# Several Boxes



## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I've made a couple of boxes. First one is storage our folding cribbage board, several packs of cards and the rules (gets used more than you would think!). 3/8" cherry all around. [edit: oops, ends are 3/8" walnut] Finger joints made on an Incra LS with custom templates produced with pyRouterJig. 

Second one is a gift wine box that I made as a test run. Will make a bunch more for a party we're hosting later in the spring. 3/8" alder with 1/8" cherry slide lid. 1/4" box joints made with an Incra LS. Alder might seem like an odd choice but I have a ton of it and it's relatively stable at 3/8".

Both were finished with minwax wipe-on poly. I skimped a little on sanding the wine box - only put on 2 coats sanding down to 320. Will go at least one more layer for production.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

PhilBa said:


> I've made a couple of boxes. First one is storage our folding cribbage board, several packs of cards and the rules (gets used more than you would think!). 3/8" cherry all around. Finger joints made on an Incra LS with custom templates produced with pyRouterJig.
> 
> Second one is a gift wine box that I made as a test run. Will make a bunch more for a party we're hosting later in the spring. 3/8" alder with 1/8" cherry slide lid. 1/4" box joints made with an Incra LS. Alder might seem like an odd choice but I have a ton of it and it's relatively stable at 3/8".
> 
> Both were finished with minwax wipe-on poly. I skimped a little on sanding the wine box - only put on 2 coats sanding down to 320. Will go at least one more layer for production.


Yeah...nice boxes. Your wine bottle box reminds me of a pencil box we had to make in school when I was a kid in England...except I think yours is bigger...and I dare say a WHOLE lot nicer!

Out this way we use alder for making cabinet frames mostly. There's a moderate supply of it down on the west coast here.


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Very nice work Phil. I just arrived home from a visit from very good friends who own a winery in NJ. I will be visiting them in the fall. I plan on surprising them with some boxes to show off their premier wines. I like the sleek style that you used in making the wine box. I just need to decide on the wood to use. Thanks for posting.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I got about 400 bf of alder for $50. Most of it is rough sawn 8/4 for this box I planed/resawed/planed some of it. After dealing with warpage, I was able to get 3 3/8" finished boards out of an 8/4 piece. It does have a tendency to shatter on the router bit where the grain is fairly figured so I just avoid those parts. I use it for handles and sanding blocks but thought I'd give making boxes a try. The grain is actually kind of nice.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Arcola60 said:


> Very nice work Phil. I just arrived home from a visit from very good friends who own a winery in NJ. I will be visiting them in the fall. I plan on surprising them with some boxes to show off their premier wines. I like the sleek style that you used in making the wine box. I just need to decide on the wood to use. Thanks for posting.


Be sure to size it to the largest bottle you can see it being used for. I took a quick survey of my "cellar" and got 11 7/8" as the tallest so I made the inside 12" tall. Unfortunately, the first bottle I tried to put in it was 12 1/8". Guess my survey was a lil too quick. Also bottles for burgundy (& pinot noir) are wider than cabernet or white wine.

Would love to see pix of what you make.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Geez, Phil, you and Ellery do some sweet stuff! 

Our H.S. shop teacher used to refer to Alder as 'Poor Man's Maple'.
I'm guessing that out here on the West Coast, back in the '60s, it was cheap like borscht.

It's _still_ a bargain...
Alder | West Wind Hardwood


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Geez, Phil, you and Ellery do some sweet stuff!
> 
> Our H.S. shop teacher used to refer to Alder as 'Poor Man's Maple'.
> I'm guessing that out here on the West Coast, back in the '60s, it was cheap like borscht.
> ...


Starting at $1.95? Cherryville Chucks free Birch is sure starting to sound like the best deal on the planet! :smile:


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Very nice Phil. Haven't seen anything made of Alder nice choice.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Very nice.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Well done.


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

Very nice job, Phil!


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## jj777746 (Jan 17, 2015)

PhilBa said:


> I've made a couple of boxes. First one is storage our folding cribbage board, several packs of cards and the rules (gets used more than you would think!). 3/8" cherry all around. [edit: oops, ends are 3/8" walnut] Finger joints made on an Incra LS with custom templates produced with pyRouterJig.
> 
> Second one is a gift wine box that I made as a test run. Will make a bunch more for a party we're hosting later in the spring. 3/8" alder with 1/8" cherry slide lid. 1/4" box joints made with an Incra LS. Alder might seem like an odd choice but I have a ton of it and it's relatively stable at 3/8".
> 
> Both were finished with minwax wipe-on poly. I skimped a little on sanding the wine box - only put on 2 coats sanding down to 320. Will go at least one more layer for production.


Nice "little boxes" Phil, now I cant get that darn song out of my mind.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Elegant design. Simplicity is often not simple at all.


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