Bandsaw boxes

[heatherw]

I've been spending most of my workshop time recently making bandsaw boxes, apart from getting inspiration from Youtube videos I've also been following this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Puzzle-Boxe...&qid=1387135044&sr=1-1&keywords=bandsaw+boxes which is fascinating but quite complicated, so instead of following my usual practice of reading and then inventing my own, I'm following it pretty closely until I have all the techniques worked out.

You have to concentrate, or you cut things in the wrong order and that's really hard to fix.

Thought you might like to see what I've been up to so far. Mostly I've been using bits of wood I had lying around, but for the big one I used some olive which I've been saving for something special, it took ages to make, partly because I had to glue it up from waney edged planks, and every time I had to add a new one to get to the required thickness I was agonising about using yet more of it.

This one was made form the entrails of the other one, depending on the size you can do this ad infinitum

This is the big one, obviously there are a lot of things I'd change now I've made one, however, the second person that clapped eyes on it bought it, which makes me feel better about using up my olive.

And with some of the drawers open

Hope you find this interesting.

Oh and a different type made out of fir with walnut handles

 

[deema]

Stinning, well done. I love the olive box.

 

[heatherw]

Thanks Deema,

Surprisingly enough the olive, which is very heavy and dense, and 6" thick, cuts like butter with a 3/16" tuffsaws blade which leaves a really smooth finish. The 1/8" blade, however, although it cuts tighter curves, leaves more of a striated finish and quite a thick kerf.

 

[Scoffy]

Wow! They are brilliant, they must have taken a very long time to make, the 006 & 010 look a bit like southern yellow pine.

 

[heatherw]

They may be, Scoffy, here they call it pinotea and I don't know the english name for it. It cuts and finishes really well and is used for higher class joinery rather than Swedish pine, it is a very yellow stripey colour and I don't like it when stained, though people do stain it quite often, so I only ever used it where it would fit in. It often has resin pockets, though.

The simple boxes don't take too long to make, mainly the gluing up and trying not to lose track of the pieces. I lost count of the hours the olive one took, though, and the 1/8" blade came unwelded half way through so had to wait a week for the new one to arrive from Tuffsaws. Ian treated me very well, sent me a new one free of charge as I was ordering a couple of others.

 

[Baldhead]

Very nice boxes, in the new year I will contact Ian at Tuffsaws and order some blades from him, I've heard so many good comments about both him and his blades.

I will also add bandsaw boxes to my long list of 'to do's'.

Thanks for showing them.

Baldhead

 

[RossJarvis]

And with some of the drawers open

That is lovely =D> , thanks for showing it

 

[MARK.B.]

Great looking box's Heather, have not made one myself yet but it's on my to do list

 

[heatherw]

I warn you, Baldhead and Mark, it's addictive! I'm just coming out of detox now.

 

[deema]

The work you have produced has enticed me to buy the book from Amazon......Santa will hopefully be coming early and I can get stuck in trying to make something as nice as your boxes.

 

[heatherw]

Thanks for all the nice remarks, everyone. I just followed the book, though.

One thing I needed to do to be able to cut small pieces completely square on my bandsaw was to put a piece of hardboard over the table, first cutting half way in with the blade. This is because the model I have has a plastic insert which flexes under the pressure of cutting small pieces which bear almost entirely on the insert. I used a kitchen drawer bottom which was lying around, and it makes the wood move more smoothly on the table as well. I didn't bother to fix it down, but you could easily do so with a couple of bits of sellotape.

 

[Waka]

Like your boxes a lot.
I have been knocking some out in the last couple of weeks, but not up to your standard.

 

[xy mosian]

These are lovely. Well done for keeping your wits about you while making them, I'll bet it is very easy to lose track.
xy

 

[Johnandp]

Hi
Great boxes, you make my efforts look very average! They are wonderfully addictive! Can I ask what bandsaw with what blade do you use? I could never cut that tight radii on mine but I'm using 1/4 blade. I have been looking at the carter blade stabilizers but I'm not sure it's completely neccessary?

Regards
John

 

[heatherw]

Hi Johnandpi,

Sorry, I only just saw this post.

Seeing as I was following the book religiously, I used a 3/16" blade to cut the slabs and gentle curves, and a 1/8" blade to cut the tight curves. The book mentions 2 types of 1/8" blade, one leaving a thinner kerf than the other but I only managed to obtain one type, mine is from Tuffsaws but I looked online at a lot of suppliers and many didn't even have the 1/8" blade, noone had more than one option. I was toying with the idea of using a scrollsaw to cut the inside of the drawers, so as
to leave a smaller kerf, but it would have been much harder, and I don't know whether it would have worked.

 

[gregmcateer]

Heather,
They are really great - good work
Greg

 

[Metal_Gazza]

Nice work Heather! What make of bandsaw are you using? Do you have to finish the band sawn edges or do you get a smooth finish from the blades?

 

[Lons]

Hi Heather

They are very very nice and I'm not surprised you sold the olive box immediately.
One day I'll have a go as well but I've just started tuning pens so a bit preoccupied :lol:

I've just received my first couple of blades from Tuffsaws and they are worth the every penny.

Bob

 

[heatherw]

Hi Metalgazza,

I have a SIP heavy duty 14" bandsaw, the old model no. 01489. The book recommends a 14" bandsaw (throat, not depth of cut), the author says that smaller bandsaws can cut the curves but don´t have the depth of cut and can't put sufficient tension on the blade, and larger ones can't cut the curves, (If I remember rightly, the book isn't here with me). I would take this with a pinch of salt, though, Steve Maskery and at least one other forum member both say they can use a 1/16" blade on their larger bandsaws.

I just happened to have this model, I certainly didn´t buy it specially.

Hope this helps,

Heather