To Build a Treasure Chest - Part 2, Milling the Box Parts

DETAILED DRAWINGS:

As promised, here is a link to a set of detailed drawings for the treasure chest.

We will start this blog with the basic parts having been pre-milled. Each TC box requires one each of the front, back, and box-bottom and two of the sides. See Drawing 1 for the pre-milled dimensions.

All parts should eventually be sanded with 120 grit sandpaper. This can be done before or after the following steps thought it’s much easier to sand the inside faces before assembly.

The Box: One front, one back, two sides and one box-bottom.

MATCH THE SIDES, DETERMINE INSIDE/OUTSIDE FACES AND ORIENTATION OF SIDES, BACK AND FRONT

The first operation in this process is one of aesthetics. It is not necessary, but will create a better looking TC.

Step 1: Match pairs of sides using grain pattern and color, determine the outside faces and which end is up.

Two examples of matched sides.

Step 2: For the front and back, determine the outside faces and which end is up.

The “paired” sides must be kept together going forward. The sides will be matched with fronts and backs later.

ORDER OF OPERATIONS

It is often beneficial to group operations together for all applicable parts. For example, every part of the TC, except the box-bottom, gets a 3/16” round over on at least two edges and doing the round over operation on all these parts at the same time makes sense. (Note: The roundover is the first operation for all the parts except the sides.) The processes shown below are in the order of the drawings and not intended to be a production plan.

THE FRONT (Drawing 2)

Step 1 - 3/16” round over on all edges. Note: Throughout the drawings, a red stripe indicates where to route the round over.

Route the end grain edges first and use a push block or a jig with a sacrificial fence to avoid tear out.

For routing the small edges, parts may be grouped together but must be held securely.

Use even/consistent pressure into the table and fence.

Step 2 - Mill the groove for the box-bottom.

Having determined the top and inside faces of the front, mill a groove in the inside face at the bottom of the parts. The groove is 3/16” wide, 1/4” deep and 3/16” from the bottom. We mill the groove at 3/16” as the box-bottom is made from 1/4” plywood (which is really 3/16”).

There are a few ways to achieve a 3/16” groove:

• Often, one of the outside blades of a dado set will be 3/16”

• Make two passes on the table saw using a regular 1/8” blade

• Use a 3/16” router bit in a router table.

Groove for the box-bottom milled in the front.

Step 3 - Mill the rabbets for the sides
One more process is required to finish the front. That is milling the 5/8” x 1/4” deep rabbets on the inside face to join the sides to it.

Regarding dado blades: Throughout this process, we use a box-joint dado set that cuts either a 1/4” or a 3/8” dado. For dados wider than 3/8”, more than one pass is required. We use this blade because it provides a very smooth flat cut.

- Set-up the table saw and dado blade to mill a 5/8” by 1/4” dado. Add a sacrificial fence to the miter gauge.

Regarding the 5/8” specification: This is an approximation. Though the sides are milled to a 5/8” thickness, it may not be exact. Also, wood moves and dimensions change. So the 5/8” rabbets need to be adjusted to fit, as closely as possible to the thickness of the sides.

Make test cuts in a piece of scrap wood to adjust the width of the cut to match the width of the sides.

Mill the rabbets on both ends of the inside face of the front

Sand the inside faces of the rabbets if necessary. The front is now finished.

THE BACK (Drawing 3)

Step 1 - 3/16” round over on the bottom edges.

Step 2 - Mill the groove for the box-bottom.

Groove for the box-bottom milled in the back using the same dimensions as the Front.

Step 3 - Route the 1/2” round over

Set-up the 1/2” round over bit in the router table.

Place the inside face of the back against the fence with the bottom facing up and mill the round-over.

Sand as necessary and ease the sharp point at the top. The back is now finished.

THE SIDES (Drawing 4A)

Step 1 - Route the stopped rabbet for the back.

Router table set-up

Use a 3/4” straight router bit.

Step A: Set up the bit in the router table so it will cut a 1/8” deep rabbet.

Step B: Adjust the fence so the rabbet will be 5/8” wide. Make test cuts and adjust this dimension to match the thickness of the back whose ends fit into the rabbets.

The rabbet is milled in each side to match the back. As the back has a curved top, the rabbet in the sides needs to match the curve.

Since it is a stopped-rabbet, stop-blocks need to be clamped to the router table fence at appropriate places.

Also, since the two sides are mirror images of each other, they require different set-ups for the stop-blocks.

ROUTE THE LEFT SIDE RABBET (left as in facing the front of the box)

Step A: Clamp the stop-block to the left side of the fence so the distance from the stop-block and the far edge of the router bit approximates the height of the back.

A completed back is used to position the stop-block.

Step B: Make a test cut and fit the end of a back into the dado. Adjust the stop-block as necessary so when the bottoms of the two parts are flush, there should be approximately 1/8” clearance at the curved end of the rabbet.

Step C: When the stop-block is properly placed, mill all of the left sides.

Step D: Clean-up the edge with sandpaper if necessary.

Apply consistent pressure down toward the table and forward into the fence.

Since the 3/4” bit leaves a small “hook” at the end of this step, after the part reaches the stop-block, pull the part out at an angle to remove the “hook.”

Left side rabbet milled.

Stopped rabbet shown with a finished back.

ROUTE THE RIGHT SIDE RABBET

Step A: Move the stop-block to the other side of the router table fence and align as described above.

Step B: With the inside face down and the bottom of the part to the right, wedge the corner of the side against the fence and stop-block as shown.

Step C: Keeping pressure towards the fence and the stop-block, feed the part into the router bit.

Step D: Feed the part to the left. Before the part moves past the router bit, add a backer-block to prevent tear-out.

Both rabbets are milled.

Step 2 - Mill the groove for the box bottom

Using a one of the techniques described above, mill a 3/16” groove in the inside face at the bottom of the sides. The groove is 1/4” deep and 3/16” from the bottom of the parts.

Milling the groove in the sides is a bit tricky as the two sides are not identical, but mirror images.

Step A: Hold the paired sides together with the bottom toward the table saw fence.

Step B: Separate the parts so the inside faces are pointed down.

Step C: Place the parts on the table saw with the inside face down and the bottom against the fence.

Step D: Mill the groove, one part at a time using the same dimensions as the Front.

The end result.

COMPLETING THE SIDES (Drawing 4B)

Step 3 - Route the 3/4” round over

To allow the lid to open properly, the top rear corner of the sides needs to be rounded-over.

Step A: Set-up a 3/4” round-over router bit in the router table.

Step B: With the back end of the side against the fence and the top of the side on the router table, feed both the left and right sides through the router bit. Use a push block or a jig with a sacrificial fence.

The result.

Step 4 - Drill the 1/4” hole for the hinge dowel pin

Drill a 1/4” hole in the upper rear corner of each side located 7/16” from the top and 7/16” from the rear.

Align the jig on a drill press table. Clamping the part down may provide a cleaner hole.

Rotate the sides to always drill into the outside face.

Step 5 - 3/16” ROUND-OVER OF THE SIDES

Refer to Drawing 4B for the edges to be rounded.

MATCH THE SIDES WITH A FRONT AND BACK

As mentioned before, this is not required, but will produce a nicer looking TC.

Example of matched sides, front and back.

MILL THE BOX-BOTTOM

From 1/4” plywood, mill the box-bottoms per the dimensions noted in Drawing 1. Clean up all edges with sandpaper.

READY FOR ASSEMBLY

Refer to Part 4 of this blog for box assembly instructions. If this will be done at a later date, be sure to keep the matched sets of parts together.

Building a Box With a Parquetry Top

Some time ago, a good friend mentioned he would like to give jewelry boxes to his three granddaughters for their birthdays. Since I’m only in the middle of two other projects right now, it seemed a good time to build them. After getting quite a way into the project, the thought of documenting the build came to me. His granddaughters might like to know what it took to make their boxes. Alas, I was too far along in the process, and so gave up on the idea. But it kept nagging at me, so I started a fourth box to capture the process from the beginning.

The first step was to gather together all the diamond shapes for the parquetry that were hiding in various places in my workshop. I milled them myself, but will not go into that process here.

Building the design.

The design is complete.

I used hide glue to affix the tiles to a piece of 1/4” plywood. The advantage of hide glue is it has a long open-time which allows more time to make adjustments.

Glue-up continues.

Finished, glued-up parquetry panel. Used a wet paper towel to wipe off as much glue as possible without disturbing the alignment. Let sit overnight to dry.

Preliminary sanding with a random orbital sander (ROS).

Trimmed to size on a table saw.

Since I’ll be building the box to fit the top, the exact dimensions of the parquetry panel are not crucial.

Panel trimmed to final dimensions.

Since the center diamonds are taller than the others, a sanding-mop was used to reach the areas the ROS could not.

Hand sanding was needed as well.

No matter how precise I try to be when milling the diamond shapes and gluing them together, there are almost always some small spaces or gaps between them.

The solution is to fill the gaps. I use a mixture of sanding dust and shellac. Mix a small portion of each together until they have the consistency of thick mud. Then, rub the mixture into the gaps.

Shellac dries quickly and would probably be ready to sand in a few hours. I like to let it sit overnight to be safe.

With the panel nearly complete (just a lot more sanding), it’s time to move on to the frame for the lid and sides of the box. The lid is really just a picture frame with a parquetry design in it. The parts for the frame will be 1 1/2” wide which is pleasing to my eye. The box parts will be 2 1/2” tall because that’s the maximum height the jig used to mill the mitered (45 degree) corners can handle.

Milled parts for the frame and sides. Before mitering the corners, there are a couple operations to do first. They are 1) saw a groove in the frame parts to receive the mosaic, 2) route bevels on all the corner edges for decorative purposes as well as easing sharp edges.

The groove in the frame parts is cut on a table saw with a 1/4” dado blade. The first cut is centered and additional cuts are made by moving the fence away from the blade until it is wide enough to snugly fit over the panel.

Before any more milling is done, arrange the parts in the order you like best; which side up / which end out. The wood used here has a fairly consistent look so this step is not as important as it would be if highly-figured wood were used.

Align the fence to center the dado blade.

The groove fits snugly over the panel.

A router, whether installed in a table or not, is an incredibly versatile tool which can mill an infinite number of profiles. For these boxes, I chose to use only a 45 degree router bit and have kept the lines simple and clean.

The first step is to route a small bevel on all corners of the frame and sides.

The bit is raised over a few passes to reach the desired height.

Final frame profile.

Next, we move on to cutting the mitered corners to form the frame and box. A miter (at least in woodworking) is a 45 degree angle. Two mitered parts will fit together to form a 90 degree, right-angled corner. However, it is quite difficult to cut a perfect 45 degree angle and if they aren’t perfect, there will be gaps. There are a few solutions. Here’s the one I use:

The concept behind this sled is that the two joining parts do not need to each be exactly 45 degrees, their angles just need to add up to 90 degrees. The fence, the darker wood, is a right-angle (90 degrees) and it’s aligned to the blade so as to cut as close to 45 degrees as possible. One of the joining parts is cut on the left side and the other on the right. So, if one side is 44 degrees, the other will be 46 degrees and they will form a 90 degree corner.

To keep the parts organized, a piece of tape is adhered to one end of each part and the first cut is made on the left side of the sled.

The approximate length of the part is determined by placing it on the panel.

The other end of the part (without tape) is then cut on the right side of the sled. The first cut is long, and a series of small cuts are made until the part is the right size.

The right size has been reached when the frame part is slightly longer than the panel at both ends. Once that is reached, the opposite frame part can be cut to the same length.

The two adjoining sides are milled in the same manner.

The finished frame. Ready for sanding and then glue-up.

The box sides are mitered the same way as the frame, except that they stand on end. They also need a groove on the inside for the bottom piece of plywood. I should have done this when milling the groove in the frame parts, but didn’t think of it then. Oh well. Just another blade switch-out.

First miter cut on the left side of the sled.

The second miter is cut on the right side of the sled.

I want the box to be even with the back of the frame (to facilitate attaching hinges), and 1/4” shorter than the three other sides. Instead of measuring, I just used 1/4” set-up blocks to find the right size.

All four sides cut to size.

Using set-up blocks to set up the blade for cutting the groove in the sides. 1/4” deep and 3/16” from the bottom.

The grooves.

Before gluing up the frame and sides, sand them with the random orbital sander and hand-sanding blocks starting at 120 grit, then 150 and finally 180. Also need to find a nice piece of 1/4” plywood and mill it to size for the bottom.

Lid frame and panel ready for glue-up.

Apply a smooth coat of glue to all the mating faces and a drop of glue in the groove of two opposing sides to hold the panel in place.

There are many ways to clamp something like this. I prefer band clamps.

When measuring for the bottom plywood, allow about 1/8” of clearance. This side will be cut to 8 3/8”. The adjoining side is 8 9/16”.

Dry fit the box together. The bottom should move slightly in all directions, but not enough for an opening to show.

As with the lid frame, put a drop of glue into two opposing sides and then an even coat of glue on all mating surfaces.

Assemble and clamp the box with the band clamp and remove any glue squeeze-out on the inside with a straw or a wet cloth. Use a wet cloth to remove any other squeeze-out from the box.

Allow the lid and box to dry overnight.

For many woodworking joints, glue is sufficient by itself to hold them together. However, miter joints need additional support because they are joining end grain to end grain of the wood. End grain is porous and absorbs glue, weakening its ability to hold. There are, as always, a few solutions. My preference is using “keys” which are thin strips of wood that fit snugly and are glued into slots cut into the corners of the lid and box.

This is the jig used to cut the slots in the lid and box.

The lid is secured in the jig and each corner is passed through the saw blade.

The results.

Here, the box is secured in the jig.

For this box, two keys are are sufficient to hold it together. However, for decorative purposes, more could have been used and even cut at an angle.

I had some thin strips of ebony on the shelf. First they were sanded to a thickness that fit snugly into the slots and then hand-sawed to length.

The keys.

The keys are glued into the slots and left to dry overnight.

Once the glue is dry, the keys are trimmed using a saw designed to cut close to the wood without cutting into it.

After sawing, the keys will be sanded flush.

Sanded keys.

And now… hinges.

I used to call installing hinges the bane of my woodworking existence. But fortunately, while watching a recent woodworking video, I learned how to build a jig that makes the process much easier.

The locations of the hinges are marked on the box, the jig is clamped to the box and the box and jig are clamped to a bench.

The notch for the hinge is routed into the box using a hand-held router with a pattern bit. A pattern bit has a bearing the same size as the blades so it will follow the shape of the notch in the jig.

The bearing rides along the inside walls of the jig.

One place a round bearing can’t reach is into corners.

The remaining wood us chiseled out by hand.

The final result. No gaps between the wood and hinge.

The next step is to transfer the hinge locations to the lid. This requires precision, so a knife is used to mark them.

The same process is used as before: routing and then chiseling.

I couldn’t be happier with the results.

The hinges used here are brass and come with brass screws. Since brass is a soft metal, a steel screw is used to pre-thread the holes.

A small amount of wax, or other lubricant, is applied to the screw before each use. This allows the screw to penetrate more easily and prevent the wood from splitting.

After pre-drilling and threading the center hole for each hinge, the lid and box are joined. If the results are satisfactory, the process can continue.

The remaining holes are drilled and threaded. It’s important to find the right size drill bit; too small and it’s difficult to thread and the wood may split, too large and the screws won’t hold. Once completed, the hinges are removed so the box can receive final sanding and finishing.

There are very many ways to finish wood, from simple to complicated. Since finishing is not one of my strong points, I like to keep it simple. These boxes will be finished with boiled linseed oil (BLO), a finish that has been used for centuries. It is a simple process: wipe on a thick coat, let sit for 10 - 15 minutes, wipe off. Allow to dry overnight and then repeat the process again until the finish is satisfactory.

Ready to apply the first coat of BLO.

The first coat has been applied and wiped off. It will sit over night and then receive another coat.

Added a chain to keep the lid from falling back and a coat of paste wax applied to the top and sides of the box … and the boxes are done.

The main wood is walnut. The diamonds are ebony, bloodwood and black limba.

The main wood is shedua. The diamonds are bloodwood, yellowheart, black limba (light brown) and katalox (dark brown).

The main wood is European beech. The diamonds are bloodwood, yellowheart and shedua.

A few things to remember:

• Boiled linseed oil is not a protective finish, so the boxes are subject to scratches and damage from heat or water.

• The finish will dull over time. I don’t suggest using furniture polish, just wipe with a barely damp cloth to remove dust. One of the nice aspects of BLO is that additional coats can be applied any time - even years later.

• Most woods darken over time if exposed to light. Several of the woods used in these boxes will get darker. Aside from keeping them in a dark closet, there’s not much that can be done about it.

• And finally, young ladies, I hope you enjoy your grandfather’s gifts.

To Build a Treasure Chest - Part 1

The San Fernando Valley Woodworkers Club has been making wooden toys and donating them to charities that care for children, in various forms of need, for over thirty years. I’ve been with the club for ten years and for at least five of them have been on the team that builds treasure chests and a smaller box for older kids that we call the teen box.

Treasure chest and Teen box. Both come with a padlock.

The design of the treasure chest (TC) has evolved and changed, to a greater or lesser degree, every year as we refine our processes. This blog, along with a set of detailed drawings, will describe the current process to build a TC.

Before jumping into the build, I have a couple short tales to relate:

PADLOCKS

The first year we built the boxes, we put padlocks on the TC only. Word quickly got back to us that the older kids wanted locks on their boxes, too. This may seem insignificant, but consider that many of these children are homeless or in transition and have little or no privacy. Being able to lock a box that holds their possessions is a comfort to them.

TEARJERKER

A few years ago, we received a request for a dozen TC’s from a woman who, we were told, works with troubled children. Apparently she had been getting the TC’s from another organization to which we donate, but something had changed and this was no longer happening. It was in the middle of the year and, normally, we don’t have any completed toys until November. So, a few club members got together and made a dozen for her.

One morning, another club member & I delivered the TC’s to this lady and we learned more about what she does and how she uses the TC’s.

She’s a psychologist who works with children who are dying of cancer or have a parent who is dying of cancer. Often, as patients finish their sessions with her, she gives them a TC as part of her closure process. And if the patient is a parent, they use the TC to hold the letters they’ve written for their children to open at various ages.

We were really touched and honored that a simple wooden toy we built could mean so much to someone, and in a small way, make a difference in their lives.

MOVING ON…

DRAWINGS

As with just about any woodworking project, the more accurate the milling of the parts the easier the assembly. Additionally, it can lead to less finish sanding. Part 2 of this blog will include a link to a set of detailed drawings of the TC.

THE JIGS

The TC’s can, and have been milled and assembled without jigs. The jigs were conceived, designed and evolved along with the TC design and construction. Some are as simple as a right angle glued and screwed to a piece of plywood and some are ingeniously designed.

I want to take a moment here to single out Jack Robbins for the amazing jigs he made for us. It’s easy to determine which jigs Jack built as they are described below.

Box Assembly Jig

For a jig to be useful, it does not have to be complicated. This jig’s purpose is to hold the box of the TC square as the front, back, sides and box-bottom are glued and pin-nailed together.

Lid Assembly and Milling Jig

This is a multi-purpose jig. First, it is used to hold and clamp the lid slats in place for glue-up and second, for milling a curved rabbet in the ends of the slats.

End Cap Jig

The end caps need an arc milled on them that matches the curve in the lid.

Hinge Dowel Hole Jig

A precisely placed hole is needed for the lid to open and close properly.

Final Assembly Jig

This jig holds the lid and box in an aligned position for final assembly.

Hasp Jig

Viewed from the opposite direction, the jig locates the holes for screws that hold the hasp in place.

The following blogs detail the steps we take to mill the parts and assemble the TC.

My Push Stick, My Friend

Not sure exactly how I came to this design, but it was probably by taking bits of other woodworker’s ideas. It hugs the table saw fence for smooth and controlled movement, the face moves up and down to exactly fit the board that is being cut, the face also extends forward to give added downward pressure on the board.

Building a Rocking Chair

I saw a rather rustic rocking chair at my brother’s home in Grass Valley, CA. The lines attracted me, so I took some pictures and dimensions and decide to try my hand at designing and building one. Below are pics of the original chair and my final SketchUp drawing.

The first step was to build a mock-up out of plywood. This was a good plan as, once together, the chair was seriously out of balance. Searching the internet, I found a short video that explained how to find a rocking chair’s center of gravity. It took a lot of experimentation to get the position of the seat & back to a place where sitting in the chair was comfortable.

Milling the Rockers

To mill the rockers, I needed to know their dimensions and the radius of the compass required to draw the arc. The dimensions came from the original chair (see SketchUp drawing below) and the radius calculation was accomplished with the help of this website. The result was a radius of 39 inches. Below is also a picture of the simple compass built with a 39 inch arm.

After drawing the first arc, the compass was moved up 2 inches and the second arc was drawn. The rocker was rough-cut on a bandsaw and then sanded to final dimensions using an oscillating belt sander and hand-sanding as well. It’s crucial to sand a smooth curve. It’s equally crucial that the rockers be identical, so the second rocker was milled on a router table using the first rocker as a template.

Here are a few more pictures of the build.

Through mortises for the arm rests

Tenons cut on a table saw with a dado blade.

Half-lap joinery was used for the rest of the frame.

First complete dry assembly.

Since I’m going for a modern look, most of the edges will be beveled.

Slats and stretchers for the seat and back have been beveled and sanded.

Slats are held in position with spacers.

Glue-Up

Glued-up the sides, seat & back. For the seat & back, glue was only applied to the spacers.

Dry fit to be sure it will go together smoothly.

The Seat

The Back

Right & left sides glued-up

Beveling edges

Sides, back & seat glued-up. Just need to add the arm rests and rockers.

Confession

I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way and have recovered from or covered-up most of them. So I’m not going to point those out. There is one, however, that I must. It was mentioned earlier that a lot of time was spent with the mock-up chair to get the balance right. The problem is, when I transferred the angles to this chair and put it together, it was out of balance. To correct this, I had to shorten the front legs and raise the back. To raise the back, walnut inserts were cut and fitted to the curve of the rocker..

Gluing the rockers on