Sorted through a stack of resawn scraps...found 4 that might just work to make a small box with.

.

One I could cut in half to make the box's ends..

Once I had planed it flat, that is...

All 4 needed a little bit of plane work...

was finally able to see what kind of a box these will make..

 

maybe try to get the grain to wave all the way around?

 

been doing a lot of dovetails, lately..so..how about something a bit different?

Involves using a chisel to lay the joints out..

A square to help carry the marks around to the other sides of a board..

Chisel is a 6mm wide mortise chisel...turns out, that the spacings will leave a double finger...maybe use that to saw a lid free from this box?

Another layout tool..

Marking gauge..to mark out the baseline...set to the thickness of the boards in use...next...a marking knife to make a knife wall to start the chisel's chops..

Then, set one board aside, for now, set the other board a bit low in the vise...

And grab a saw...

And make a few cuts..

You can also see the knife wall.  Ok, set up to do some chopping..

I have a 3/4" thick  piece of plywood ( to save my bench from the chisels) and after deciding which will be the outside face...make a few chops..maybe 1/2 way down, leave a little front porch for support...then flip the board over...

And complete the chops...careful, them little squares tend to fly straight back at you...

 

Will use this to lay out the matching fingers...

 

Right now, the Boss has errands she wants to run..NOW!

 

Stay tuned for part 2...

Great start!  Looks like the new camera is working really good, too!

And we're back!...writer's block...

 

Ok, laid out the matching fingers..

Just as before...with a few problems...forgot to mark which face was the inside....2) unlike the first set of cuts, where it did not matter whether I left the lines, split the lines or cut the lines.....for the matching finger to...match up, I need to leave the lines, and cut on the waste side of the lines...here?    Hmmm, not happy

 

So, thought it through a bit better, and SLOWER...fingers on the end piece can be turned around, and be used on the next corner....while I cut new fingers to better match #1 corner...Better tracing?

Yes, this is for Corner #4...was too busy to take a photo of #1

So...after some cussing, sawing and none too gentle chopping...

Getting better....so that by the time I get #3 done..

I might be getting the hang of these things...

Which leaves one more to do...for the next day's follies...Corner #4..

When you NEED a mallet to drive these together....should be tight enough...

Hmmm....first finger on the left...not deep enough...2 on the right are a hair too deep..have to even them out a bit...

That should do...and a supply of cauls, to boot...clear the deck for action!...

had to go and buy a new supply of those Acid Shop Brushes at Harbor Freight...bag of 36...#1 is laying there, waiting on the glue to be spread..

 

I also cut a couple spacers, to keep the middle from bowing in...and the cauls on the ends...

Were NOT suppose to sit ON the fingers, but in between the rows of fingers..

 

Forest of Clamps  ( say THAT in French?)

Might be enough clamps?    Nah..never have too many clamps..

 

Have to let this sit a day....maybe see about a top and bottom panel?

Hmmm, panel for the bottom of the box will need a wee bit of work?   Need to trim both panels to fit the fit...once the box is out of the clamps, cleaned up, and checked for square...

Which will happen today.  Stay tuned...

9 hours ago, steven newman said:

Forest of Clamps  ( say THAT in French?)

 

Forêt de pinces 

 Clamps of a feather flock together . . . 

In the wild, clamps group among their own kind . . . 

18 hours ago, steven newman said:

So...after some cussing, sawing and none too gentle chopping...

I have found that some strategically placed, creative cursing is practically essential in any type of joinery. 

I think it was Charles Neil that said: "sometimes the creative process requires the use of foul language", and I've found that to be true many times.

1/2 the clamps were removed, today...

Since nothing creaked, cracked nor popped...guess it is safe to remove the rest?

Looks like it will need a bit of cleaning up....into the bench vise it goes...

Between the Stanley No.3, Type 11 and the beltsanders...

Had to be careful around the fingers....finally got to the lid..

And the bottom of the box....My fingertips would tell me when each side, end and lid panels were cleaned and smooth...Time to cut the lid free..

Marking gauge to strike a cut line, all the way around...darken the lines with the pencil, and the square...

Something like this...Trying to split that fat finger..the box's, NOT mine

Then the No. 68 dovetail saw was used to saw the ends, first..THEN Old No. 4..

The 3rd cut to connect the first two cuts...then flip this over, to cut the other side....except...

To prevent the 4th cut from getting stuck...a shim was added to keep things apart....enough to complete the cut..

And, you WILL feel it when the cut is done....as the saw will stop. 

Will not need much clean-up...needs the hardware installed..

And a finish..of some sort..

 

Stay tuned...might get this done by Saturday?...

4 hours ago, steven newman said:

Since nothing creaked, cracked nor popped...guess it is safe to remove the rest?

I wish I could say the same. That was just getting out of the chair.

Had some gaps to fix..

And, Paul Sellers  likes to use a plane..

To try and level things out...time to install some hardware..

And a few tools to use.  had a Visitor in the shop, though..

About the size of a quarter...8 legs, black and fuzzy, with a large white spot on the back...was NOT welcome.

 

1st hinge...

Box is held in the vise, so things won't shift around on me...Eggbeater has the pilot hole drill...2nd hinge?

Then turn the box over...

And install a latch...and make sure it works..

Then something for the ends?

one for each end.   those black lines are called "Spalt Lines" 

So, just have to apply a finish of some sort..

Need to clean up a few spots....was trying to get a good match-up with all the grain patterns...

 

Stay tuned..

Brushes have been bought, and one put to use..

Front view...

Around the left corner, was trying to get the grain to flow around all 4 sides..

Got a bit tricky, around in back..

Came close?

Handle details?

One coat of Witch's Brew...let this sit a day..then a few coats of Amber Shellac, 1 pound cut....then we'll see how this looks...

 

Stay tuned....

14 hours ago, steven newman said:

About the size of a quarter...8 legs, black and fuzzy, with a large white spot on the back

A jumping spider. Non-venomous. 

 

Love the way it came out. If it sat out in a barn for 20 years, and had older hardware, it could look 200 years old! Nice trick, making the box and then cutting it. I was wondering about the double-wide "fat" finger  But now I know 

I love these Box threads.  Thanks for your lengthy photo documentation!

 

We had a box project for our Workshop One (beginners) class.  It seemed like just a box, but in fact was a sneaky way to teach the students several tools, several classic corner joints, several processes, how to put in a bottom, etc..   22 steps from rough wood to finished box.  In fact I'll challenge the box makers here to make their own Joinery Box, which is not about a box.  That blog post is long winded, but includes photos of a few student made boxes.  Adding some CNC carving to it is optional, although that was required for our students. 

4D

Ya' did good, real good on the grain match Bandit. Some classy looking grain too. As always well done!

 Two in one month.  

 I'm still sorting through my reclaimed lumber stash to see if I've got enough to make a small komputator cart. 

Wait, What!  Didn't you just start this yesterday! Nice work!

Really nice box there, Bandit. Ya got that grain to flow nicely,  too.

What did you do to/with Boris? (Anyone needing the reference, Google The Who and Boris the spider)

Great job. Love the grain

16 hours ago, Artie said:

What did you do to/with Boris? (Anyone needing the reference, Google The Who and Boris the spider)

I think Bandit's Boris got squashed. He must've fired Igor so, he had to do it by his own self. Oh, the drama in the dungeon. 

All buffed out, and ready to go..

And around in back..

Looking down the length of the top...

Yes, the insides are finished..just not varnished...

Calling this little box Done.