hedgelayer
New member
And Smarthinges from Andrew Crawford if I am not mistaken.
Stock Dimensions for Making Boxes
- Thread starter LoftyDave
- Start date
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sometimewoodworker
Established Member
Thickness is all subjective, the construction and attention to detail is superb as is the finish, if you like the dimensions that is all that is relevant.
But if you actually want feedback, my opinion is that the sides are around 3 times thicker than looks good for a box of that size and the hinges would be suitable for the current thickness but too substantial for for the overall dimensions.
So a superb box that when shut looks fantastic and truly impressive skill in construction but a bit too Shrek like when open.
TheTiddles
Established Member
Ian Hawthorn’s similar but slightly different
Jacob
Pint of bass, porkpie, and packet of crisps please
It's a display box! It's for showing off the watch. I've seen similar where the box is basically a posh block of wood with a hole in it for a perfume bottle.
Blackswanwood
Still Learning
Hi @TheTiddles what is different about Ian’s hinges?
TheTiddles
Established Member
The knuckles are slightly different, there may be some other slight differences in dimensions.
Ian’s old design I don’t think is as good as his new one, which might explain why it’s the old one...
sometimewoodworker
Established Member
I am well aware of what it is and it’s purpose. As I said if the maker and intended user like it that is all that matters, it is beautifully made and probably beyond my skill level.
None of that changes my opinion about the wall thickness for a box of those dimensions.
in the past I have made boxes using similar thickness material that are probably 2 to 3 times larger and the sides still look too thick.
Please remember that the thread is about stock dimensions for making boxes. Structurally, depending on the material, for a box of that size you can almost certainly go down to 8mm or less but at under that thinness it may look too thin.
You can use almost any thickness you like but since today many people can only get S4S in certain thicknesses and they don’t have the ability or desire to change that you will often see boxes that are more substantial than looks as good as they could.
Arnold J
Member
Stick to the golden ratio. It is fundamental to our being ( even our DNA’s structure is built on it) the most beautiful things perceived by us (humans) are built from it
I think sticking to Golden ratios is both restrictive and it depends upon what you want the box is for. Thickness of sides needs to be in proportion to size but can also be limited by hardware etc. For small to medium jewellery boxes I wouldnt go thinner than 3/8" or 9mm and at teh other end a blanket box might be 3/4 to 1" or 20 to 25mm. Best approach is to try a few. Also remember if veneering you will be adding around 1.5mm
Jacob
Pint of bass, porkpie, and packet of crisps please
Nice idea but completely untrue! https://www.fastcompany.com/3044877/the-golden-ratio-designs-biggest-myth
Arnold J
Member
Oh dear!
It is so easy to prove or disprove anything with a quick search on the old interweb.
sometimewoodworker
Established Member
A point to remember is that historically the dovetail was not a display joint. If you look at items over 150~200 years old no dovetails show on display surfaces and the fit of most dovetails are not perfect. Yes you can find better/perfect fitting ones on some drawer boxes and in some really high end furniture, but most are rather crude by today’s standards.
The display dovetail is either machine made or a time consuming joint.
This is not meant to discourage you from using them and certainly your fence will make them less difficult but don’t get sucked into the belief that you must get to a place where making perfect dovetails is easy. If you like the look good great. If they are too difficult, don’t sweat it, there are many different joints available.
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Jacob
Pint of bass, porkpie, and packet of crisps please
Go on then - prove it!
ovenpaa
Established Member
Regarding proportions and dimensions I draw it. I use a CAD package called Sketchup which has a very usable free version and I just draw/design and see how it looks, if the proportions are wrong to my eyes I change it. The actual package is very easy to use, it makes it extremely easy to change things and once dimensioned is a handy reference that can be printed out multiple times in case you spill coffee on it, the dog steals it, wood gets stuck to it, the wife tidies it up etc.
