The Butter Dish

[El Barto]

Now that I've got a proper workbench, I thought I'd better put it to use and for posterity, document it here. A while ago I watched the film Slow West. In it they return a couple of times to a butter dish and I thought, "I want to make one of them". So while my dish isn't going to be anything like the one in the film (mine is going to be a dovetail box), that's what inspired it. Below is a screen shot; maybe one day I'll make one of these too:

A few weeks ago Custard invited me over to his workshop to give me some tips and answer my many (probably inane) questions (thanks Custard). I told him about the butter dish idea and not only did he suggest I make it out of maple, he even gave me a couple of beautiful pieces to make it with. It really is stunning wood so I'm chuffed to be working with it, but also slightly nervous of messing it up. The photos here don't do it justice but I will make sure to get some that do.

Anyway, here's a rough sketch. Originally I wanted to make a recess of 2mm in the bottom to house a piece of stainless steel that could be removed for cleaning. I still plan to do this but haven't yet figured out how to cut said recess... I don't have a router, only a router plane.

I then mocked up a couple of versions...

With the dimensions decided on I set about cutting the maple to size. This proved much more difficult than I expected. The actual cutting was ok, but squaring the end grain on such thin material was very tricky, especially when trying to avoid spelching. In the end I used an offcut at the end - this allowed me to plane straight through and avoid any splitting. But if anyone has any other tips I'd love to hear 'em!

So in all, a slower start than I'd hoped due to the time consuming exercise of getting everything to size and square, but at least it is a start.

Next update in... the near future.

 

[gregmcateer]

Good on you for showing the WIP - Looks an interesting project.

I'm no joiner, so cannot advise on joints, techniques, etc.

One thing I would say though, is that the butter dish we have (and to the best of my memory, every one I've seen), tend to be a low-sided base, with the top being in effect an upturned box - that way, access to the butter is easy once the top is removed, rather than having to dig down into a relatively high-sided box - Not always easy with hard butter and likely to be messier to clean.

Just a thought.

 

[AndyT]

I'll be watching with interest. I too have had the privilege of visiting Custard's and coming away with some lovely wood which will feature on here soon. He's a very generous chap.

I'd use through dovetails on a piece like this. If you want to make it a little bit harder you could do the variant where you have a mitre joint on the last half pins/tails at the top.

If you want a removable stainless steel bottom, you could plough or saw a very narrow groove, and leave one end free so you can slide the bottom out. A lot like an upside down pencil box. If that's not clear, there's a whole series on YouTube by Steve Hay under the channel name of Woodworking Masterclass where he makes successively complicated pencil boxes, all with hand tools - they might help you with design ideas. Though I think Greg has a good point about a shallow dish with a deep lid.

 

[El Barto]

Thanks guys. Greg, you make a good point and I have considered that the butter might be a pain in the buttocks to access in a traditional box. But hey, it's going to be a present for my mum so she can deal with my poor design choices :twisted:

Andy, I really like that idea. Do you mean that the whole bottom of the box would be removable? So instead of having a traditional bottom fitted to the box, I'd instead have a removable steel one. Interesting... I will have to check out the videos you mentioned.

 

[AndyT]

What you can do is to have a little slip of wood glued or pinned to the sliding steel bit. If you imagine a whole box with a thin bottom in a groove all round, it's the bit beneath the bottom, at one end.

Here's a little box I made years ago to show the sort of thing I mean.

Swap the plywood for stainless steel and turn it upside down. Use your design of drop in lid.

This box just has plain mitres, glued with PVA.

Images Mod edit.

 

[El Barto]

Would the dovetails be cut the same both sides, but with the edge of one side slightly cut away to allow for the sliding bottom?

 

[AndyT]

This is the first picture I found of the sort of dovetails + mitre I mean.

(From http://www.jointselection.com )

Imagine a strip cut off, glued to the sliding part.

 

[El Barto]

Yeah through dovetails are what I was planning on doing. Not sure about the mitre though :?

Also, if a mitre was to be used, wouldn't cutting a strip off effect it in some way?

 

[AndyT]

The fit does become slightly less than theoretically perfect, but you use the finest saw you can, so the free play is minimised.

 

[El Barto]

Ok thanks Andy!

 

[TFrench]

PM me if you want the S/S sheet - if you pay the postage I'll send you a bit cut to size

 

[El Barto]

PM me if you want the S/S sheet - if you pay the postage I'll send you a bit cut to size

Wow thank you! I actually have a sheet of stainless ready to go but I might have to take you up on the offer if it's cut to size

 

[El Barto]

Hi dudes. Long time no speak. After what feels like a very long time (six months is pretty long), I finally have a workshop and room to make things. There's still a way to go to get everything moved in but it's coming along. Most of the mess is the work in progress of a campervan conversion I'm working on. But it'll be back to this poor forgotten butter dish before long. Now made easier with the help of a rickety old bandsaw. Hurrah.