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

Small Boxes from Hardwood Scraps

 As I now have more trays than I need, yet also more scraps to use up, it is time to move on to making boxes from the thicker scraps.  My trays.

Clamping the boards down to CNC the box varies depending on the block and what shape of box I want to make from it.  Some were held in my low profile vise.  Some were wedged in place, and some were held with clamps on the left and right when the board was longer than the box being cut from it. 

Assorted Boxes

To get a good fit for the lids I used the same inside vector that I used to pocket out the box to make a rabbet on the lid perimeter.  A 3 degree tapered end mill was used, but I told the software it was a 1/8" end mill.  That let the lids slip on easily but snap/wedge tight.  I cut the lid shape 1/16" too large, then trimmed them flush to the box shape with a flush trim bit on my router table. 

Lids On.

Several nice scraps of hardwoods were used, including Ash, Birch, Bubinga, Cherry, Koa, Maple, and both red and white Oak. 

Making small boxes was an easy way to use up several scraps.   A long scrap I would cut in half and glue the halves together to make a shorter thicker scrap more useful to make a box from. Thin scraps got used up to make the lids.  Sometimes the same wood as the box, and sometimes a different wood. The little red Bubinga box has a lid made from a Koa scrap.

Comments welcomed.

4D