Tricks for hiding box bottom dadoes on through dovetails. (handtools only)

[Mike Davis]

The box is also long grain around the perimeter.

 

[danmart77]

The box does not expand. The biggest issue with wood movement is the lid. If you look at reply #15 and view the pictures, you will see a lid without the wood trim. One of the lid photos shows the tiny screw holes to fix the trim to the lid on a beveled edge. This is very tricky and you have to fit the piece larger than needed and plane it down to meet the miters and the lines of the sides.

This is one of those things that doesn't look too complicated but it has some things that make it a challenge.

The original box I first saw in Old Salem back in 1975 had a solid walnut bottom board. Guess what? The joints were cracked from the expansion of the bottom.

I have made at least 50 of these to sell over the years and I have made them in oak, walnut, maple, mahogany, and cherry. None have opened at the joints so I guess its a good solution. I'm thinking of Etsy but the shipping business can wear you down.

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[Hmerkle]

I think these boxes would be a GREAT workshop project!

 

[mbromley]

Thanks for the explanation on the box tops! I will definitely keep that in mind when I get around to making my first box.

 

[danmart77]

I think these boxes would be a GREAT workshop project!

http://www.woodwrightschool.com/classes/dovetailed-memento-box-w-bill-anderson

This is a complex box. If you look at Bill Anderson's box class at the site above he offers to do this as a workshop and includes a note on extra hours for the task. His bottom and top are more simple to move things along. My experience tells me this is not a project for a first time "dove-tailer."

The box I show in the photos is considerably bigger than the small one Bill does in the class but its along the same lines.

So... what do you think would be a fair price to charge students to work a project like this?

Maybe another member would like to open their shop and offer it for a group? Who knows?

From the looks of Roy's schedule of classes it looks like he is about full on all of his classes with a few openings here and there.

I seem to recall a workshop to build a toolbox with dovetail joinery. Maybe the participants and instructors could chime in here?


I am doing quite a bit of instruction during the week and occasionally on Saturdays. I try to avoid the weekends but student work hours have to be considered. I am not suggesting the experience in my shop will be anything like a day or week at Roy's shop, but one on one instruction is tough to beat in my view.

Here's the bench and the dovetail guide next to the bench slave.

The bench does not move while working with a chisel unless you hit the tool with a 20lb mallet.

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later

 

[Hmerkle]

Thanks Dan,

I respect your comment;
"This is a complex box. If you look at Bill Anderson's box class at the site above he offers to do this as a workshop and includes a note on extra hours for the task. His bottom and top are more simple to move things along. My experience tells me this is not a project for a first time "dove-tailer.""

But, I would suggest like the angled dovetails for the tool box class and (I think) the moxon vise class - "Rome was not built in a day" - nor most of our projects!

So, perhaps the approach would be to get a good start and or perform one each of the different joints / tasks required to build the box and the "student" could finish the box at home???

Just a thought...

As far as costs, I will leave that to others much brighter than me!