stands in a similar way - except instead of stacking tight on all four sides I had alternating strips of wood and open.  The legs were glued vertically in the outside corners.  Out of the dozen or so I made, the only one I know where it is today is at my Mother-In-Laws.  If I can get by there soon I'll post a pic.