A Small Maple Box with a Contoured Lid.

This little box was cut from 4 corner scraps left over from a previous project.  The 4 corners were glued together to make a board with enough area for this 3" x 3" box. 

The lid was made from a scrap of Walnut wood I found in my scrap bin. The walnut was a bit thicker than I liked, so I cut the top to taper down to a thinner edge. 

Contoured Top

The bottom has a rabbet edge with a 3 degree slope for a fit that slips on easy but wedges tight.

Rabbeted edge

The lid overhangs the box by 1/16" to make it easier to pop the lid off. 

Overhanging Edge

The contrast between lid an box wasn't my original intent.  I started with a scrap of beech for the top but it worked loose while being cut and was ruined. A constant potential of using the CNC for making small parts.  I may darken the box with a walnut stain to lessen the contrast between box and lid. 

4D

 

Low Angle Dovetail Joint

I found this joint sample hiding in a box of CNC-cut joinery samples I made for students to consider when designing their project. 

For Low Angle Corners

One half slides into the other half.

Not quite as simple as it looks to cut

I endeavored to figure out how to connect wood pieces at any angle with a CNC-cut joint while I was teaching.  This is an extreme sample that I don't remember ever using for a student project.  The left half in the photo above is the complicated one to cut.  The sides taper in as the bottom of the dovetail is narrower than the top.  

This sample will return to the box I found it in to wait hopefully for the day when it can come out to inspire a real corner connection on an actual project. 

4D 

T-Square/Marking Gauge Add-On for a Small Ruler

Not all projects take a lot of time or a lot of wood.  A little scrap of Bubinga that was headed for the trash bin turned out to be the perfect material scrap for this project. 

Bubinga Scrap

Three CNC toolpaths.  Three vectors. Two router bits.  The slot that the ruler slides into was cut with a 1/8" t-slot bit.  The center area and curved edge were cut with the same 3/16" spiral down-cut end mill.  The blue friction tape keeps the ruler in place but still lets it slide out easy for compact storage. 

T-Square

This little block of wood turns a simple cheap ruler into a slightly more useful T-Square.  I plan to add this ruler/T-square to a drawing kit box project.  

A bonus feature is that the ruler can slide through.  This allows it to work as a marking gauge.

Marking Gauge

To insure that the ruler won't slide when using it I cut a recess under the friction tape for a small square nut, and added a thumb screw to lock the ruler in place.

Thumb Screw to lock it in place. 

 I'm delighted with how well it works and easy it was to make.  The bubinga scrap is delighted to be something useful.   😊

4D

 

A Pencil Case. CNC Cut.

 A member of a router forum suggested I look into making a pencil box. 

A Pencil Shaped Box

As I designed the pencil shaped box I pondered what it might hold.  I concluded that a pencil box would most obviously hold a pencil.

Splits open to access a #2 pencil

This project though has provoke my runaway imagination to design a box that would hold much more. 

A pencil case at minimum only has to hold a single pencil.  I started out with a simple pencil shaped case that holds one pencil.  The hexagram body of the case was easy.  The conical tip was the challenge.  Sharpening the end of the case proved to be a challenge.  Half of a tapered cone cut from each side is what was needed. I figured out how to model the half cone, but not how to cut it.  I had to wait until both sides were done then clamped them together and vertically to use the moulding toolpath to cut the cone end. 

Alignment to the Y axis of my CNC for long skinny projects like this is a persistent challenge. Using my low profile vise to hold the first half of this single pencil case I took care to align the vise and board before cutting it. The vise was clamped down and not moved for the second half but clearly that was a mistake. The second half was slightly mis-aligned on one end.  Some sanding and a little trim router use cleaned up the mis-aligned edges.  

Many of these box projects have been excellent lessons on dealing with small projects and the precision needed.  Well worth the time.  Well worth the experience provided. 

4D

Red Zebra Wood Box with a Slide -in Lid

Poplar Lid

Mistakes are easy to make if you don't pay attention. This little Red Zebra Wood box with a Poplar slide-on lid looks fine, but the grain orientation of the lid should have been the same as the grain orientation of the box.  As such there will eventually be another lid for this box. 

The slot for the lid to slide into was cut with a t-slot bit. 

Lid Off.

The fit is good, but as wood likes to expand or contract across the grain when humidity changes I can't trust that the fit will always be the same. 

Slides in easily.

The red zebra wood block was dense and heavy.  It cut clean and nice.  The Poplar lid also cut nicely but wanted to split out on the edges. Toolpaths need were simple to create.  The same vectors were used for both the box and the lid.  A small .003" allowance was used for the lid toolpaths so they wouldn't be too tight to slide in easily.

Alas I couldn't quit until the box had a new lid with the grain running left to right rather than up and down the lid.   Here is the box with a lid made from Ash wood. 

New Ash Lid.

Comments encouraged!

4D  

Walnut Box with a Hinged Lid

  I've had this block of Claro Walnut in my stash for a month or so. Recently it dared me to make something from it. 

Rough Block in Vise

It took a few steps to turn this block into a hinged box.  First step was to cut out the inside and then the outer edge using a 1/4" end mill. 

Inside and Outer Edge Done

Next step was to use a 3/16" end mill to cut slots for a hinge plate near each end. 

Hinge Slots Cut

The last step using the CNC was to round over the back edge using a 3/16" ball nosed bit. 

Rounded Back Edge

While in the vise I couldn't cut the bottom 1/2" of the perimeter so the box moved over to my trim router table to be flush cut.

Ready to Flush Cut

The flush cut bit struggled cutting the end grain sides and left some sanding to be done to even out the surface.

Flush Cut. Some Sanding Needed.

A lid and hinges were still needed.  For the lid I found an old strip of 3/4" thick walnut.  I cut off 10" or so, then ripped it  2" wide using my table saw. Next I used my bandsaw to slice it in half.   I took one half and ran it through my drum sander to sand it smooth and uniformly thick.  That strip was cut into 3 pieces, which I then glued together side by side.  This left me with a thin piece large enough to cut the lid from. 

Lid.  CNC Done

Next came the band saw to free the shape from the rough block.

Bandsaw to free the lid.

Then to my trim router table to clean up the edges. 

Flush Cut the Edges

Now trimmed close to the shape of the box, and waiting for hinge plate inserts.

Slots align.

Hinge plates are cut from 6mm thick Baltic Birch plywood.  Glued into the slots in the lid. Pinned into the box with 1/8"d steel pins.

Lid Attached

The lid opens 90 degrees but no more. Action is smooth but I may test if a little wax on the hinge plate makes a difference. 

Lid closed.

All machining processes done.   Some manual sanding and a final coat of finish or two or three is all that is left to do.   A fun project. A good mental exercise. A useful box. Fewer wood scraps to deal with.  4 wins!

Comments encouraged!

4D 





 

Cherry Box with a Slide-On Lid

I'm trying to master every kind of lid that a small box could have.  So far I've mastered simple drop on lids, a swivel lid, and hinged lids.   This little cherry box has a maple lid that slides on.  An undercut dovetail edge keeps it in place.  

CNC is done with the box.

Two pocket cuts were needed as well as one profile pass to make the box.  The center area and the front edge were pocket cuts.  The dovetailed undercut was a profile on-the-line pass.

Making the lid was the biggest challenge as all sides of it needed to be cut from a block barely larger than the final lid shape.  I split the dovetail undercut side and back edges into two paths, one for the right side and one for the left side.  That way I could clamp down the side that wasn't being cut.   I also was able to check the fit into the box while the lid was still clamped to the CNC.  Two minor .005" resets of the X axis and recuts of both sides crept up on a very good fit. 

A nice slip fit.

The dovetail undercut worked very well, although it took some careful toolpath creation for both the box and lid to fit so well.  Knowing the diameter and slope of the dovetail bit at different depths is the key.  Some drafting required. 

Half way open.

I also like the contrast between the maple lid and the cherry box. Grain alignment of both should eliminate any threat of the fit changing with humidity changes. 

Just Two Parts.

Before this box existed the wood used was just two scrap cutoffs from other larger projects.  I've always resisted throwing out cutoff ends if they were of a good hardwood.  Wood pieces with flaws or splits often have an undamaged section that could be used, if only there was a project for small pieces.   These little boxes are that project. 

Comments encourage!

4D

Double Hinged Lidded Box

This is another project to use up some wood scraps.  It is also a personal challenge to see if I can make a working hinge for the lids from scraps. The box is red oak.  The lids are white oak.  The hinge plates are 6mm thick Baltic Birch plywood. Shorts lengths of 1/8" diameter stainless steel dowels are what the lids pivot over.  

Lids Open

A problem encountered was inconsistent pockets cut using my CNC.  The pockets for the hinge on the box end used the same vector as the pockets on the lid ends, but one set is narrower than the other.  I'll blame this on the two bits used.  One or both are not exactly the diameter they claim to be. 

Half way opened (or closed?)

The plywood hinge plates were cut from a scrap of 6mm thick baltic birch plywood. Each has a centered hole for the hinge pin, a rounded edge to fit in the slot cut for them, and a very shallow face pocket to thin them to ft in the slots cut for them in the box.  The shallow pocket and the rounded edge were cut on both sides. 

One Lid Closed

The lids were cut roughly 1/32" wider than the box to account for any misalignment when installed.  After some finish is applied to all parts the steel pins will be inserted flush and the lid edges will be flush cut to the box sides. 

The parts were relatively easy to create toolpaths for and cut out.  This project was a good learning exercise.  My next hinged box will benefit from what I learned making this one. 

Comments welcomed and encouraged.

4D 

A Squiggle Box.

Round or square or triangular or any other regular polygon shapes are reasonable shapes for a box.  This little box is my protest against "reasonable".  Presenting my Squiggle Box.  

It was made from a cut off scrap of a butcherblock countertop board, clamped into my low profile CNC vise.  

In my Vise

I had to extend the 1/4" spiral end mill to handle the depth needed for this box.  In addition I had to mount the vise down on the rail for the tailstock of my radial axis.   Cuts started with the center area.

Once the CNC finished it's part of this creation the box block was take to my bandsaw. First to trim away the corners. Next to my trim router table where a flush cut bit cleaned up the bottom 1/2" that the CNC avoided to preserve the jaws of my vise that held it. 

Just the box.

A lid was still needed so another scrap was used to make the lid.

Lid.  A poor fit.

Initial test found that the lid fit depended on how it was oriented to the top of the box.

Correct Orientation

Second test revealed that both orientation and alignment were require to arrive at a snug fit.

A good fit!  Finally. 

The top and bottom were rounded over to remove the sharp edges.  My roundover bit left burn marks though so more sanding will be needed to clean it up before applying a finish.

This little box succeeds in standing out from the ordinary.  It will still hold what other boxes the same size will hold. It is easier to grip and pick up than a smooth round box.  Both features are enough to justify its creation.

4D

Round Box with a Pivoting Lid

 

Box with 5mm Pivot Pin

This round wood box is about finding a way to make a good pivoting lid.  Reliable, obvious and easy action is the goal.  Some strategy yet to be figured out to register the lid when it is fully covering the box.   

Initial idea is a simple short dowel sticking down from the lid.  It bumps against one wall when closed, and bumps against the opposite wall when fully open. The disadvantage of this idea is that the pin imposes into the box volume.  

Lid Fully Closed

Rotates to Open

Lid Fully Open

The action is smooth as the lid rotates around the pin. Stopping when closed works, but could be a better sensation. A snap or click or any affirmation of closure would "feel" nicer.

The lid could also be aesthetically more interesting. This is prototype one. I will consider such improvements when I make the next one. 

4D

Small Box from a Dowel Scrap

 I had a cut off end of a 1.5" diameter red oak dowel that was too nice to throw away.  It haunted me for several month to become something useful.  

My recent exploration into making boxes from scraps of wood suggested that just about any scrap of wood could become a box.   That led to me making this box from that red oak dowel section:

A simple round box

All that was needed was one vector outline of the inside area to pocket it out. The lid was made from the end grain of another red oak scrap. 

End grain lid.

A flat spot on the side of the dowel helped in clamping it down to cut, and orienting it so the lid grain direction aligns with the grain orientation of the box.  What I originally perceived as a flaw turned out to make this easy to clamp down to cut and serves to assure the lid aligns.

More boxes.

So don't throw out the small cutoff scraps of nice hardwoods.  Even scraps too small can be glued to other scraps until the result is big enough to cut a box or small tray from.

Comments welcomed!

4D  

Optimizing CNC Pockets for Hex Nuts

For the closed end wrench handles I made in a previous post I needed a pocket for the hex nuts on the vise shafts.  These are the steps I used to make an optimum vector outline for the CNC cut pockets.  

1. Start by carefully measuring the size of the hex nut.  A digital caliper is preferred for that task. 

Hex Outline

2. Draw a hexagon that size.   My CNC software has a nice polygon drawing tool that makes drawing hexagons easy. 

3/16" Bit Used

3.  Choose the smallest diameter end mill that has enough length to cut a pocket as deep as the nut is thick.   Draw a circle that diameter centered on each corner of the hexagon.  

Corner to Opposite Corner

4. Now draw lines from corner to opposite corner. 

Inner bit outlines

5. Draw another circle the size of the bit centered where the initial circles cross the diagonal lines .

Almost Done!

6. You can now delete the initial circles and diagonal vectors.  

Circles Snipped

Hex Snipped

7.  Hopefully your software has a snipping tool as you need to snip away the section of the new circles that is inside the hexagon, and then snip away the section of the hexagon that is inside what is left of the circle. 

What you are left with should be a closed vector outline of the optimum hex pocket shape. 

Room for Hex Nut Corners

Again, choose an end mill the smallest diameter that is long enough to cut the pocket for the hex nut.  The example above was a 15/16" tall hexagon and the bit used was a 3/16" downcut spiral end mill.  For 1/4-20 hex nuts I use a 1/8" bit.  For even smaller nuts a 1/16" bit can be used.  

Comments always welcomed!

4D