# More dovetails and a work in progress



## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

About two weeks ago I got a #45 combination plane (Ward Mastercraft, a Stanley 45 but sold through Monkey-Wards). This is pretty much a complete plane and in 85% condition (90% if you don't count the pitting on the blades).

So I've made a new blade storage box and used that as an opportunity to play around with veneering. Now I need a box to store the plane and all its accessories. Digging through my scrap pile I pulled out some left over poplar from my Shaker cupboard. This was more of the stuff that had so much of the green (sapwood I think) that it would show through the milk paint I used for the cupboard. Except there wasn't quite enough even resawing. So rather than drive all the way to my usual hardwood supplier I just hit the wood bunker at my local Home Depot. Found some interesting stuff mixed in with the poplar including a really funky quilted piece which I'll use and post later.

Approximately 15" x 10" x 8" for the out side dimension. Thickness is on the order of 1/2". Not a critical dimension, but all milled at the same time to make layout easier. And the bottom of the box is frame-and-panel construction. No plywood in this one. By making it frame-and-panel, the bottom floats to expand and contract. And the frame gets glued long-grain to long-grain to the inside walls of the box. Plenty strong. I did the glued frame because a 1/2" thick side is really a bit thin to have a sturdy groove for a floating panel.

The lid will be a slip fit lid, also dovetailed around its perimeter. Its top will be a raised panel.

All hand cut, I'm getting faster, the dovetailing took me about 3 hours this time. Yeah, a router is faster but it just seems more fitting to hand-cut as much as possible since this is going to be home to a vintage handplane.


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## Robert Potter (Nov 30, 2006)

Nice job on the case and great looking dove tails.

Bob


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Nice work on the dovetails! Hand cut, wow!


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

CanuckGal said:


> Nice work on the dovetails! Hand cut, wow!


If I can do it, you can do it! 

Deb, I hereby challenge you to try.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Rob I haven't even made a dovetail with the router YET. I was going to try some small boxes with the Incra Jig on the router table in the next couple of weeks. I've seen Mark Duginski (sp?) cut them on a bandsaw and thought that quite clever. I believe I have even seen someone do it on the TS. I saw the video of the fellow hand cut them in under 3 minutes. That is a true craftsman. Maybe after I get some machined dove tails under my belt I'll try them hand cut. At the moment I don't even have a hand saw that would do it. Oh boy, I guess that means I'll have to buy more tools! :yes4:


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## gal turner (Mar 3, 2010)

yep, CanuckGal, that's how we accumulate so many tools. Gotta have new stuff to try. Great box Rob, well crafted


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

CanuckGal said:


> Rob I haven't even made a dovetail with the router YET. I was going to try some small boxes with the Incra Jig on the router table in the next couple of weeks. I've seen Mark Duginski (sp?) cut them on a bandsaw and thought that quite clever. I believe I have even seen someone do it on the TS. I saw the video of the fellow hand cut them in under 3 minutes. That is a true craftsman. Maybe after I get some machined dove tails under my belt I'll try them hand cut. At the moment I don't even have a hand saw that would do it. Oh boy, I guess that means I'll have to buy more tools! :yes4:


Got a hack saw frame? 1/2" wood and around a 14tpi blade should do it. Seriously, if I get time this weekend I'll prove it. 

Otherwise, next time you are someplace that has Lynx brand saws their Gent's Saw (sorry, they don't have a Lady's saw :wacko is less than $20 and can serve double duty as a small cut-off and flush cutting saw. But I suggest that you stone the sides just a little to take out some of the set. Another good alternative is the Shark Saw SHARK CORPORATION;High Quality Hand Tools These are pull saws, very fine set and I've seen them at Ace Hardware stores in the USA as well as Home Depot. About $20 and they work very well. I have one but I've switched back to using a western style push cutting saw. Only because it feels more natural to me and a push saw doesn't fuzz up the line on the side facing me. Pull saws will so it has the potential to obscure any marks or knife lines. YMMV.

Any kind of handcut joinery along with basic sharpening skills and layout skills are gateways to better power tools work. Just knowing that you have the ability to fine tune a tablesaw or router cut joint with well sharpened handtools will produce the confidence to try bigger and more complicated builds.

And besides, did you really need and EXCUSE to get more tools? :lol:


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Well I took the challenge, sort of  I did make my first dovetails but I used the Incra Jig on the router table. Fussy little thing. But when you get it right they come out nice. Just a little box I made to hold my smokes. Thanks for the motivation Rob!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Dep (Deb)

Nice job..,,,here's one more you can made to help you cut back 

Donkey Cigarette Dispenser - Archie McPhee & Co.

I made one a long time ago out of wood  it didn't help me but who knows it may help you 


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CanuckGal said:


> Well I took the challenge, sort of  I did make my first dovetails but I used the Incra Jig on the router table. Fussy little thing. But when you get it right they come out nice. Just a little box I made to hold my smokes. Thanks for the motivation Rob!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

CanuckGal said:


> Well I took the challenge, sort of  I did make my first dovetails but I used the Incra Jig on the router table. Fussy little thing. But when you get it right they come out nice. Just a little box I made to hold my smokes. Thanks for the motivation Rob!



Deb,

If that is your first effort, you should be very pleased.

James


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

LOL Bob, thanks! I suppose if they tasted like... well maybe one day I'll kick this nasty habit. 

Thanks James! I am very pleased and will be trying some other things with the jig soon.
Don't want to hijack Rob's thread, just wanted to thank him for the inspiration.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Well done Deb and Rob I may try those one day, but for now I have my hands full with several other projects that have deadlines.


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

bobj3 said:


> Hi Dep (Deb)
> 
> Nice job..,,,here's one more you can made to help you cut back
> 
> ...


Archie McPhee has a great catalog of gag gifts! Always something smart-ass (ha) to use for a stocking stuffer or office party gift.


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

CanuckGal said:


> LOL Bob, thanks! I suppose if they tasted like... well maybe one day I'll kick this nasty habit.
> 
> Thanks James! I am very pleased and will be trying some other things with the jig soon.
> Don't want to hijack Rob's thread, just wanted to thank him for the inspiration.


Well done on the box! Off to a good start there. And hijack away any time you feel like it.

Quick question about cigarette boxes. Is the use of Spanish Cedar in cigarette boxes common? In a cigar humidor it works well to help control humidity and imparts what most would consider a pleasant taste. I've only seen a few antique wooden cigarette boxes but I can't say I know how they were finished. Nor what they were made of. Very light weight though.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Rob mine is made out of some scrap mystery wood (either oak or ash, don't know which) and the top is walnut. Being that it was my first try at dovetails I thought scrap wood the best choice. I will eventually finish it with a couple of coats of wipe on poly just to stop the wood from dehydrating the cigarettes.
I don't know that I would want the box adding anything to the smokes, flavour or aroma. Of course if they tasted bad I might quit. Still trying.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

bobj3 said:


> Hi Dep (Deb)
> 
> Nice job..,,,here's one more you can made to help you cut back
> 
> ...



BJ,

When I used to smoke, I always thought that was how Camel cigarettes were made.....

I did not know you had a brand called 'Donkey' in the US....:haha: :haha:

James


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi James

We in the states only sale the best 

I have been called this a time or two for smoking ( You Dumb Jack A** )

YouTube - Dramatic Donkey Cigarette Dispenser - Archie McPhee

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jw2170 said:


> BJ,
> 
> When I used to smoke, I always thought that was how Camel cigarettes were made.....
> 
> ...


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## cobra51999 (Mar 7, 2010)

CanuckGal said:


> Well I took the challenge, sort of  I did make my first dovetails but I used the Incra Jig on the router table. Fussy little thing. But when you get it right they come out nice. Just a little box I made to hold my smokes. Thanks for the motivation Rob!


Nice job.


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

CanuckGal said:


> Rob mine is made out of some scrap mystery wood (either oak or ash, don't know which) and the top is walnut. Being that it was my first try at dovetails I thought scrap wood the best choice. I will eventually finish it with a couple of coats of wipe on poly just to stop the wood from dehydrating the cigarettes.
> I don't know that I would want the box adding anything to the smokes, flavour or aroma. Of course if they tasted bad I might quit. Still trying.


You might consider shellac instead. Just the stuff from the can, cut 1:1 with denatured alcohol (obviously not while smoking). Once dry, shellac is very neutral. It is used as part of the "shell" for some pills. No point in making the situation worse by somehow contaminating the cigarettes.

Plus it drys very quickly. You can laydown a couple of coats in just a few hours. And if you notice a run or bad spot after it drys, a little alcohol will disolve the shellac and let you fix the boo-boo.


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

*Lid is drying*

OK, I did some more work on my box and finished the lid construction. The first coat of oil and wax finish is drying. I'm pretty happy with the oil and wax as a quickie finish. Its going to get banged up so having a simple and renewable finish is a plus.

















I didn't have a large enough piece of poplar left to mill and make a panel for the top so I stopped at my local Home Depot on the way home the other day. I knew I wanted the panel to be around 1/2" thick so even though it would be expensive per board foot, I decided to look at the 1/2" stock. HD sells milled "whitewood" which is a mix of poplar and aspen. Well, I think I found the only piece of quilted aspen I'll ever see. I suppose it could be soft maple but the grain structure just doesn't look right for a maple. Anyway, wild looking stuff. :jester:

I pretty much just hacked this whole thing together with a combination of the ugliest and craziest looking wood from my scrap pile (except for buying the quilted mystery wood for the top panel). Whole thing kinda grows on you after a while. :sarcastic:

Oh, and its a nice piston fit for the lid. Just floats down on a cushion of air. Almost like I planned it that way. :laugh:

Construction details:
Sides are dovetailed together, more hand cutting. Surface was planed to level out the pins and tails. The raised panel as done in the table saw and then fine tuned to fit its frame with a shoulder plane and #4 plane. The frame of the frame-and-panel was also a combination of tablesaw and handplane work to do final fitting. The quilted wood of the panel was smoothed with a card scraper followed by a quick touch with 220 grit to knock off any remaining fuzz. All the gluing was done with either hot hide glue or liquid hide glue. As I mentioned above, the finish is an oil & wax. Just equal parts of boiled linseed oil (BLO), beeswax (chopped up small to dissolve faster) and turpentine (to dissolve the beeswax). It lives in a small Mason jar and as it gets used up I just top it off with fresh ingredients.

Once the oil has had a chance to soak in and the wax harden up I'll post a picture of the lid on the box.


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)




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