Pen box

[Ikisumu]

This box is already some 4-5 years old. I picked it up yesterday, waxed it and decided to take some pictures. I have made these kind of boxes of various styles more than 30 but less than 50 different. Most of them are given away as presents.

It is mainly routed with the aid of jigs. (I had a small Makita for 19 years serving me well, and it got finally KIA. Rest in peace.)

The order of make was to stack the squared blocks of zebrano and jatoba and sawing the curves through both of them with a bandsaw. I switched the center pieces and glued them together, including a slice of mahogany veneer in each joint, to compensate the loss of wood by the saw kerf.

I squared the pieces again, and routed the fingerjoints. I decided to add that piece of walnut in the middle, and glued all the pieces together.

Then I squared it again, and cutted the lid part off with a bandsaw, and smoothed the mating surfaces. Then I fitted them back together as accurately as possible to connect the joint lines run smoothly again, clamped them together and routed grooves for those sliding guides. I routed the box cavity by using a self-made template I had plenty of different sizes and types in stock.

I fitted and glued the sliding guides so that at first I turned the box and lid upside down, lid against tabletop. I placed 10mm thick spacer blocks inbetween the lid and the box. That way I could clamp the guides with one clamp extending from end to end of the box. This way they were forced to be positioned pretty much perfectly so, that when I cleaned the excess dried glue, the box closed so tightly that not even a hair couldn't fit in between the lid and the box. (Since then it has twisted a little bit, and the fit is no more that precise.)

I had now a working box "template" looking like a colourful block of wood. From now on I could do any kind of freeforming for the outer surfaces. Here, I deciced to just round the corners like that. I used block plane for the endgrain, scraped the rest of the surfaces, oiled the box lightly and after a couple of weeks I sanded it smooth with a 0000 steel wool and cleaned the residues with pressurized air. Then I waxed it.

I did not do much for the interior, just scraped off some larger prints left by the router.

Samu

 

[jameslee30]

looks great. Clever use of router and bandsaw

 

[wizer]

Aesthetically does nothing for me, but really appreciate the work and skill involved. =D>

 

[Ikisumu]

Thank you very much, you are very kind.

At that point I had some routing practice behind me already. And it was relatively sound way to spend some scrap pieces instead of burning them in the fireplace.

Here is a couple of more. They are made pretty much the same way. The one is a bit more conventional and the other is...not. I guess some boredom towards the subject can already be seen with the other one.

Samu

 

[Einari Rystykaemmen]

Nice work, Sumu. 8)

My daughter starts school this autumn, so she needs a penbox and you gave me some ideas how to do it... :wink:

 

[Blister]

Wow

I like these lots , very well made and good designs

I am impressed

 

[Ikisumu]

Thank you very much, guys.

There was no design template in use, only basic templates. Well I used three different rectangular templates to make the cavity for the latter one, but I believe that does not count yet.

I have a reason to believe that some professional designers are often following the same rule I did: If finished far enough, it will sell. Hehe.

Nice work, Sumu. 8)

My daughter starts school this autumn, so she needs a penbox and you gave me some ideas how to do it... :wink:

Nice to see you around here too, ER. 8)

Are you sure she will accept the woodwork by her loving dad over Hello Kitty? My daughter certainly did not. It's a kind of fact of life for fathers exclusively.

To make a more resilient pen box for the school in that particular style, you should maybe add some rabbeting at the inner edges of the lid, to sink it in the cavity a bit. It gives then some support for the cavity side walls. Otherwise they may get squeezed in the schoolbag. You could then make the walls thinner, too, reducing the weight and bulk of the box.

However, sliding lid pen box is still one of the best designs in wooden penboxes. The lid needs to open quite a much to drop off the contents, the design is sturdy and if made of woods like air-dried beech, hornbeam or some tough exotic, it takes a lot of abuse before it gives in. I have one of those made by my grandfather, and it has seen a lot.

Samu

 

[Einari Rystykaemmen]

Nice to see you around here too, ER. 8)

Indeed, nice to see some familiar "face" around here. :wink:

Are you sure she will accept the woodwork by her loving dad over Hello Kitty? My daughter certainly did not. It's a kind of fact of life for fathers exclusively.

That would be probably my destiny also, but I decided to try anyway... If your prediction will come true, my wife needs new penbox also. :lol:

To make a more resilient pen box for the school in that particular style, you should maybe add some rabbeting at the inner edges of the lid, to sink it in the cavity a bit. It gives then some support for the cavity side walls. Otherwise they may get squeezed in the schoolbag. You could then make the walls thinner, too, reducing the weight and bulk of the box.

However, sliding lid pen box is still one of the best designs in wooden penboxes. The lid needs to open quite a much to drop off the contents, the design is sturdy and if made of woods like air-dried beech, hornbeam or some tough exotic, it takes a lot of abuse before it gives in. I have one of those made by my grandfather, and it has seen a lot.

That is true and I will first go for traditional sliding lid penbox with little bit different approach. I will route the rabbet of inner edges for the lid with dovetail bit (upper side narrower than lower). Then I route lid's edge to match box rabbet for clean and nice sliding. That would add some mechanical strenght also when box is squeezed. I have some nice piece of very dry scandinavian birch for that project ready. With carefully chosen finishing, wood expanding/shrinking should stay minimal.

Cheers!
ER

 

[maltrout512]

Nice to see some boundaries being pushed..... Nice work.

 

[mike-reid]

beautiful designs. i really like these
do you mind if i follow the theme a little?

 

[Ikisumu]

Thank You guys for your nice words.

You may certainly apply the theme as much as you want.

Samu