Box 3

5/7/2015

Vertical grain Douglas fir, snow white milk paint

This box is a bit funky because the drawer opens from both ends. It's made from a wonderful, 10 in. wide piece of vertical grain Douglas fir. Given how tight the grain is, I'm guessing it's old growth. I found the piece in a small lumberyard near my house. (Boards like it are why I drop into lumberyards on a whim and look around for hours.) Vertical grain Douglas fir is one of my favorite woods. It has a very modern feel to it.

I love the concept for this box: a drawer that slides out at both ends. I also like the feet, and that the box has a modern feel to it. That could be all that I like. The snow white milk paint turned out to have much less variation in color than other colors of milk paint that I've worked with, so it doesn't read as painted wood. I'm also bummed that I didn't get the box's proportions right. It should be shorter and wider. Finally, I should have gone with miters instead of dovetails. The box is too small for dovetails. They just crowd up the place, and interrupt the flow of the fir's grain. But that's the way it goes sometimes. I'll definitely revisit this idea after I've had time to think about it more, do more sketches, and play with the dimensions some.

Of course, I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the box.

It took me two weeks to make this box, because I was shooting a video for Fine Woodworking at the same time. But, I'm still on schedule. It's been three weeks and I've made three boxes.

18 Comments

Keith Peters link

5/7/2015 10:14:20 am

I like it, and I think the dovetails fit nicely with the style, even withe the small size. At first I wondered about the grain running the way it is. Seems like you'll potentially get a lot of movement along the length of the box. But, since it's a drawer that opens on both sides, I guess it may not matter at all.

Matt Kenney

5/7/2015 12:17:21 pm

Thanks for the compliments. I'm sure that my eye is more critical because it's my own box. You're right, there will be some movement along the length. The drawer is actually a bit shorter than the box itself, so that the drawer front at either end is inset just a bit. This should accommodate the movement. In other words, when it shrinks, the drawer fronts won't stick out. When it expands, it will just be inset a bit, which creates a nice shadow line.

Matt

Billy

5/7/2015 12:04:52 pm

I like it a lot. Very simple but with something elegant about it. Is the draw the full length of the box.

5/7/2015 12:18:39 pm

Thanks, Billy. The drawer is just a bit shorter than the box, so that both fronts (one at each end) are inset around 1/16 in. when the drawer is closed.

Marty Backe link

5/7/2015 12:57:16 pm

I'm enjoying this series (and for the next year apparently). I like dovetails, so it looks nice to me. I think the only ascpect that I dislike (maybe too strong of a word) is the paint.

I think the paint works with the other boxes because they are simpler in appearance. So paint on the lid/top makes them pop.

When I dovetail small boxes (1/4 to 3/8 thick), they seem to take a lot longer to execute then on thicker stock. There is more wiggle room with wood compression, etc. And douglas fir, from my experience, wants to splinter too easy. Is this just my relative inexperience with dovetailing speaking, or does your dovetailing also slow down when working with thinner stock?

5/7/2015 04:30:26 pm

Marty,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. As I mentioned, the paint is a sticking point with me, too, because it's too white. I think other colors would work better (something green, I think). As for cutting dovetails in Douglas fir, it can be difficult. I avoid trouble by sharpening my chisels before I pare to the base line. You can get away with a chisel that needs sharpening when working cherry or walnut, but not with a softwood. Your tools must be crazy sharp to prevent crumbling, big chunks pulling out, etc. Nonetheless, I know what you're talking about. For me, fir seems to be problematic when routing dadoes into it.

With dovetailing speed, I think I'm quicker the thinner the stock. My dovetailing slows down the more pins there are.

Matt

Adam link

5/16/2015 06:40:07 am

I know because you are in the business of woodworking and that you are at the beginning of this great year long project that you probably would like to call this box finished. However, couldn't you sand the face off the drawer and do something different? Even a light sanding could be cool. The hard grain would be exposed and the soft grain would retain some of the paint. It would be in line with the contemporary look of the box and produce that variation you're looking for. Also, have you tried white or grey gel stains? I really like the look of those...

5/16/2015 07:05:18 am

Adam,

Thanks for the comments. This particular box is done. I think that's important with furniture and box making. You've got to get done and move on. That doesn't mean that I won't revisit this design and make some changes. In fact, I absolutely will give this design another go. I haven't tried gel stains. I've give them a look, though. Thanks for the suggestion.

Jurgen01

5/13/2015 04:22:40 am

Excellent idea and execution. This box clearly has a "modern" furniture feel and, for that reason, the white paint really works for me. In fact, the design could be used in a modular way -- stacking three of these boxes in a staggered pattern, using three different colors, etc. Lots of great possibilities here.
I am enjoying the box-making series.
Best of Luck
Jurgen01

5/13/2015 04:24:43 am

BTW
Really like the leg stand for this box.
Douglas Fir is terrific for this project; bamboo, or even white cedar, would also be cool.
Great stuff!

Thomas

5/20/2015 01:35:03 pm

I think an organic pull on white drawer front would give the box a focal point that it currently lacks.

Jeff Scott

5/27/2015 06:32:37 pm

I like your ideas so far. Hope when they are finished, that you will publish a book with your best ones giving us designed challenged people dimensions etc.

Joseph D. Cook

5/30/2015 04:28:13 pm

I like this box, its design, nice two-way drawer. You mention not liking the proportions but as it is with its clean lines (except for the dovetails) it has a mid century modern feel to me that I like. Here is something to consider if you ever do another box that opens at both ends. A thought I had while imagining what I might do if I was building this, include rare earth magnets inset to the bottom center of the drawer sides with counterparts inside the bottom of the box. Just strong enough to subtly register the box to the center position when sliding it closed, not grab and click. I've not tried this before so I don't know if it could be implemented as simply as I'm describing it, if the small magnets' force would be strong enough to notice any difference in the drawer's action.

To your comments on the dovetails, if you use miters instead, maybe add some splines perpendicular to the edges at the points where the full pins are in this box? They would add some visual accent but still integrate with the grain.

Steve Thomas

6/12/2015 10:23:20 am

I like the idea. It looks like something I'd like to try with a few modifications to make it mine. Since the drawer opens from either end you can't have a normal stop, but did you consider adding a detent in the side to have the door seat when centered in the box?

6/12/2015 03:34:41 pm

I've been asked to make a version of this box by a local blacksmith. I think I'm going to work out a stop using rare earth magnets. If it's successful, then I'll blog about it. When I made this one, I thought through several options, but didn't like any of them, so I didn't do anything.

James Doyle link

10/24/2015 09:44:10 am

Very nice box, Matt. I, too love VG Douglas Fir. I have some 12" wide planks salvaged from a kitchen remodel of my 1927 house.
Any tips on how to deal with tear out and splintering with this material?
Thank you. I love the 52/52 project.

10/24/2015 08:21:41 pm

James,

Thanks for reading. I don't know if I have a solution for the splintering. I avoid router bits for joinery like rabbets and dadoes, and that seems to help. Cut them at the tablesaw if you can. As for tearout there is really only one solution: use genuinely sharp bench planes to remove planer marks, prep the surface for finishing, etc. For any trimming across the end grain, you need a genuinely sharp block plane or chisel, depending on the situation. Sharp tools will slice and cut rather than pull, crush and tearout.

Good luck, and I'm jealous of that VG doug fir you have. 12 in. wide! That's amazing.

Stefan link

12/21/2015 09:43:02 am

Hi,
I like the box pretty much. That's a great but simple design.
And the stand fits very well.

Cheers,
Stefan

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