Introduction to Craft | Box project | Vishnu | 2017

I n t r o d u c ti o n t o C r a ft C o u r s e d o c u m e n t a ti o n CAC . C Fa l l 2 017 Vi s h n u M a y a S r e e n a t h

Th ey are b e autiful , o rd ere d , harmo ni ou s — ye s , all th e s e thin gs .

But e s p e ci ally, an d what strike s to th e h e art, th ey live.

— CHRISTOPHER W. ALEXANDER , THE TIMELES S WAY OF BUILDING

1.

2.

3.

4.

MITER & S PLINE JOINT FINGER JOINT D OV E TA I L J O I N T B OX P R O J E C T



1. M I T E R & S P L I N E J O I N T



2 . FINGER JOINT



3 . D OV E TA I L J O I N T



4 . B OX P R O J E C T

Here is a keepsake box for postcards, little things and treasured memories. I used padauk for the body and walnut for the details. Orange when freshly cut, the light sensitive padauk will eventually turn to a maroonish brown color.

The geometries, proportions and angles are inspired by the boxes used to store jewelry and precious artifacts in the ancient houses and temples of Kerala. These boxes were in turn influenced by the vernacular architecture of the region. I also designed an interior locking mechanism inspired by the exterior movement locks of Japanese toolboxes.



Expl o di n g A xo n o m etri c



Expl o di n g A xo n o m etri c



Expl o di n g A xo n o m etri c



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s PREPARATION: JIGS AND AIDS 1. Make a jig for cutting at 50° / 40° on the table saw, by glueing together 0.5" thick pieces of wood.

2. Laser cut acrylic guides. These will help to hold the lid pieces at the right angle while cutting on the table saw.

3. Laser cut profiles of lid faces (union of front and back sides) on chipboard.

These will be used to verify the drawn outlines of the lid faces on the jointed and planed wood (dimensions on next page).



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 1. Run one face of each of the 3/4" x 8" x 3' padauk boards through the jointer.

2. On the planer, bring down the thickness of each board down to 0.5".

3. After marking the outlines of the 0.5" thick lid faces, cut the planed wood into individual pieces on the table saw and miter saw.

x2

x2

4. Use a digital inclinometer (tilt-box) to set the table saw blade angle to 32.79° from the vertical. Use acrylic guides to cut along the sides of the lid pieces as shown:

A

B A C B C



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 5. Reset the table saw blade to vertical, then use the 50°-40° jig to cut the top and bottom edges of the lid pieces as shown.

A

B

A C B

C

D

6. Glue all the lid pieces together. Use a box clamp on the bottom square edges to hold it together. Let dry.



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 7. Mark the outlines of the 0.5" thick base sides on the wood. Cut the planed wood into individual pieces on the table saw and miter saw.

x2

x2

8. Set the table saw blade angle to 45° and use the miter jig to cut the mitered edges of the base faces.

4˚ x2

x2

9. On the table saw, cut 1/4" grooves along the bottom of the base sides.

x2

x2



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 1. To cut the 1/4" thick base, plane a portion of the remaining wood to a thickness of 1/4". Mark the outline of the base and cut it on the table saw and miter saw. Ensure dry-fit along grooves of the base.

2. Cut angled profiles along the bottom of the sides on the router table using the 60° router bit. Hand sand to complete the curved profile. 0˚

1

ROUTER BIT

"

4

1" x2

x2

3. Shape grooves on the upper face of the longer base sides on the table saw by adjusting the blade heights. Use the 50°-40° jig to give it an angled face for the lid to rest on. Hand sand as required.

TABLE SAW

0˚ 1

4

" LID

3

1"

2  1"



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 1. Cut the walnut block into 12" long pieces with rectangular profiles as shown. These will form the locking handles.

13 4" 3 13

1



7

" 3

"

A

4

1

3

" 13

"

1

C

B



" 1 1 "

" x2

D

x2

2. Shape the profiles as shown. For the curved profiles, use 3/8" concave and 1/4" convex router bits on the router table. For the angled faces, use the table saw set to 40° from the vertical.

A

C

B

x2

D

x2

3. Cut the pieces to the proper lengths and give them 15° angled ends on the miter saw.

4"

A

B

C

1˚

1˚

1˚

4"

x2

D

x2

1˚

4"

4"



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 1. On the table saw, cut 1/8" grooves along the two halfs of the bottom locking handles. Glue them together with the spline inserted. Let dry and hand sand the pieces where necessary. x2

x2

2. Drill holes for the dowels on the short sides of the base. Use the 50°-40° jig to hold the bottom lock pieces at the right angle before drilling holes on them.

31 32"3

11 2"

1

1 32"

"

32

1

4

" 1

4

" 1

1 32" x2

x2

11 2" 11 2"1

1

"

2

1

4

"

4

"

3. Drill holes on the lid faces and upper lock handles.

1

1

31 32"1

17

32"3

1

32"

4

"

"

4

x2

4. Glue the walnut lock pieces to the padauk side and lid pieces with the dowels inserted.



O r d e r o f O p e r a ti o n s WOODWORKING 1. Glue the sides of the base together with the bottom face slotting into the grooves. Use a box clamp to hold it together. Let dry.

2. On the table saw, cut 1/8" thick corner slots on the base, using the miter jig to hold the base at a 45° angle.

1

32

"

3. Make splines and glue them into the corner slots. Cut away excess material on the band saw.

4. Insert and lock the lid into place. Then lightly sand the sides of the base and lid together on the band sander until the splines and side faces are flush.

5. Ease the sharp edges as needed.

6. Leave the box in indirect sunlight for a few days and watch as the wood turns a deeper shade of maroonish orange. The lid will be darker since it had a few extra days of sunshine.

7. Apply a very light coat of tung oil on the inside and outside. Let dry.



Pro c e s s Photo graph s

I ran one face of each of the 3/4" x 8" x 3' padauk boards through the jointer.

Then I planed them down to a thickness of 1/2".

Color difference: mature vs. freshly cut padauk

Sawing parallel edges. Like most photos here, the photo was 'staged' after the actual cut.



I traced the outlines of the lid faces on the lumber and then start cutting them down.

Cutting 32.73° angles on the miter saw

Cutting the top edges on the table saw



Using one piece as a jig to hold the other piece parallel to saw

All the pieces after cutting edge outlines — time to give an angle to the side edges

Setting the blade/inclinometer to 32.79° measured from the vertical

I used an acrylic jig to hold the edges parallel.



Checking alignment back to back

Some chipping was observed on both the pieces with the sharp corners.

Here's the jig I made to hold the pieces at 50°/40°. This will come in handy at many times.

Cutting the bottom edge at 50°. The jig ensures the angle instead of using a rotated blade.



Rotate the piece and cut the top edge at 50°.

Rotate piece and jig. Now the cut is at 40°. This cut meets the first cut to form a 90° angle.

After repeating for the triangular faces: a satisfactory dry fit of the lid pieces

Lid after gluing



Cutting pieces for the side faces, first on the miter saw...

... and then on the table saw

Getting the blade and jig set up for the miter cut

Miter cut on the table saw, with the blade pointing away from the piece being cut



Cutting 1/4" groove for the base piece to slot into

To make the bottom of the base, I used an old planer to bring down the thickness to 1/4".

Cutting the 1/4" thick base on the miter saw...

...and the table saw



The dry fit looks fantastic.

At the router table to cut angled profiles at the bottom edges. Stops were placed at either end.

A 60° (30°) router bit gives a comfortable angle when the box is held at the base.

The ends of the profile were hand sanded to give a curved edge. I like how it now sits on a surface.



I used a 3/8" concave bit on the router table to shape the locking component made of walnut.

Giving it a 50° angled face on the table saw

Cuting it inward at 15° on the miter saw



The bottom half of the locking component needs to go on the router table too.

After a stepped corner was formed on the table saw, I used a 1/4" convex router bit to shape it.

A groove for the spline was made on the bottom and top halfs of the piece.

Time to make the splines...



... but before that, I make the edges angle 15° outward on the miter saw.

Splines made and inserted successfuly

The bottom face is cut at 40° from the vertical.

The lock handles look great after gluing them together and hand sanding.



On the table saw, I shaped two grooves on the sides, by controlling the height of the blade.

I gave the grooves an angled edge on the table saw, using my 50°/40° jig to hold it in place.

I drilled 1/4" holes on the insides where the lock handles will attach. I used the dowel inserts ...

... to transfer the hole positions to the lock. While drilling I used the jig to hold it at the right angle.



The pieces are perfectly aligned when glued together with the dowels inserted.

After gluing everything together, I use the box clamps to hold it in place and let it dry.

After cutting the corner slots on the miter jig, inserting the splines, and sanding all the sides



The box gets some sunlight.

