I wanted to make something for two of my nieces. They enjoy baking and cooking so, after consulting with their mom, decided recipe card boxes would be useful. Looked online at various designs. I liked having a way to hold a card on the lid so included that feature.
Resawed some cherry and walnut. Still have a lot to learn on my resaw technique, but was able to get everything set and run thru my drum sander. Enjoyed using my recently built spline jig to reinforce the bevels. The one issue I have is determining the blade height. Tried to mark the peak point but on my first box ended up repeating at a higher blade height. Trying this redo proved hard to perfectly align for a second cut so had to customize the splines a bit.
Other issues along the way included cutting a cherry top incorrectly - thus both have walnut for the top. Also broke off a screw when my pilot hole wasn't sized correctly on one of the hinges. This lead to quite a journey to get the broken section out followed by drilling a hole and gluing in a dowel so I could insert a new screw.
nice work barb, gonna make some ladies very happy. hey nothing wrong with mistakes as long as something is learned. so let me just say i learn something every time i go in the shop 😂
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Thanks Pottz. I'm pretty much expecting some mistakes 🤷♀️ but the miscut on the cherry was disheartening as I had resawn, glued up an appealing section and just needed to trim (and I ran it through the tablesaw the wrong way so too small!). Then the screw situation - so close to "done" and then having to dig out the broken section, etc. Funny how "minor" oops can take so much time to fix. 🤦♀️
Fine looking work BB! Card holder is a perfect addition. No worries on the biffed top, walnut looks great with most everything 😀
When I set my spline jig up , I'll place the frame in the jig and then raise the blade to the side so I can see how deep to go before cutting into the interior. After that I'll position everything side to side.
Thanks Splintergroup! I did set the box to the side of the blade, but somehow misjudged so the cuts were too shallow. Guess I was being overly cautious on not cutting into the box. The second box went much better so hopefully I'm getting better at the setup. I did follow your comment on my prior project of waiting to cut the top free until I had all the splines done. Given the sides were much narrower, this allowed for all the corners to be "set" before separating the parts. Appreciate your help!
Thanks Gary! I like that the boxes are similar but yet different. I'm always amazed at the range of color and grain patterns in wood. Although both are cherry, they each have a unique look.
Nice work on the boxes and design. It’s just little teaching lessons along the way. It happens to just about everyone. Mistakes are the best teacher. You remember your mistakes more than when you do it right
RyanGi - I didn't. I had made pilot holes but had wrong size bit. Tried to back out the screw and that's when the head popped off. Will have to try using wax next time!
GeorgeWest- thank you. They really enjoy baking/cooking so hopefully they will have plenty of recipes to add.
GR8HUNTER- thank you! And just for you, I had my pups helping too. Here's one showing her approval.😉
Those turned out very well, Barb. I too like the card holder integrated into the lid.
I imagine it was disappointing when you mis-cut the cherry lid, but the walnut looks really good. I like how it contrasts with the cherry and ties in with the lid handle. I’d call this one a happy accident.
I’ve decided not to just accept my mistakes. I seem to make a few in almost every project. Usually, correcting them doesn’t take as much time as I fear. (But I’ve never broken off a screw head; I can see how that would be upsetting.)
I always have to resort to test cuts in scrap when setting my table saw’s blade for non-through cuts.
Ron -thank you! The card holder idea was one I saw online - just figured out a way that worked for me. As my tops weren't thick enough to simply make a slot, I added walnut on top.
Once I made the mistake with the cherry I had planned for the top, the other decisions to add in walnut came into play. I tend to do some of my design "along the way" so it all worked out. I too like the contrast between the cherry and walnut.
I agree that some mistakes can be quickly addressed (like switching from the cherry to walnut top), but mis-steps near the end for me are typically more distressing and time consuming. Part of that may be a finish line mentality where I let my focus slip, or the timing just allows less flexibility in recovery.
Doing more test cuts is another good suggestion I need to implement. Thanks for that note.
Thanks Petey. I saw some boxes that had a place to hold a card inside the lid, but I liked the designs with the slot on top. Seems like keeping the box open when baking wouldn't be ideal. I'm picturing flour flying around 😉 - which reflects my lack of baking skills!
