temporary suspension

I'm totally bummed about this, but due to my busy schedule with work, box construction has to be put on hold until next year. Sorry, guys and gals.

box 008

Sorry, people, with a demanding schedule at work, I barely have any time to make these boxes any more. Some people are not even going to get one, and so, I am going to be totally back-logged for the next two months until the crunch is over. Box 008 is the first to suffer this delay, and so is box 009, which it is in progress. It may take even longer because box 009's design is a little more challenging to make so as to suit the next recipient's more contemporary tastes.

w = 2-1/4"

h = 3"

d = 2-1/4"

box 007

I bought pre-cut strips of mahogany and walnut for this box. I wanted to try something uniform so there would be less mistakes. This didn't quite turn out the way I expected because the colors were not as contrasty as I originally intended.

w = 2-7/8"
h = 3-1/4"
d = 2-7/8"

box 006

The way this box was going, slow and ugly, I thought it was going to be a waste of time. I wasn't going to use any abalone on this box, but at the end, felt it needed something to give it some interest. Tried to use gold leaf on the inside, but that turned out to be a total fiasco, so went back to art paper instead.

w = 2-3/4"
h = 3"
d = 2-3/4

box 005

With the complexity of the last box, I wanted to go with a simpler design. I had this piece of pine with a wonderful grain pattern and wanted to use it at some point. This was a good chance to use it. I didn't want to break up the pattern, so I "wrapped" it around the sides with the seam on the back. This was also a good opportunity to try out some abalone inlays that a friend help me buy. I never worked with abalone before so I didn't know what to expect. Actually it turned out to be quite easy. The stuff sands fairly well along with the wood. I was afraid that it was going to be too hard. Other than some finishing issues, turned out pretty good, I think.

A friend wants to see the process for the creation of these boxes, so I try taking snap shots along the way, but forgot half way through, DOH! But I'll put up what I have.

Step 01: the concept sketch
The concept was, well, simple


Step 02: the gathering of materials
I got some Cherry wood from a friend and used a strip of nicely grained Pine. The Cherry wood strips were cut to the size of the Pine. The lid was also cut and Cherry wood strips to match.


Step 03: the gluing of stuff
Glue was applied to the main box strips and clamped together to dry over night.


Step 04: the cutting of stuff
After the glue's dry, the strip was put through the plainer for uniform flatness. Because I wanted the grain to wrap around the corners, a band saw was used to cut the four equal length pieces. This is because the band saw has a thinner blade than the table saw, and would take out less material so the corner joints match closer when assembled. The pieces were then double stick tapped together and the edges trimmed with a table saw. They were then taken apart and the corners were carefully cut at a 45 degrees on a 12" miter saw.


Step 05: the gluing of stuff, again
I forgot to take pictures of the abalone strips and the cutting of the bottom for the box, but they're pretty straight forward. The four pieces were glued together with the bottom of the box as a guide. A small channel was cut with a mini milling machine on all four sides and the abalone was glued in with superglue. Since I did not have a cutting bit narrow enough for the abalone, a bigger channel was cut, then the gap was filled in with a thin strip of pine as an accent color/border. At this point, I decided the bottom was too plain, so I cut an additional bottom and milled out a channel so it acts like a platform. The new bottom was then glued to the existing bottom.


Step 06: the sanding
Sanding comes after everything is dry. Sanding is boring. Sanding is messy. I do not like sanding. I usually use 80 grit, then to a finer 100 grit sand paper. This one required 320 for a smoother surface.


Step DOH!: no more pictures
Anyway, the majority of the work was done. The only things left were additional milling of a platform for the bottom. The assembly of the lid was strait forward, one piece of Pine with a Cherry wood border. The abalone dot was easily done with a drilled hole and superglue in. Sanding, sanding, and more sanding. Once it's all done, the interior and inside of the lid was covered with craft paper.

The finish on this box was a pain in the behind, due mainly me trying a water based clear finish. The wood soaked it up, raising the grain of the wood that I so painstakingly sanded smooth. Normally, that could be a nice affect, but not this time! I had to sand it smooth again...several times. I gave up and instead, used several coats of an oil based finish, then sanded the entire box with steel wool. As mentioned before, the final piece is always a little different from the initial concept.

These pictures were taken by a co-worker with a Canon digital SLR and a strobe flash setup. I think I'm going to have to get me a digital SLR, heh.

box 004

This box turned out to be a lot bigger and more detailed than first intended. What was going to be a simple black and tan, no frills box just kept getting more and more detailed as I worked on it. The original idea was just too plain. This is a good example of designing without a plan. It's like designing on a computer screen-too easily distracted and takes too much time searching around. But I'm pretty happy with the end result. Of course there's always mishaps and the only major one with this project was the breaking of one of the ebony pieces, which I used for the back. The break seam is totally visible. The next one is definitely going to be a lot simpler.

box 003

Murphy's Law says: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"

Yeah, this pretty much sums up the making of this box. Quite a fiasco, but somehow it got pulled together at the very last minute at three in the morning the day of it's departure.

The first thing that went wrong was when I had the brilliant idea of using an end mill cutter to to the shallow hole for one of the inlays. Things went horribly wrong as soon as the bit touch the surface of the box. With no counter sink on the bit, the cutting bit took the box right out from under my hand and gouged out several holes around it's intended location. Curses, I say! Okay, not a problem, I'll just mill out the area and veneer over it and make it look intentional - yeah, right. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

The second thing that went wrong was when I was clamping the box to the vise for the milling machine. I guess I didn't secure it evenly enough, for a nice "POP" came screaming from the box. The pressure of the vise caused three of the four corners to split open. My heart sank as the anger starts to rise from within! Damn it to hell! I say. I'm going to have to chuck this box into the bloody rubbish bin! But wait, if I did, all that work was for nothing! So, patiently, I squeeze what little glue I can into the cracks and clamped it back into shape for the glue to dry.

After milling away the first fiasco and patching it with a piece of wood veneer, I started on the milling of the feet. Since I didn't want to repeat the first fiasco, I tried to secure the box as much as possible without breaking it again. As soon as the cutting bit touch the box, it ripped it from the vice and bit away at the bottom edge like a mangy mutt! Cruses! Again! What the hell?! My patients is almost at an end and I'm getting freakin tired. After a few minutes of though, the only solution is to mill out the entire bottom area where the teeth marks were and make it look uniform. As a result, it actually didn't turn out too bad.

This series of unexpected events had actually made the box look more interesting than when it was first conceived. A coat of linseed oil over everything and it was of to bed. A second coat of linseed oil in the morning and it was finally done. I pray that this does not happen again on the next one.

box 002

This second box came out OK, I think. Red is the theme. Well close enough, anyway, hee, hee. I like the contrast in the color and values of the woods used. A dark brown flanking the deep red-orange, with a light separator. And finally try and make the inside precious? Ok,.....ok,.....more to cover up the butt ugly seams is more like it, hahahahaha. Let's see if the next one is any better:p Again, I like the ability to flip the lid over and use it as a platform for display, just like the first one.

box 001

Many moons ago I made a box as a gift.

Last month I make one for a friend. I had so much fun making it, that I've decided to make more boxes as gifts for family and friends.

These custom made boxes are experiments in value, contrast, form, and color, and are designed "on-the-fly" for they may, or may not resemble the initial concept sketchs that I do. I hope the people enjoy having them as much as I did making them:)