Dovetailed Condiments Box/Lazy Susan Thingy WIP

[ByronBlack]

As practice for hand-dovetailing, I've devised a little project. I'm making up a spinning box of condiment holders for the dining table.

There will be four small maple dovetailed boxes inside one large brazilian mahogany box that will sit on a revolving platform so that everyone at the table can reach the salt/pepper vinegar, sauce etc..

It's really just a way to practice hand-skills, and to test out my little bandsaw.

Pics:

Planing boards to thickness using router mating and a freshly installed end-stop for the workbench:

Cross-cutting the parts to size using a ryoba and a stanley plastic mitre-box

Shooting the parts to square

Enough pieces for four small boxes. The maple came from a re-sawn guitar neck blank.

Dovetailing:

Dozuki

Parts cut:

Two boxes finished:

In the last pic, I've experimented a bit with the number and size of pins and tails. I'll finish the other two boxes off over the next two evenings and will start work on the larger brazilian mahogany container body during the weekend.

So far all work apart from resawing on the bandsaw has been done by hand, and has has taken about 8 hours or so (which includes re-sharpning and honing the new blades and chisels etc..) It's been immensely fun so far.

 

[Matt_S]

Looking good, and very neat dovetails.

I like the left one with more more tails. Will you do all four different?

 

[Matt_S]

Looking good, and very neat dovetails.

I like the left one with more more tails. Will you do all four different?

 

[ByronBlack]

Hi Matt,

Yes, each box will probably be a little different as I experiment with the size and number of pins/tails, but when they are all together in the container box, you won't see the differenent joins - it'll only be something that will be noticed when the smaller boxes are pulled out.

 

[WoodAddict]

Looking good BB. Nice dovetails.

 

[Chems]

You really have gone all hand tool! Where's the lazy susan?

 

[ByronBlack]

You really have gone all hand tool! Where's the lazy susan?

Hand Tools are the future!

I've yet to do the lazy susan part, that'll be the last bit of the project - I'm currently unsure how to make it. I was thinking of using either a threaded rod or a dowel, but not sure of the best way to go about it. Any idea's at this stage would be appreciated.

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I like the 4 pin 3 tail box on the right.
You can get lazy susan bearings. or get a cheap one from Ikea and strip it down http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/?query=lazy+susan £5.99!


Pete, who has a sister called susan :wink:

 

[Benchwayze]

You really have gone all hand tool! Where's the lazy susan?

Hand Tools are the future!

I've yet to do the lazy susan part, that'll be the last bit of the project - I'm currently unsure how to make it. I was thinking of using either a threaded rod or a dowel, but not sure of the best way to go about it. Any idea's at this stage would be appreciated.

Byron,

Ball-bearings in a channel rotate well. Just need something to hold the boxes down to the base.

Just thought.. Even better. Buy a ball race from a motor spares shop. Araldite the centre part to the base, and the outer part to the bottom of the box. Needs care... but then so do hand-cut dovetails and you managed those ok!

(Where's the future?) :lol:

HTH
John

 

[flying haggis]

bearings

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Lazy-Susan-Bear ... 483a5233eb



or 10 of them if you get carried away

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-3-Lazy-Susan-B ... 483a5e9787

 

[OPJ]

Dovetails are looking very good. I also like the look of the left-hand box, with the smaller pins. Considering all the work done to hand-prep the timber initially and all those dovetails, I don't think eight-hours is too bad, really.

Look forward to seeing more progress.

 

[ByronBlack]

Here's the finished item:

I think it came out ok. The dovetails on the mahogany outer-box are much more accurate than those on the smaller maple boxes, but then they should by that time. All in all, there are 20 dovetail joints in this project, so it was a really good project to perfect some techniques.

I'm going to leave off the lazy susan part, and just plonk on the dining table.

I'm not sure what I'll use to finish this - perhaps just keep it simple with a danish oil.

 

[Benchwayze]

bearings

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Lazy-Susan-Bear ... 483a5233eb



or 10 of them if you get carried away

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-3-Lazy-Susan-B ... 483a5e9787

Never used these 'lazy-susans' but I take it they separate into two pieces for fitting?

 

[big soft moose]

Shooting the parts to square

.

looking at this i think you have your priorities backwards - you are supposed to use the nice highly figured wood for the box and the plain wood for the shoot, not tother way arround :lol:

 

[ByronBlack]

Shooting the parts to square

.

looking at this i think you have your priorities backwards - you are supposed to use the nice highly figured wood for the box and the plain wood for the shoot, not tother way arround :lol:

That was a gift (secret santa) that I received from a fellow forum member (Waka I believe) - it is lovely isn't it.