A Couple of Late Christmas Presents

[Pappy]

Actually, they were only a week or so late but I'm just getting around to posting them.

First is another of the boxes I have made in the past, this one for the girl that used to rent a room from us and is a friend. For those that haven't seen these before, I call it a Texas Treasure Chest. Made of Spalted Hackberry and Mesquite with a Deft clear laquer finish.





The other was for my wife. She collects mice and it gets harder and harder to find unique ones. (She probably has 1,500 to 2,000 of them.) The poster is an original 1978 Toys For Tots Mickey Mouse poster. The frame is Walnut with a Purpleheart inlay and splines finished with 4 coats of 1 1/2 pound cut shellac. Hardest part was getting the inlay positioned just right to match the pattern of the molding bit, then keeping it aligned on the router table.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Beautiful work on both Don. I like that spalted hackberry.

[chopnhack]

Wow Don, that inlay is slick! I am a huge fan of octagons as well. Only problem for me is with 16 joints, error starts to creep in!

[John Hunter]

Very nice!

[Turaj]

Don, Better late than never

Those are beautiful work! I really like the look of that Spalted Hackberry.

[BadeMillsap]

Tell me about the hinges on the box ...

Hi Don

Nice work ... as I am embarking on some "box building" myself I am interested in the hinges you used ... could you give some insight and maybe some comments about various hinges you have used on other boxes and why you like or dislike what you have used?

[Pappy]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Chop..., I set my blade angle with a Tilt Box to a cut off sled and cut each box in sequence from a single piece of wood that has been jointed and ripped to width. The boxes are about 3x6 so I don't use clamps. Lay them out with masking tape, brush the glue on the joints and roll them up. Once the top an bottom are glued on there isn't any worry about the joints failing.

Bade, I use 5mm barrel hinges from Woodcraft. I predrill the rear panel before I glue on the top. After the lid is cut off both pieces are beveled 45 degrees to the center of the hinge holes. Haven't done any other boxes.