As some of you know, my sister has made it her life's work to make sure I get to heaven- fat chance!

 

This time, she has me making a tithe box and shelf for her minister's church. I worked with him thru emails and Sketchup drawings to get the approval on the design/materials/hardware.

 

 

 

The box is 1/2" thick birch and walnut stock with hand cut dovetails. Top and bottom are mounted in dados. The top is flush with the sides and the bottom is slightly recessed. The shelf is 3/4" birch plywood with shop made walnut edging. The hardware is a half mortised lock and a 110° stopped piano hinge. The minister has someone in the congregation do the finishing. The box is about 14" L x 7" W x 6" H.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did hit the walnut with mineral spirits to see what the grain would look like with finish-

 

Thanks for looking!

Edited October 20, 20178 yr by lew

Beautiful Lew.  You'll have a space in heaven based solely on the quality of your work.

Nice work! I'm sure Saint Peter will look favourably on your application!

John

I built one once & was requested to put a lock hasp on it to keep the kids out of it, much smaller than one shown, it was placed on Rememberence Table.

It also served as a prayer note box

Couple years later asked preacher what become of it.

He replied THEY GATHER IN A RING AROUND BUCKS BOX AND HAD PRAYER every Sunday nite.

that's beautiful Lew...

Great job Lew. That is some nice figure in the walnut.

Very nice.   I like the hand cut dove tail joinery.

Danl

That is beautiful, I hope that whoever does the finishing knows what they are doing...

Cal

Lew when I saw your drawings I thought yuk, another box!!!

 

Now that I have seen the results, that yuk turned into a class act.

 

They gonna be happy for sure!!!!!

 

Super nice

Superb, Lew.

Please share your lid panel process. It's neat. Like to copy that. 

6 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Please share your lid panel process.

 

I put a 1/4" dado around the inside perimeter of the box, 1/4" down from the top edge. Then made a rabbet around the outside of the lid panel, to fit the dado. The "depth" of the rabbet was 1/16" "deeper" than the depth of the dado. This created a shadow line around the panel between it and the sides. I did put a dab of glue, centered on the ends of the lid panel so it would stay in place keeping the shadow line consistent.  In the Sketchup drawing everything fits perfect. In the real box I undersized the lid rabbet just a skosh to allow for adjustments. The bottom panel was created in the same fashion except that the bottom dado started 5/16" up from the bottom. I felt this would provide a little clearance and help the box set better.

 

Hope that all makes sense!

Thanks, Lew. I like the shadow line effect. I'm thinking about doing the same...almost. Except, there'll be a contrasting strip in the groove/shadow line. Sorta framing the panel. My box is ebonized walnut and mesquite with a mesquite lid panel framed with maple. There'll be dovetail keys of maple in the corners. 

If my walnut was as pretty as yours, it wouldn't be ebonized. 

That board was one I had laid back for something special. Most of the board had just plain straight grain but one end was really figured. There was enough to do this box and make the bottom to the root turning.

Thanks for all of the kind comments!

 

@HandyDan Dan, Thanks!  Afraid it's going to take more than craftsmanship to get me thru the Pearly Gates!

 

@HARO50 John, Thanks! I think that page will be way in the back of the big thick folder!

 

@olbuck Thanks! Well, it was a prayer box!

 

@Stick486  Thank You, Stick!

 

@Gerald  Thanks, Gerald! Hope I have a couple more like in down in the wood shed.

 

@Danl  Thank You! I'm still trying to get better at the dovetails. I'd like to be able to get the pins thinner at the small point.

 

@clhyer Thanks, Cal! They have always done the finishing on the things I've made. Unfortunately, they very seldom send a picture of the completed job.

 

@Smallpatch Thank You! My sister is supposed to deliver it on Sunday. Hope to get some sort of reaction after that.

 

@Gene Howe Thanks! I forgot to mention that the slot was cut on the router table in 2 passes and then the ends squared up. I originally thought about using the hollow chisel mortiser but the wild grain made the wood very brittle and I didn't want to take a chance on chipping out the exit holes.

 

 

interesting thing about the concept of tithing - it was only mandated in the OT, never in the NT, and if you study the OT command, and do the math, it actually added up to about 24% a year on average.  there were two 10% tithes each year, another 10% tithe every 3rd year, as well as the command to leave fields not fully harvested (leave the corners and if you dropped it, you couldn't pick it up, so the poor could glean the fields for their own benefit and not starve).  in the NT, the only command is to be a joyful giver, and to give what you want.

Absolutely beautiful Lew. That is a gorgeous piece of Walnut.

 

Did you leave a place to add the card reader? 

2 minutes ago, John Moody said:

Did you leave a place to add the card reader? 

@DAB  I didn't pay too much attention in Sunday School and church. I hadn't even heard of the tithe thing until much later in life. We just put what we could in the offering plate.

 

@John Moody  Thanks John! That'll probably be in version 2.0!

Edited October 24, 20178 yr by lew

sad to say, it isn't taught or understood in most churches.  strictly an OT concept, but hijacked by lazy and ignorant pastors looking to fill the coffers thru intimidation.

Nice work sir! The priest with my daughters campus ministry program has commissioned me to build a baptismal font. They have a small chapel on campus and they aren't able to baptize converts or children because they do not have a font. I've been hashing over several concepts  for the design so far and have been drawing up examples to present to the priest. The hard part is that I have to try and fit it in with the existing alter furniture.  Sadly that looks like something off an 80's TV show.