Hand woodworking Hand woodworking

Sides and ends of box carcass grooved for sliding top Mitred corner joints strengthened with splines Off cut and spline sections glued to end of sliding top

PLAN

230

12

1.5

57 212 75

Cherry bottom set into 6mm deep rebate

1.5 3 1.5

3 212 57

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL T COLLINS 12 206 12 63 12 51 51 12

3 3 9 212 9 9 57 9 SECTION SECTION

Small sliding The problem with butt joints as we rebate while the wood is still in saw in issue 3, is that they produce a one piece – planing a groove in a very weak joint unless some additional short piece of wood is fraught with mechanical device is used. Although, difficulties. Using the combination lid box having said that, I have several boxes plane and a 3mm cutter, set the fence whose mitres are simply glued and to 3mm and the depth stop to 3mm. Our American correspondent Michael T Collins have lasted many years – it all depends Plane the groove starting at the end on the ‘abuse’ that the box encounters. farthest from you and working back thinks inside the box with this object lesson in One trick I learned is to spread some towards yourself. Place the wood at watered-down PVA glue on the mitre the edge of the bench so that the box construction cuts and let it soak into the wood. plane’s fence can reference off the Once dry, the glued joint will hold bench and wood’s edge. Pay attention have been fascinated with boxes for at large joints. Making this box is going much better. to the grain direction – you want the as long as I can remember and have to require some finer joinery and will But let’s look at a more secure grain to be rising up and away from 1 Iamassed quite a collection, ranging be less forgiving. You might want to Some of the boxes in my collection method – enter the spline joint. you. However, working with wood is from simple rectangular boxes to more practise the techniques covered using always a compromise; the grain will be complex sculpted puzzle boxes that I softer wood such as poplar (Populus The spline joint with you in one direction but against have long since forgotten how to open. spp.) or pine (Pinus spp.). This joint is similar in construction to you when you plane in the other In this article I am going to take There are many ways to join box What you will need: a tongue-and-groove joint, but instead direction. If you have unruly grained you through the steps of creating a corners, from a simple butt joint, Time to add three new ‘necessary of a tongue it consists of two matching wood use very sharp cutters and take simple sliding lid box using some new lapped joints and finger joints tools’ to the toolbox: a combination grooves lined up and facing each other. thin shavings. techniques. The size can be as large through to dovetails. But if you want square, cutting gauge and a A thin piece of wood – a spline – is then or small as you like. This box will be an unbroken flow of the wood’s grain homemade mitre box. You will also glued between the two grooves. The rebate or shoulder is cut using 75 x 63 x 230mm made from a scrap around the corners, the only one need a combination plane or plough 2 a depth of 3mm and 6mm wide. of white oak (Quercus alba) 12 x 63 available is a butt mitred joint. We plane, 3mm and 6mm cutter, block Cutting the lid’s groove and Once the groove and rebate have been x 660mm. The top and bottom are could also use a ‘secret’ dovetail – one plane, crosscut and tenon saw. bottom rebate cut, the mitres can be cut. To do this made from a piece of rip-sawn cherry where the dovetail is hidden inside A couple of extra clamps would also Bring the wood to final dimension, you will need a mitre box – this can (Prunus serotina). the mitre – but this is a much more be useful. 1 marking the face and edge. It’s be bought but it is very easy to make So far in this series we have looked complicated joint to execute. much easier to cut the groove and your own. ➤ 2

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Making a mitre box Marking the location of the saw cut Very accurately create a U-shaped with a marking gauge, place the wood 3box with sides and bottom secured in the vice at 45° and rip. Pay attention with screws, from the side, at 90° – to the start of the cut – if the saw seems the height needs to be greater than to be drifting off course, twist the saw the wood you are going to mitre. Then in the direction of drift – for example with a combination square mark two if the saw is drifting to the right of intersecting 45° lines – carry these the line twist the handle to the right lines down the sides. Then, very (clockwise) to pivot the saw back carefully, saw vertically down with on track. your crosscut saw. Once ripped, plane off the saw Box layout 9marks… Lay out the four parts of the box in 3 9 10 4the order they will form the box, … and cut both pieces to size. this will produce the desired wrap- 10The top will need to be 6mm around grain. wider and longer to account for the 3mm groove. The bottom should be Use a crosscut saw to cut the a hair under the distances between 5mitres. Always saw from the face the rebate. For the lid, use a cutting side to avoid tear-out, which should gauge or set the combination plane’s be minimal due to the fine saw kerf. knicker to mark a 5mm rebate on the Number the pieces to keep them in the end grain, this will prevent the fibres right order and orientation. Use the from tearing as the plane slices across block plane to lightly clean the mitre’s the grain. surface. To avoid tear-out, plane at an angle so that the fibres are sliced. A 5mm rebate will give a 1.5mm One of the end pieces needs to have 11gap around the lid – make this a the section above the groove removed hair over 3mm if you want a tight-fitting – use a fine kerfed saw to cut off the lid. Adjust the depth stop to 3mm and section above the groove. Keep this 4 5 cut the lid’s rebate. Glue the piece that 11 12 piece as it will be needed later to form was removed earlier to the lid securing the end of the lid. it with masking tape and placed it under a weight. Planing the spline groove The spline groove which is cut into Making the splines 6the end of each mitre is 6mm deep The splines are 12mm x 3mm x 3mm wide, which when assembled 12and cut from the extra wood will give a 12mm slot for the spline – of the top – I use a cutting gauge, this is a very tricky process so make a from both sides, to ‘rip’ the pieces few extra pieces to practise on. Tightly – you could also use a knife and clamp the adjoining corners face side a straightedge. together, making sure that they are square and form a 90° angle. With the Assemble the box and insert combination plane set the depth stop 13the splines to test the fit – the to 6mm and the fence offset so that the splines should slide in without being groove will be in the deepest part of 6 7 forced. 13 the mitre. Carefully plane the end grain just enough so that you can see where They should be slightly less than the cutter will exit the wood. At this 1412mm so that the mitred faces point, score both sides of the exit … come together with room for glue. Bring the size down using a block … or use a scrap piece of wood plane. With small pieces, it is easier to 7to eliminate tear-out as the cutter hold the plane upside-down and pull exits. A razor-sharp cutter is needed the spline across the sole of the plane here. Take your time planing the spline – just watch out for the blade! so that again any tear-out is kept to a minimum. Repeat this process for all Glue up the grooves. Make sure that you have the 15pieces in the right order and Making the top and bottom facing the right way up. Glue the The top and bottom are ripped splines in place first then glue the 8from a piece of 12mm thick cherry. bottom in – gluing the bottom in will 14 15 The top is 6mm and the bottom 3mm. 8 ensure the box is square. ➤

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Depending on where the 16 splines fall in the mitre, you may need to trim the bottom corners because the rebate cuts into the spline area.

Use cauls to protect the wood – 17 I cover mine in electrical tape, which resists glue adhesion. Check for squareness.

Once the glue has dried, fit the 18 lid again. Depending on where the splines fall, the corners of the lid’s leading edge may need to be trimmed 16 17 off, alternatively, the small piece of spline that’s in the groove could be carefully removed. It certainly needs to be removed where the lid enters the box. Use a slicing action to do this.

To complete the look – a small 19piece of spline can be added to the lid.

The finish Bring all the splines flush and 20 ease all the edges with the block plane, then sand the whole box following the grain with 220 grit and wipe off the dust with mineral spirits. 18 19

My go-to finish is an oil varnish 21 mix – two or three coats, the first of which is liberally applied and allowed to soak in; any excess is wiped off with a lint-free cloth. Lightly sand with 320 grit between coats, wiping off the dust with mineral spirits. Be particularly careful not to get too much finish in the lid’s groove. Once dried apply a good quality furniture paste wax and buff to a shine. Box making offers endless possibilities so why not get in the Disposing ‘groove’ and make yourself a classic of finishes sliding lid box. ■ 20 Since most finishes contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) it is important to dispose of the cloth Michael T Collins following the manufacturer’s instructions – I lay mine out British-born Michael flat on a cement floor has been working with until dry. wood off and on for 40 years. He moved to New York in 1996 and over the years, has made bespoke furniture, including clocks, inlay work, Adams fireplaces, book cases and reproduction furniture. Web: www.sawdustandwoodchips.com Twitter: @sawdustandwood 21

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