A Little Box for Paper Clips

Old Box.  New Use

My box for pins solved one storage challenge for collections of small things.  This box solves that same challenge for my collection of paper clips.  This box has a sliding lid.  The lid's slanted edges slide into an undercut dovetail inner edge of the box. Of course the box needed a label. When closed it was otherwise impossible to tell what was inside. 

Slid Open

With a coat of tongue oil on the lid the letters stand out better.  The clip graphic doesn't look as good as it did in my CNC software render, but it will do. This box consolidates clips found in three places in my house so far. There is room for even more. Now I just need a specific place to keep this box.   😏

4D

Wood Handles for my Wood T-Track Clamps

 

Star Handle

I made a few new wood clamps for my X/Y drill press table, and needed handles for them. This star shaped handle is based on an old design that used an imbedded hex nut for the threads. 

Old Design

The new handles use T-nuts I had on hand for the threads.  These were a bit more complex to make, but they work as intended.

Insert T-nut

With the threads starting at  the bottom of the handle they can be used with short T-bolts.  The old design with the nut on top barely found threads to screw onto short bolts.

My CNC cut the bottom details, including the recessed outer area, the recess for the t-nut, the holes for the t-nut shaft and 5/15-18 bolt, the slots for the t-nut barbs, and the outer profile. The tiny slots for the barbs were cut with a 1.5mm diameter spiral end mill. 

Render from Aspire

Details

Once off the CNC I used my bandsaw to cut them apart, my trim router with a flush cut bit to flush cut the edges, then rounded off the top edges at my other trim router table.   The t-nuts were pressed into the handles using my bench vise. 

This was another quick CNC project, made from a small scrap of birch hardwood.  It took more time to draw up the file and create toolpaths than it did to cut them out.   The nice thing about using my CNC to make them is that I can use the same file to make more if/when I need them. 

My clamp design.   

4D

 

My Push Button Quick Adjust Hand Screw Clamp

I'm a big advocate of push button releases on machines and hand tools.  The push button depth stop on my bench drill makes setting the depth simple and quick. The push button release on my CNC bed vises make opening/closing the jaws quick over 19 inches of jaw travel. 

Push Button Adjust Clamp

I have a couple of classic hand screw clamps, inherited from an Uncle. Both are rather slow to open or close the jaws for what needs to be clamped.  This project is my quest to make my own version that uses push buttons to release the 3/8"-16tpi threaded shafts for quick opening or closing. The jaws are 1" thick, just enough thickness for push buttons and the spring below them. 

Making this work with standard all-thread rather than left/right threads on the shafts was the tricky problem. To control the space between the jaws both screws needed to stay attached to both jaws. The threads can only be in one jaw though. The push button side is the threaded jaw. I needed to trap the thread in the other jaw so it can spin but can't come out. I also needed to allow the trapped ends to pivot.  It passes through a 5/8" HDPE rod that has #6-32 machine screws 90° intersecting the 3/8" hole where the grooves on the shafts are. 

HDPE Inserts and #6-32 Screws

I drilled the 5/8" holes through the jaws using my drill press. I cut the taper to the end on each jaw using my band saw.  My band saw removed most of the wood against the line I drew.  Then my disk sander sanded them down to the line.

I used the rotary axis on my CNC to make the grooves around the threaded shafts.  The bit used was a 1/8" diameter milling bit (4 flutes). I offset the bit by 3/16" and set X, then set Z on the top of the threaded rods, then set Y where I wanted the groove to be.  I turned on the router (set to its lowest speed), stepped Z down .01" then spun the rotary axis 360°.  Stepped down another .01" and repeated the 360 rotation until I was down .19" (a bit below center).  I checked the inner diameter which should have been .25" or a bit less. First try and the groove was a little too shallow   I jogged in .005" and repeated the above steps until the groove was deep enough.   Once I had a good groove on one shaft I repeated the same process on the second shaft. 

Groovy!

Sloped slots for the threaded rods were cut using the fluting toolpath in Aspire.  The shafts can pivot up to 30° either way. 

Sloped Slots

For the push buttons I started with an aluminum rod that was .76" in diameter.  I trimmed the ends square with my metal cutoff saw. Next I clamped the rod vertically in my CNC frame, and then trimmed the rod down to .75"d.  Next step was to mark where the 5/16"d hole needed to be, as well as where the bottom needs to be cut.  Both were done with the rod clamped horizontally in my CNC table vise.  I then removed the vise (with the aluminum rod still clamped tight) and took it to my drill press to drill the 5/16"d hole through the aluminum rod. Then I clamped the vise vertically in my bench vise and used a 3/8-16 tap to cut threads through the rod.  The last step was to open up the intersecting 3/8" hole next to the threaded hole using my CNC and a 1/4" end mill.  The toolpath started in the center of the threaded hole, then moved over to profile around the 3/8" hole.  No plunging into aluminum needed.

Aluminum Buttons and Conical Springs

Once all the details of the buttons were done I cut them off the ends of the aluminum rod. That was done at my cutoff saw. 

All the Parts

With all the parts done I assembled the clamp.  Conical springs in a centered recess below the push buttons keep the threads tight against the 3/8" shafts. Push the buttons down to release the threads and slide the jaws where you want them. Release the buttons to lock the jaws back onto the threads. It sometimes it takes a 1/2 turn of the handles to register the buttons to the threads and get the buttons to pop back up. 

Closed Tight

Wide Open

The sloped slots allow 30° of tilt in either direction. 

Angled Open

Angled Closed

This project was another interesting design challenge. Allowing the threaded shafts to pivot relative to the jaws took a few iterations, some research, and some creative CNC vectors to solve. 

I've already been using this clamp.  It delights me with how quick it is to adjust.  The handles were left overs from my CNC Vise design and may need a few iterations yet.  These work fine but a variation may be needed if I want to use the clamp flat on a table/bench. 

Comments and questions are encouraged and welcome.

4D  

Replacement Trim made with my CNC

 

Pine Trim

A friend need a little trim to replace some that had rotted on her house. She sent a photo which got me close to the profile shape, but an actual section of the trim finalized the vector shape needed to cut it out using my CNC.  

End View 

The angled top and bottom edges I cut using my table saw after the CNC was done with the curved face on the right side.

She could find no commercial source that wanted to make such a small amount of what is apparently a no-longer made trim shape.  I had a pine board with fairly straight grain that was thick enough to cut the trim from. I cut the two strip shapes on one board, then separated them using my table saw.  

A quick job.  It was fairly easy to make the needed vector outline.  The CNC using a file created with the Moulding toolpath in Aspire had no trouble cutting the extruded shapes. 

4D

Compartmented Box for M6 Screw Assortment

I needed some flat head M6 screws for a project, and they came in a cheap subdivided plastic box. Sizes vary from 6mm to 22mm long.  The shiny stainless steel screws looked to me like they deserved a nicer box. This compartmented walnut box was made to hold them. 

Compartmented Box

The lid for the box slips onto the box easy and wedges down securely with a 3 degree tapered edge.  While I do have another piece of walnut that I could use for the top, a scrap of salvaged weathered wood with more interesting grain challenged that presumption. It was thick enough that a second use was cut into the top of it. 

Lid from a Weathered Wood Scrap

It now is a shallow tray to coral whatever small parts my current project may need. 

Parts Tray

A simple project.  Pocket toolpaths for the inner compartments. A profile toolpath for the perimeter. Another pocket for the rabbet edge on the underside of the lid.  Another profile toolpath for the outer shape of the lid.  Then the lid was flipped over to pocket cut the recess center of the tray, and round the inner edge of the recess using a profile on-the-line with a 3/8"d ball end bit.  

Comments encouraged!

4D

Nesting Boxes.

 As my collection of wood scraps vary in length, width, and thickness, it occurred to me that a series of boxes that nest together might be a fun project to make.  Open the largest one to find a slightly smaller one inside.  Open that box to find an even smaller box inside it. Open that smallest box and there may be a surprise to find inside it. 

This story is not yet complete, but it starts with one box.

One Box. 2.625" x 1.75" x 1.5: tall.

Open the lid to find the lid of another smaller box.

Something inside.

Remove it to discover that lid covers another box.

Box #2. 2.25"x 1.375" x 1" tall.

Open the lid of box #2....

To find Box #3.

Box #3 is missing a lid.  The lid will have a dovetailed edge that slides in from the side.  That lid is yet to come. 

Three nesting boxes. 

With a range of router bits available, and a range of scraps in varying thicknesses available, CNC cut boxes can be made in a range of sizes.  The smallest box is 1.75" x 15/16" x 7/16" thick. It was cut with a 1/8" diameter bit.  An even smaller box may come, as I do have a 1/16" diameter bit.  Larger purely CNC cut boxes are limited by the length of the available bits and the Z axis range of my CNC. A constructed box with 4 sides, a bottom, and a lid may yet encase these nested CNC cut boxes.  Time and the available wood scraps I have will tell. 

4D

  

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 and 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

 

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

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

CNC Made Wrench Handle for my CNC Vise

I designed and made my low profile vise a few years back.  It is used often, but never had a good handle.  Finding the crescent wrench to tighten/loosen the vise is always an adventure. 

My Low Profile Vise

Among my wood scraps I had a nice slice of dense white oak that needed a better life.  This closed end wrench handle was born from that piece of wood:

Amateur Mechanic 18mm

It slips over the outer jammed nut on the vise shaft:

On the Vise Shaft

It slides on easily and stays on nicely.  I can wiggle it off when I need to rotate it down and out of the way of the CNC above. 

VCarved text on the outer side says "4DTs Low Profile Vise Handle".

A 1/8" diameter end mill was used to make the pocket for the 18mm nut. That pocket doesn't go all the way through so a 3/8" hole for the vise shaft remains. This hole on the threads helps keep the handle from vibrating off when the CNC is working. 

An earlier and simpler version I made for the bench vise in my garage:

18mm plywood

It slips onto a large hex nut that is pinned to the threaded shaft. 

 Comments encourage!

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