MEK Woodworks
  • Home
  • Store
  • 52 Boxes
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Blog
  • Teaching

Box 28

9/17/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
This style of box has been around for ages. The ends are rabbeted into the front and back. The joints are reinforced with pins. A liner keeps the lid in place. Honestly, I have no fondness for the design. But I was curious to see what I could do with these design details. Here is how I went about giving this well-traveled box design my own spin.

I started by picking the lumber. I have some quartersawn sycamore—well, it's really riftsawn, but it's nice—and decided to use it for the body. I like the hint of warm, earthy brown underlying the overall lightness of the wood. Cherry might have worked for the pins, lid, and bottom, but it's a very rich color, especially after oxidizing for a year or so. And it would eventually be too strong for the sycamore. So, no cherry. Instead, I went back to me favorite: apple. I had some shopsawn apple veneer that I knew would work for the top and bottom, and I just happened to have some apple pins sitting around, too. The apple's color is muted enough to compliment rather than contrast with the sycamore. And the apple's variated color is a good match for the multitude of hues in the sycamore. I sorted through the apple veneer and settle on this particular piece because of the small inclusion in the upper left corner and the three little knots in the lower right hand corner. These imperfections add interest to an otherwise calm piece of apple. And that's important, because both the sycamore and the apple are subdued otherwise.

After picking the woods to use, I next thought about whether or not to use any milk paint. Just kidding. Of course I was going to use milk paint. The actual questions: What color and where? My home-cooked green is a great match for apple and I thought it would go nicely with the sycamore, too. On the outside, I wanted the apple lid and subtle shimmer of the sycamore to predominate, so I only painted the edges of the top and bottom. This is in keeping with my belief that you should only use three woods/colors on a piece: a primaryThe inside of the box is a different story altogether. I like a nice pop of color when you open a box or cabinet. So, I painted the inside faces of the top and bottom and the liner. The darkness of the green stands out nicely against the sycamore body. The only thing I would have differently is to have not painted the inside face of the bottom. Instead, I would have glued a nice piece of fabric down. I have some great light-green fabric with lovely little flowers (I am not ashamed that I think of things like this, and I like flowers) on it that would have been awesome in this box. Alas, I remembered too late. The bottom was already glued in place.

I also thought a bit about the box's size. I wanted to make something bigger than the one's I've been making. I like the proportions. It's about 7 1/2 in. long and 3 1/2 in. wide. I think the sides are 3 in. tall, and the top and bottom are about 1/8 in. proud. Proportions are always important. 

Now, for a word from our sponsor, the good folks at Random Thoughts, Inc.
  1. The pins are 3/16 in. diameter. That's perhaps a bit too large. Smaller pins, say 1/8 in. diameter, would have given the box a better overall gentleness. A colleague at work said that this is a feminine box, and that it's her favorite so far. I doubt she reads this blog, but if she does, thank you. I'm pleased that the box has a strong identity.
  2. I've had this sycamore for quite a while, but never used it because I wasn't crazy about the grain. But I now see the board's strength. It's the color and chatoyance. However, I think in larger pieces it would work better as a secondary wood. It's a bit too precious and unsettled to be a primary wood.
  3. There's a good reason why the ends are rabbeted into the front and back. This allowed me to cut through rabbets for the top and bottom in all four sides. The rabbet for the ends is as deep as the rabbet for the top and bottom, so when you assemble the box, you don't see the top/bottom rabbets on the box's ends.
  4. On the off-chance that my colleague is reading: What's taters, precious?

Picture
Picture
6 Comments
Jerry Stark
9/18/2015 08:14:17 pm

...boil 'em and smash 'em and stick 'em into a stew...

Not the boxes, the taters.

Nice box. Paint details are perfect.

Reply
Matthew Kenney
9/18/2015 10:21:18 pm

Well, at least one person got it. Thanks for continuing to read, Jerry.

Reply
Liz
9/28/2015 03:09:17 pm

This is my favorite one.

Reply
Wade Naziri
10/9/2015 12:46:39 am

Love your choice of apple and sycamore. It is a excellent combination. I am beginning my search for a some nice sycamore.

Reply
Wade H
10/15/2015 05:12:24 pm

I love most of these little boxes, but where in the world do you find all this really cool wood. Down here in Texas I am lucky to find Maple or Walnut much less Apple or Sycamore.

Reply
Matt Kenney
10/15/2015 09:34:44 pm

Wade,

This is a very good question. The apple came from a tree that was cut down near a colleague at work. He was able to get all of the trunk before it was burnt. I ordered the Sycamore from a lumberyard in Annapolis, MD. I've ordered quite a bit of wood from around the country. Google the species you want and see what turns up. Call the yard, ask for photos of boards, etc. However, the best advice I can give you is to just get out, beat the ground, and get to know the folks in your area that sell wood. Check Craiglist, ask Woodmizer of the names of folks in your area that have a Woodmizer mill. It takes work, but you can find some great local woods by sniffing around. That's what I do. And finally, if you come across some good lumber, buy it.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I love furniture design, and smart techniques. This blog is about both.

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    October 2018
    July 2018
    October 2017
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    52 Boxes
    Box
    Design
    Kumiko
    Turning

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Store
  • 52 Boxes
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Blog
  • Teaching