1. Home
  2. Woodturning Crafts
  3. Turning a bunch of small boxes. One quick and dirty method.

Turning a bunch of small boxes. One quick and dirty method.

It's again time to make favors for Lori's Navy Waves & Nurses luncheon. I decided on small boxes as I have several 2 1/4 X 5 1/2 in mahogany cut offs from a cabinet shop. This is my way to turn a bunch of boxes quickly. Nothing new to you old hands, but might be helpful for a beginner and since rcw has only 95 posts this morning I can waste a little bandwidth.

Dimensions are for the wood I have, use your own, but make the drilled underfitting base opening about 3/8" smaller than the overfitting lid to assure enough wood for a strong tenon.

  1. Round a 5" X 2 1/4" sq. blank between centers (spur's MT in or thru a scroll chuck) and turn a 1/8"tenon on the driven end.

  1. Take off of centers and chuck the spindle's tenon.

  1. On the lathe drill a smooth & straight hole in the end of the spindle with full 1/4" walls about 1/4" deep for an overfitting lid. I use a forstner bit. Open up and dome the lid cavity as desired, then sand & polish.

  1. Part off the lid at an appropriate length for desired shape.

  2. Drill an entry hole about 1/4" deep into the base (that remained in the chuck after parting the lid off) 3/8" smaller than the hole in the lid.

  1. Drill a 3/8 or so hole to within 1/4" of the base bottom, leaving enough room between chuck and bottom to cut off slightly concave.

  2. gouge or scrape the base's cavity to desired wall and bottom thickness, leaving the drilled entry hole short but discrete. Sand and polish the cavity.

  1. Part the underfitting base tenon to a near fit, then carefully creep up to a reasonably tight fitting lid.

  2. Attach lid to base and turn the entire box to desired shape. Use tail center if desired. If so, remove the center and detail the top of the lid.

  1. Remove lid and adjust fit and base opening size as desired.

  2. Replace lid, sand smooth and polish/finish as desired.

  1. Part off base leaving a slightly concave bottom.

  2. Remove nub from bottom and sand smooth. No need to detail it. I sign without shame, since there are no woodturners in Lori's group to micro-criticise. :)

OK, what have I left out, added unnecessary steps or flat out done wrong? Please suggest a faster, easier way before I turn 26 boxes. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

formatting link

Reply to
Arch
Loading thread data ...

Im no pro, but this is how I do my boxes -:

Turn between centres turning a tenon on both ends to fit chuck.

Remove 4 point driver from chuck, and insert tenon, placing revolving centre back into the centre of the " floating end " tenon to accuratly centre the piece.

Turn to round ( or shape ) select lid part off point, ( normally at the revolving centre end ) and part.

Move tailstock out of the way and hollow the base, then form the "step" to take the lid

Clean up and seal inside and lip ,

Remove from chuck, put aside and mount the lid on the previously cut tenon. Hollow as required and cut the step to engage with the base to a TIGHT fit, offering up the base to ensure this. Clean up and seal the inside and lip.

Engage the lid to base, matching grain. Mount Base tenon in chuck, bringing up revolving centre to the centre of the lid tenon lid with a light pressure. Any adjustment to the body/sides must be done now, using the tailstock to apply pressure to prevent base-lid slippage. Finish the lid "top" using light cuts, ( a strip of sellotape around the lid-body join helps prevents any slippage ) cutting off the tenon if required, but, to save wood, this can be cleaned up and incorporated into the design.Leave the central "pip" around the revolving centre till last. Clean up the top with the tailstock retracted.

Remove tape (if fitted ) and clean up the body. If any further cuts need to be made to the piece, apply slight pressure to the top using the revolving centre and a "push block" between the revolving centre and the top to prevent base-top slippage.

Unchuck the base, remove top, place elastic band around chuck jaws to prevent marking the inside of the base, which is mounted in the chuck in expansion mode, bring up the tailstock to accuratly centre the piece again, and lightly tighten the chuck. Finish the bottom, again,leaving the central "pip" till last. Unchuck.

The lid - base joint may be "slackened" as required, seal/finish both parts.

Job done

Brian

Have Fun, be safe and live to tell the tale

Reply to
brian white

I like the 'elastic band' use Brian, I'll give that a go!

Tom

Reply to
Tom Storey

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.