# another box



## condeesteso (3 Jun 2013)

Sorry, not a complete w.i.p., as I have been doing bits of this between other work and camera not handy.
I think I promised Ian Hawthorne I would post this anyway, so here goes. It's a sort of mini-chest, with 2 drawers under, and a dummy drawer front above, hinged lid. I had some really nice wild cherry - very close grain, a bit lacy in pattern. So it uses that for the carcase and LP (properly quarter-sawn, an awful lot is just sliced T&T). Ebony knobs and (hidden ) Cedar of L for the drawer bases.







I had designed this in my head well before starting, and it for my daughter's wedding as an heirloom box (I'm safe as daughter does not come here, no idea why).
Have the drawers to do - the Moxon vice is brilliant for these small dovetail devils. Need to turn 4 shallow bun feet (ebony to go with the drawer pulls), and assemble / finish. It's all dry at the moment so if you see a gap somewhere I'll try and lose it later.

Another tool much appreciated - Pedder's Gent's saw - a stunning small saw and my first choice for these small dovetails. Essential with that to apply no pressure at all. or it cuts far too fast and I'm supposed to stop at the line I recall :wink: 

More pics later... and thanks to Ian for getting the hinges to me very quickly. I'm keen to try Ian's new lock, but this one won't take one.


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## speeder1987 (3 Jun 2013)

Lovely box, I'm sure your daughter will love it. I particularly like the wood selection. 

What exactly are the hinges for? or am I missing something?

Thanks for posting, gives me something to aim for 

John


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## dm65 (3 Jun 2013)

Lovely box condeesteso - exactly the sort of thing I intend to be doing as I a bit of a drawer freak

What have you used on the drawer front ?

And would love to see more of the construction - more photos please


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## condeesteso (3 Jun 2013)

Thank you John, very encouraging indeed  .
The top is hinged so top drawer front is dummy. It will be undersized so the gaps match the functional drawers. I made those friction-fit and will trim a little just before drawer final assembly. I was pleased with the woods - i tend to keep an eye out for nice woods and have found that getting to know the the yard men helps find the nice odd bits. The cherry came from Morgan Timber (Rochester) and was first milled in '96.
If anyone is looking for some very good London plane at the moment, Robert at Timberline (Tonbridge) has just got a load in, and it looks very nice - from small blanks (turning etc) to whole boards.

More news as it 'breaks'.

(p.s. dm - just seen your post, thank you. The drawers are the LP / lacewood. I promise to do more pics as I go !!)


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## dm65 (3 Jun 2013)

condeesteso":2h32bfeu said:


> (p.s. dm - just seen your post, thank you. The drawers are the LP / lacewood. I promise to do more pics as I go !!)


Ah - I didn't get the acronym, sorry

LP is London Plane ! (I have read about lacewood) - very nice looking and I might try some

What finish are you intending ?


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## DTR (4 Jun 2013)

Very nice!


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## MickCheese (4 Jun 2013)

That look amazing. 

I have a thing about small chest of drawers. I have made two in the recent past and will start a third soon. 

I really like your design, simple but elegant and as usual great workmanship. 

Looking forward to more pictures. 

Mick


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## speeder1987 (4 Jun 2013)

Ah that now makes sense  are those smart hinges you are using, and out of interesting what are Ian's locks you mentioned? Do you have a link?

Regards
John


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## condeesteso (4 Jun 2013)

Thank you everyone, encouragement from fellow-craftsmen is the best sort!
John - the new lock is on Ian's site, here:
http://hawthornecrafts.com/box-hardware/
I am a big fan of the hinges, and like Ian's uncompromising approach - if I spend many hours making the thing, I am happy to pay a little more for really good hardware.
Busy finishing a fire surround at the moment, but back on this box v soon... promise more pics when there is progress. The wedding is 6th July, so no faffin'.


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## andersonec (4 Jun 2013)

Is the lid solid wood or veneered? if it is solid , how are you going to strengthen it to avoid it cupping?

Andy


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## condeesteso (4 Jun 2013)

Hi Andy - it's solid, and I know it may be a risk. I first milled the top and base (all stock actually) back in Feb, then into the house to acclimatise. The top is now about 8mm, but I started at 12mm, then hand-planed once I was happy it was stable (in a UK home environment). Also it is very tight-grained, and was first milled in '96 - so I am taking the risk, although I do accept it is a risk. No doubt I shall hear from 'client' if anything bad happens :lol:


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## Ian (5 Jun 2013)

Great looking box Douglas - nice and clean workmanship.

Ian

PS Thanks for the plug.


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## devonwoody (5 Jun 2013)

Condeesteso,
On you comment above I have gone and purchased a board of London Plane from Timberline, exotic timbers, Placed order Tuesday at Kent, delivered Devon this morning, I have not yet unpacked it just tore off a strip of packing and it really does look nice.
If anyone interested I will post a picture at a new thread.


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## condeesteso (5 Jun 2013)

Well done Devon, I've seen quite a few of the boards and Robert there really does know and understand woods. I'd be keen to see, and also see what it gets turned (made I mean) into.


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## Phil Pascoe (5 Jun 2013)

Following another thread, you could make chopping boards - though whether you'd get £480 a throw for them is a different matter!


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## condeesteso (8 Jun 2013)

Update time. First off, apologies to dm re the failure to answer the finishing question. It's here now (been doing some pre-finishing prior to final assembly).
I wanted the back to be as well-worked as the front. So 3 thin boards of the cherry, and a scratch-stock to create a very small bead detail along the joins. The back is 2.7mm thick, so t&g was ruled out. Now, please accept this is about to become a ramble... just look at the pics or go to a more concise post  
I have never made a guitar but I have certainly owned quite a few - so the banding used in guitar bodies was deployed here:






1mm thick lacewood, with grain running side-to-side. The Inca 260 knocked those out with ease (with one of Ian's Tuffsaw blades, a custom thin kerf one).

Turned 4 bun-feet from ebony, using the outfeed of the Sedgwick as a reference for flat. (If I didn't have a wife already I would maybe marry that Sedgwick).

Now then - FINISHING

This is just my personal view. I don't like finishes, at all. I'm a less-is-more man. I will spend a long time selecting woods, and I refuse to then cover them up. I accept that purpose will influence finish, but generally I try to put as little on as I can get away with.
Some years ago, I saw a workshop clearance sale locally, and popped down. Amongst other odd things I cam back with this:






It's a cellulose that may have been intended for spraying, but I mix it 50/50 with thinner and wipe it on. Dries very fast, adds no surface, locks fibres down, and brings the true colour out. Here it is on a part of the back:






I pre-finish the components because it would be hard to do that well once assembled. The final finish will be a super-thin coat of Liberon hard wax. (Smells lovely too).

The drawer bases have been cut to 4mm (cedar of Lebanon), and as a discreet touch I used a small scrub plane on the undersides (an old woodie, modified block plane):






Turned the 4 bun feet (ebony - no finish at all, fix the pin in the hand drill and burnish with plane shavings. I never put finish on ebony.)






Need to assemble carcase, then make the drawers... some very precise hand-cut dovetails so I'll pick a 'good day'.

[strange music session in there today: Sheryl Cole, And you will know us by the trail of the dead, The Kills, Dead Weather, Rihanna, Bela Fleck... no wonder things turn out odd :lol:


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## dm65 (8 Jun 2013)

Ramble away condeesteso, no complaints here

Read that update with great interest and I like the less is more idea too

Can't wait to see progress and finished item

Oh, and I like the sound of the thickness of timber - thin boards adds a touch of class all on their own


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## jimi43 (9 Jun 2013)

I was privileged to see this box in the flesh the other day and it really is an astounding piece of precision craftsmanship.

And Douglas...being a man after my own heart has added finishing touches...such as the "marking" with the scrub which adds that contrast between hand and machine finishing which is vital to indicate quality.

A fitting gift indeed!

=D> =D> =D> 

Jimi

P.S. glad the panel plane is now working again to produce the astounding work it was made for! (oh...and the little scrub and it doesn't have a back to it either!!! :wink: )


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## condeesteso (9 Jun 2013)

Lucky for me Jim - so the small scrub doesn't have a back? The Infill was a gift so I never thought that would have had one anyway. Is it a southern thing to expect everything good to come back in time? I seriously don't understand this, so please explain. No rush, when you are good and ready. I am from Yorkshire.


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## speeder1987 (9 Jun 2013)

Very interesting  as a matter of interest, is there a particular reason why you don't put any finish on the ebony, or is that just personal preference?

John


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## condeesteso (9 Jun 2013)

Hello John - mainly personal preference I think. I just find that the ebony is so hard and burnishes really nicely so I don't feel a finish would be of benefit. I think the same about Lignum too. jimi43 made a few mallets from old bowling balls some time ago and I am sure he just worked down the grades to a virtually mirror finish - lovely stuff, that proper old lignum.


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## Gerard Scanlan (9 Jun 2013)

Hi Douglas,

Very nice box. I picked up some lacewood from the same supplier last May and it looks totally different to yours. I have just used some of it in combinaton with steamed and unsteamed pear for drawer fronts on a small unit. I was under the impression that the lacewood had come from Austrialia. Yours looks very similar in colour and markings to some Sycamore I have. Timberline really have an astounding selection of timbers. Thanks for the additional finishing info. I think your choice of timber is really good, the overall appearance is light and contemporary yet the ebony drawer pulls lend it a classical look. 

Gerard


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## condeesteso (10 Jun 2013)

Hi Gerard, thanks for the feedback. This London Plane actually came from Alex in Surrey, but the tree grew within the grounds of The Tower of London (nice I think).
I looked into this and it turns out London Plane is actually a French native, and the historical people at the Tower are progressively removing planes (at least some of them) and replacing with oak.
I'm very interested in your LP/pear piece - and would be keen to see your plane/lacewood anyway. I have some steamed pear tucked away somewhere but not decided how to use it. generally I like the colour of unsteamed but the combination sounds good.
On the subject of lacewood it appears the Americans call several woods lacewood, and this can cause some confusion. If you were to get Robert (Timberline) on the subject of proper lacewood (London plane) be prepared for a rant! (Only matched by getting Bill Carter started on 'the ruler trick'... :shock: 

Nipping away for a few days so will pick this up on return. Deadline suddenly rather close.


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## condeesteso (30 Jul 2013)

Deadline been and gone, but all done in time. Jim kindly donated some very fine kid leather for the upper tray liner, the drawers remain bare cedar of L.
I'm happy that so far the top is looking very stable so the patience pre-conditioning it may have paid off.
Had to cheat with Ian's hinges into the lid so the screws are cut short and epoxy does the rest:














I don't anticipate making another box for a while, back on the bigger stuff now (an interesting Asian style lounger at the moment...) but I do enjoy an occasional box, the levels of precision I am trying for are a challenge and I do feel it tunes me up a bit


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## devonwoody (30 Jul 2013)

Douglas I like your box design and your workmanship looks top class. 

I might have a change myself and go back to a jewellery box, we have five granddaughters so no shortage of homes for them.


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## Harbo (30 Jul 2013)

Very nice - must have a go at one?

I've got some quarter sawn LP in my shop that I bought a few yrs back.

Rod


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## jimi43 (30 Jul 2013)

Having seen the final masterpiece close up....I am impressed by the attention to detail that you have paid to this piece.

Everything is in miniature, so is commensurately more difficult and intricate.

'Tis a thing of beauty to be sure and your daughter is one lucky lady to have such a beautiful heirloom to pass on to her children.

Annie was very impressed too! See what you've started now!!

The grain of the leather matches that of the wood to perfection......what a chance find that was indeed!

Cheers

Jimi


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## No skills (30 Jul 2013)

I'm not a fan of lacewood but this is a nice bit of work.


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## markturner (1 Aug 2013)

Very Nice indeed Douglas....


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## condeesteso (3 Aug 2013)

Thanks for the comments all (and Mr Turner - been a while, and the Corian router table is fantastic, thanks 
Re Skills and lacewood... totally understand. When I conceived this I had got the very nice LP and was excited as it had been difficult to find.
I still like it a lot but I'm not sure where it is going. By that I mean how will it all look in 40 years time. I wonder now if LP needs to be really designed around - to a distinctive style that suits it - Nouveau perhaps, more curvy, delicate etc.
I still have a stack but I'm in no rush to use it until I am very clear about how.
That cherry's a bit tasty though, eh??!
Another wood I have issues with - b-b-b-inga. I try to avoid using exotic hardwoods at all, and from now I will be more rigorous in that - but I don't like the smell, and it works lovely on the quarter, but at 90 degrees to that (tangential) it tears every which way, even with the 55 degree Philly. Just finishing an Asian lounger in it and I'll be pleased to see it go.
Back to native hardwoods for me for a while


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## No skills (5 Aug 2013)

Douglas

I think the LP is a love it or hate it kinda thing, maybe finds its place in 'surprise' areas of good furniture - hidden drawers or inside a writers desk etc.

The cherry is lovely, from the same boards as the butcher block project I assume. I will be trying to track down two large waney slabs of cherry or walnut next year, have a nakashima table in mind and I want to have something stored and drying for when the time is right.

I don't particularly make anything nice or decorative so have no time spent with any exotic woods really, I respect peoples want to work with local timbers but must say from a viewing/buying(?) perspective I'm finding oak quite tedious unless its a brown or burr type.

Wow that's a pretentious thing to say  especially from a total butcher such as myself, anybody else on oak overload?

Anyways, lovely piece.


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