Wood Magazine: Making Great Boxes
Think inside the box! It’s amazing how many ways the experts at Wood® magazine find to make the seemingly simple and always popular box durable, useful, and attractive. Just look at the appealing photos showcasing a bevy of bandsawn boxes, boxes with exquisite marquetry, lovely luminary boxes, and many more to inspire the woodworker. Here are the ABCs of box making, all replete with pictures and diagrams, and with breathtaking techniques aplenty. Transform functional side joints into...
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Try a myriad of ways to handcraft boxes of all sizes and shapes, from "A Whale of a Container" to an "Aspen-leaf Treasure Chest." Not only are these sturdy, functional projects perfect for storing keepsakes, they are also highly decorative. Along the way, you'll learn marquetry, how to weather shiny new copper, intricate inlay work, and more as you implement one great design after another.You'll discover intriguing joinery that gives your boxes the look of craftsmanship while adding strength. One example? Corner keys, which are small pieces of wood in various shapes that fit snugly into routed miter-joint key ways. When you view simple-to-make corner keys of different shapes from either side of the joint, they give the appearance of box, dovetail, or finger joints.You'll use veneers to turn basic box designs into eye-catching ones while concealing common but stable particleboard, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), or plywood that make up the sides and lid. After applying this technique, you'll be the only one to know what lies beneath. Try it yourself by constructing a keepsake box featuring a veneer of madrone burl banded by inlay on the lid, or use some other veneer more to your liking. Make imaginative boxes from a single piece of wood on the bandsaw. The "Sweetheart Jewelry Box," for instance, consists of a bandsawn lid and trays that swivel open and closed, while "A Cottontail That Flips Out" is a rabbit-shaped container with a top that "flips" out-opens up-to reveal tidy storage space inside.In all, you'll find more than three-dozen outstanding projects to choose from, ranging from utilitarian to downright fanciful. Do you need a smart-looking box to hold and protect your tools? The Arts and Crafts-style chest would be perfect because it has felt-lined drawers. And what could be more practical than a snack dispenser with a fold-away nutcracker attached to the side and bottom of the box? Whatever your choice, you'll spend quality time in the shop creating these attractive designs. Library Journal Boxes can be more than mere containersâ they can be beautiful pieces of art. The editors of Wood® Magazinepresent a wide array of wooden box projects, including small puzzle boxes, jewelry boxes, and a cabinet. They present lots of great exploded-view instructions and templates, offering variety in the styles, tools, and techniques used. Sometimes the photographs don't sell the project well, but for the most part, the illustrations are clear. There is a great section on creating a copper patina for a box lid. This book assumes basic woodworking skills and knowledge of tool use, so there is no handholding. But with a lovely selection of box projects for all skill levels, it is recommended for all woodworking collections.
\ Library JournalBoxes can be more than mere containers—they can be beautiful pieces of art. The editors of Wood® Magazinepresent a wide array of wooden box projects, including small puzzle boxes, jewelry boxes, and a cabinet. They present lots of great exploded-view instructions and templates, offering variety in the styles, tools, and techniques used. Sometimes the photographs don't sell the project well, but for the most part, the illustrations are clear. There is a great section on creating a copper patina for a box lid. This book assumes basic woodworking skills and knowledge of tool use, so there is no handholding. But with a lovely selection of box projects for all skill levels, it is recommended for all woodworking collections.\ \ \
