Making boxes.

[Chippygeoff]

I have a couple of questions concerning boxes. Its going into the unknown that prompts me to ask as I have never done anything like this before. I shall be making small boxes, like jewellery boxes. Some will be made with a dovetail jig and some using a half lap joint. I was wonding if it is okay to cut the lid from the box using a sliding mitre saw, which will mean flipping the box over for the second cut.

My second question concerns money boxes. I have spend hours on the net trying to loacate the stoppers to go in the bottom, just cant find anything suitable.

 

[longinthetooth]

Parting lids with SMS is unsafe. You'd need a holding device for the body of the box to keep fingers away, but then imagine the parted lid ricocheting anywhere ...

Bandsaw.

 

[Baldhead]

You can use your router with a thin bit to part the lid from the box, set the cutter just short of the depth of the wood and finish the cut with a fine saw, then sand the edges.

Check out the post by Dalboy in the scrollsaw section of this site, it's named Money Boxes, he has made a few money boxes with WIP pictures.

HTH

BH

 

[custard]

You can use your router with a thin bit to part the lid from the box, set the cutter just short of the depth of the wood and finish the cut with a fine saw, then sand the edges.

That's the way I do it too. I've used narrow router bits (2 or 3mm) and also a 1.5mm grooving blade in a router like this,

http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Onl ... r_134.html

In either case I set it so that the cutter just failed to break through the wood, leaving about 0.25mm-0.50mm. I then carefully cut through that with a stanley knife and sand it smooth by sticking some 240 grit sandpaper to a length of MDF which gives a flat reference surface. Andrew Crawford covers the technique very clearly in his books.

 

[powertools]

With regards to the stoppers you need a packaging supplier who sells the plastic end caps for cardboard tubes.
They come in many sizes.

 

[Chippygeoff]

Many thanks guys for all the advice. I never thought of using the router table to part the lids and it just so happened that I recently bought one so will give it a go.

 

[devonwoody]

I have used four methods in the past, tablesaw, bandsaw, router, and last week a plough plane, but would never use the mitre saw you mentioned.

All the above methods need thought and safety in mind, leave some to be sawn off by hand is my comment on the subject.