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52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

author-gravatar tkennedy521 Mar 24, 2017

I followed Matt Kenney's 52 box project, and had been toying with making one myself based on his design.  At some point I plan to make one of the larger boxes like #45 or #51, but I have other projects going on, so for the contest I have built Box 1, which is the same as 2, 7, and 8.  Just like the variations between those boxes, I used a different wood species and paint color, going with cumaru, and General Finishes Halcyon Blue for the lid.  In hindsight, the cumaru was difficult for such a small piece because of the interlocking grain, and I had problems with chipping on the miters, but I like the finished aesthetic.  The handle is ipe for some contrast, the lid is hard maple, and the bottom of the box is ash.  I initially used maple for the top because I was thinking of building box 10 which has an unpainted lid, but after getting it sized and applying some oil, I didn't love how it looked with the cumaru, so decided to paint it and do one of the other boxes as discussed above.  Looking at these pictures, I think I got my ratios off slightly, as my box looks a little taller than Matt's.  I was surprised when I started this to discover just how small his design is.  Below are a few more pictures of the finished box, and some in progress shots.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8
Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8
Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8
Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Took one with the flash because the bottom of the box wasn't showing up - milk painted the same as the lid.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Started with 5/4 cumaru about 8 inches long.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Resawed, planed to thickness, and then roughed the miters on the table saw.

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Fine tuned the miters with a jury-rigged 45 degree ramp on a shooting board.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Rabbeted both edges of the box components on the table saw to accept the lid and bottom.

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Tapped the insides since it would be difficult to remove excess glue once assembled.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Test fit of the maple lid. 

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Bottom out of ash would be painted - dark brown on the edges, and the same blue milk paint on the faces.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

I know on some of his boxes, Matt attached the handle after painting, and used little brads and epoxy, but I decided to just trace the shape with an x-acto knife on some blue tape.  

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Cleaning up the rabbets and miters with a paring chisel.

Photo of 52 Box Challenge Box 1/2/7/8

Wiped on Waterlox Original inside and out..

Thanks for reading! 

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