Wood Box
I was going to make a nice wooden box for a Christmas present, so I decided to make a test box first. I made the test box out of pine and ran out of time to make the real one out of better wood. I wasn't completely satisfied with how the pine took the stain (a bit blotchy in spots) and I noticed a few small contraction cracks between pieces, so it wasn't good enough as a "real" present. I wound up giving it to my mom recently (not for Christmas) and she loved it.
I used a miter saw, router table and 1/2" pine for everything. I cut a dado in the rails/stiles (not exactly rails or stiles) for the lid and base and a tenon (tongue) on all 4 sides of the panels. The four sides of the box were glued to the corner posts and clamped. When the shell was complete, I drilled holes in the bottom of each corner post. I made some dowel locators on the lathe. The dowel locators are basically small transfer punches. One end has a shaft the same diameter as the dowel to be used and is pressed into the holes to be transferred. There is a collar to prevent them from going too deep in the holes and getting lost, and a sharp point on the other end to mark the second work piece. I placed the locators in the holes I drilled in the shell, placed it where I wanted on the base and pressed down. This created perfectly aligned marks to drill the base for the dowels. Once the shell was doweled and glued to the base, I located the hinges and chiseled the mortises by hand. I also added some magnets in the lid aligned with 2 screws on the rim for a simple method of closure.
It is not a good idea to apply felt (or any other liner) directly to the workpiece if you can avoid it. Depending on what the box will be used for, the fabric will probably become worn out over time. Removing fabric attached with contact adhesive would be a nightmare, so I made removable panels. The panels are 1/4" foam board cut for a snug fit. I used contact adhesive from a spray can and covered each piece individually. Click the pictures for larger images.
I used a miter saw, router table and 1/2" pine for everything. I cut a dado in the rails/stiles (not exactly rails or stiles) for the lid and base and a tenon (tongue) on all 4 sides of the panels. The four sides of the box were glued to the corner posts and clamped. When the shell was complete, I drilled holes in the bottom of each corner post. I made some dowel locators on the lathe. The dowel locators are basically small transfer punches. One end has a shaft the same diameter as the dowel to be used and is pressed into the holes to be transferred. There is a collar to prevent them from going too deep in the holes and getting lost, and a sharp point on the other end to mark the second work piece. I placed the locators in the holes I drilled in the shell, placed it where I wanted on the base and pressed down. This created perfectly aligned marks to drill the base for the dowels. Once the shell was doweled and glued to the base, I located the hinges and chiseled the mortises by hand. I also added some magnets in the lid aligned with 2 screws on the rim for a simple method of closure.
It is not a good idea to apply felt (or any other liner) directly to the workpiece if you can avoid it. Depending on what the box will be used for, the fabric will probably become worn out over time. Removing fabric attached with contact adhesive would be a nightmare, so I made removable panels. The panels are 1/4" foam board cut for a snug fit. I used contact adhesive from a spray can and covered each piece individually. Click the pictures for larger images.