OK, sounds a bit vague but as I'm making some of my 1st dovetail wooden boxes I'm left to wonder...assemble the box then apply finish, sand, apply finish....you get the idea. The tops and bottom pieces are being finished now before hand but I'm unsure about the box itself. I think it would be proper to glue the boxes together 1st hence the bottoms and tops being finished now but again it's only a guess. I made two styles of tops (no hinges on these) because I couldn't decide which I liked most.

 

In my mind I envision gluing the 4 sides after the bottom is ready and cleaning up the glue as best as possible. My intent is very light coat of Titebond II on both pins and tails then assemble. The bottom can float. These boxes are small with 3  dovetails each so drying fast shouldn't be an issue and they dry fit just fine.

 

These are made of cherry with 3/16" white oak bottoms and I cut circular handles fro the top made of soft maple. They are pictured simply sitting on the tops. I'm thinking I need to cut a shallow channel to glue the flat section onto the box. Following no plans but just as I go which I'm beginning to regret.......

 

So any advice on my missteps or better suggestions?

 

-Steve

 

My next set of boxes are going to be, I hope, half blind dovetails and a bit larger. Box joints I have down pat.  I really need the practice. I also should have mentioned that these are being made using my Incra LS Postioner on the table saw with the router extension. At this point I'm creating cheat sheets for the different joints possible as my memory has always been bad and I think it's getting worse.......not sure I can't remember.:)

Edited January 17, 20224 yr by sreilly24590

Nice looking boxes. Not sure if this is what you want but here goes. For any exposed joint I do sanding after assembly. There are so many thing that may need correction from glue to splits. If complex I would finish first but in this case a simple box not needed. IF you plan to finish inside do that before assembly.

My boxes are finished before any lining(s) are applied. Other than that, the finish schedule is like Gerald's.

Edited January 17, 20224 yr by Gene Howe

Good advice guys and I hadn't really thought of the inside which makes total sense. Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.

Gene, no liners on these. Just keeping the 1st ones simple for now.

 

Thanks

What @Gerald said about finishing after assembly. Especially with those types of joints. I use the tape method for the inside while glueing to avoid glue on the inside and finish after assembly. Most of my utility boxes are not finished on the inside. 
 

If your tops/bottoms fit into dados, finishing them before assembly will prevent exposed bare wood as they change size with humidity. 

+1 Inside before and outside after.  My boxes always need sanding after assembly for the best look.

Like the others I will apply finish to inside before assembly. I really like Lews point of running tape alongside the glue joint. When I apply poly around glued areas I look for glue that did not get removed. It shows what needs sanding again. 

Good advice guys and I hadn't really thought of the inside which makes total sense.

 

I think I understand the tape usage from the standpoint of say a mitered joint but how do you apply one on a dovetail joint? I don't recall ever seeing that before but anything that reduces/eliminates the chance of glue squeezing out and showing outside the joint is a good thing.

 

Gene, no liners on these. Just keeping the 1st ones simple for now.

 

Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.

 

At this point I only have 3 coats of satin finish on the top of the covers. I'm using those pointed triangular stands to support the pieces while they dry and using, for the 1st time since getting them many months ago, those shaped rubber Contour Sanding Pads like those. Really helped on the small round-over  edge on the other top.

 

Some new ground on this project and very productive. I used for the 1st time my Mega Flush Trim Router Bit which did a fantastic job and will get far more use in the near future when using templates (new to me). Using the Incra LS Positioner which I have installed on my SawStop table saw to do dovetails of different types. Several new cutters were used that I had previously gotten knowing I had these types of projects in the near future. I'm a huge fan of Whiteside bits and have been for years. Not saying they don't have some quality competition but they haven't let me down yet. I've had two bits break on me over the years and bother were very small diameter slot cutters. Either I was too deep or too fast when they broke and both time sit was my fault.

 

Besides my table saw, I'd have to say my router table is one of my most used tools and I have enjoyed it so much since building it.

 

1 hour ago, sreilly24590 said:

I think I understand the tape usage from the standpoint of say a mitered joint but how do you apply one on a dovetail joint? I don't recall ever seeing that before but anything that reduces/eliminates the chance of glue squeezing out and showing outside the joint is a good thing.

 

Here's an example on box joints but it also applies to other similar joinery-

https://www.woodsmith.com/article/gluing-box-joints-2/

 

 

Steve did you say what finish, clear or a color you will use on your boxes. Clear would be better if you have any glue residue on the surface of the wood. No matter how good you try to wash it off will not be good enough. Will you fill the gaps between the dove tails. If so get the closest to the color of the wood after it dries.

 A suggestion if using a color then apply it with an air brush or the smallest paint gun and thin it down where you are shooting mostly clear. Different woods blotches more so than the other so when I'm using a color I only use the air brush.

  The only way I can be sure I have removed all the glue that was on the surface of the wood is sanding sanding sanding.

  I buy 1 foot squares of felt from Walmart for the insides and you can install it after the boxes are completed. So this is not an issue. 

2 hours ago, lew said:

Here's an example on box joints but it also applies to other similar joinery-

https://www.woodsmith.com/article/gluing-box-joints-2/

 

 

Got it thanks! And I've seen that before but.....now printed out and ready for use as long as I don't forget where I put it....even on the workbench isn't always a good idea!