Woodworker's Journal 1994-18-5, страница 32
Mitered Boxes:Variations On A Theme Wood artisan Ford Thomas lias a successful business making and selling these cleverly designed mitered boxes. The system he's developed to pro duee the boxes shown on the cover and above truly qualifies as an exercise in efficiency. The key: using the same basic box design in a myriad of ways. The legged versions we feature in this article represent three such possibilities. As testimony to their appeal. Ford's boxes retail at about SI00 for the smallest and SI70 for the large box, and he can barely keep up with the orders. Depending on their size, you'll find that the boxes make ideal decorative pieces, desk or dresser-top boxes, jewelry boxes, or presentation boxes for some very special bauble or gift. Rest assured that the lucky recipient of a box you make will consider it priceless. Options To Make It Easy For You You can make the boxes exactly as we've presented them here. Or better yet, use the basic design and add your owrn embellishments, it you don't have easv access to the same exotic woods (hat Ford uses or don't have a shop that's set up for resawing and thickncssing to the specified dimensions, don't despair. We've asked Heritage Building Specialties to supply kits that include the required stock, prethicknessed and ready to cut (see the Kit Source on page 36). Note that the prices of the three box kits include the wood for the boxes but not the wood for ihe legs or pulls. Heritage can also provide the wood for these parts if you request it (call for prices). Heritage w ill also cut stock kits for custom-sized boxes on request. Our boxes include Ford's clever tapered legs and gem-like pulls. But. follow ing our "variations on a theme" approach, you may make just the basic boxes, add pulls and legs (or feet) of your ow n design, or simply attach commercial hardw are. Or, consider adding felt pad feet or a brass pull, hinging the lid. fining the interior with dividers, or vary ing the box size. Feel free to change or modify it as you wrish to suit your own tastes. The small square box, made of bird's-eye maple and ebony, measures 2/<x3/: x3/j" The smaller rectangular box. in cocobolo. hird's-eve maple, and ebony, measures l!/tx 4/3x6". The larger rectangular box, in koa. cocobolo. and ebony, measures 254x4x9". Note that all of the measurements refer to the actual box dimensions but do not include the feet and pulls. Also, the box heights are the finished heights: you must start with boards at least '/*" wider than the finished height to compensate for the saw kerf made w hen cutting the lid from the box. Follow Ford Step-By-Step Follow the mitered box step-by-step instructions to construct the box, and the special instructions lor the pull and leg. After completing the box, glue the pulls and legs in place, using only a link glue to minimize glue squeeze-out. We prefer using cyanoacrvlate adhesive to attach the ebony parts. It dries clear, and provides an exceptionally strong bond on rock-hard exotic woods like ebony. To finish-out the boxes, line them with felt over cardboard. Cut the liner for a press fit in the box, and 110 glue w ill be needed to hold it in place. 4fi September/October 1994 Woodworker's Journal |
