OK, so I needed to make a box for the rounding plane, as I seem to have run out of flat surfaces to dump stuff on. Nothing fancy, just a basic box.
I have this lying around that was obviously assaulted by the Lab at some point. It’ll do for the top & bottom.
Flatten, joint and glue it into a couple of panels.
Cut a rebate around them.
And turn the top one into a raised panel, because, well, why not. Nothing fancy just freehand a bevel around it with a No 4.
I’ll use up a bit more of that 1x4 construction lumber I’ve got for the sides. Cut 8 lengths and flatten and glue up into 4 panels.
Trim them to size & square them up.
Add the grooves for the top & bottom panels.
Lots of knots in the boards, I could either take really shallow cuts and a lot of passes to minimise tearout, or I can just power through with thick cuts and deal with any chipout afterward, and, well, it’s shop furniture, so power through for speed.
And dovetail. There are a number of ways to hide the groove when making a box (Mitre, half blind dovetail, patch etc), but I don't see this method get used much for some reason. Not sure what they are called - Half through dovetails? Cut back the thickness to come in front of the groove. Cut the tails And the pins Dead easy and no need to patch anything to hide the groove. Glue it up And cut the top off Add hinges And there are enough scrap offcuts to fit out the box And done.
Nicely done, Mike! I’m going to have to remember that trick for hiding the groove. And then probably glue a couple scraps into the ends of the grooves, anyhow.
Thanks Dave, not sure why that trick isn't used more - maybe makes the joint look a little thin in some cases, but is one of the quickest and easiest hides (Although I quite like a contrasting spline as a plug as well).
Cheers pottz, I've finally got to the point where I feel like I have the basics down - well, mostly, every so often it all goes Pete Tong.
Great blog, looks like an instruction manual on "How to" in hand tool woodworking, and the final product of your labors is just as great, a fine looking box. Thanks for the "hide the groove with a half through dovetail" tip, nice. The precision you achieve with handtools is impressive and comparable to machined joinery, excellent craftsmanship.
