Box Making Basics
Basic Wood Box Making Design Ideas, Techniques and Projects from an Expert Box Maker

It took years for woodworker David Freedman to develop and perfect the box-making techniques he shares in this book. Accompanying his techniques are detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to make 16 handsome boxes. In addition to Freedman's designs, there are also selected projects from a number of professional box makers.

The book begins with the fundamentals of box making: the elements of good design, wood selection and preparation, and finishing. The basics are followed by tips and techniques on cutting, gluing, and reinforcing joints, decorating lids, and installing hinges.

In later chapters, you'll learn more sophisticated techniques, such as making spectacular bookmatched lid panels, sprucing up the interiors with lining, dividers, and trays, using frame-and-panel lid construction, dovetails, and finger joints, and dealing with specialty hardware.

Whether you're a beginning woodworker or an accomplished box maker searching for design ideas, you'll find this book comprehensive, easy to follow, and full of inspiration.

"valuable for its techniques, including a lengthy discussion of installing hinges and other hardware."
-- Arizona Republic

Introduction:

The popularity of wooden boxes never seems to diminish. They combine the resplendence of nature with human craftsmanship and creative spirit. At the same time, wooden boxes are useful. In their simplest forms, they're relatively easy to construct, inexpensive to acquire, yet limitless in their variety.

I made my first hardwood box about 13 years ago. It was a modest little box of walnut, with surface-mounted butt hinges. I cut the finger joints by hand, and you could tell. But I sanded everything flush, finished the box with oil, and gave it to a cousin as a gift. She seemed thrilled with the box, and her reaction was worth every minute I spent making it.

After years of practice and experimenting with design, I now sell boxes at craft fairs and art galleries for prices ranging from $30 to $300. It's gratifying when people come into my booth at a fair and caress the boxes and say, "Boy, I wish I could do work like that." And I always answer, "You can; all it takes is patience."

This book is divided into six chapters. The opening chapter is an introduction to the fundamentals of box making. Subsequent chapters are in two parts: The first part explains some basic woodworking techniques; the second part is a group of projects that employ those techniques.

For the most part, the projects are presented in order of increasing complexity, from very simple boxes suitable for the beginner to more sophisticated pieces for experienced woodworkers. So start at the beginning, or wherever you feel comfortable, and you'll learn something new in each succeeding chapter.

With some power tools (such as a table saw, a router, and a variable-speed drill for starters) and a little patience, you can make most of the boxes shown in this book, even if you've never made anything like them before. With practice and an adventurous spirit, you can create original designs that are prized for their beauty, as well as for the storage function they serve. I believe that we all have, somewhere within us, the creative drive and design sense needed to produce fine crafts or art; it's just a matter of setting it free and having the patience to grow.

A word about safety

Like any other form of woodworking, box making requires strict attention to safety in the workshop. Every time you buy a new power tool, read the manual before you plug in the machine. Keep your shop uncluttered (as much as humanly possible), and sweep the floor often so that you won't slip. Wear eye and ear protection, and use a dust mask or respirator when necessary.

Use high-quality blades, bits, knives, and chisels, and keep them sharp so that you won't have to apply undue pressure to make them cut. Keep a supply of push sticks and featherboards handy for feeding wood into blades and bits. Stay alert to possible hazards at all times; don't work when tired, distracted, or under the influence of medication. If woodworking becomes tedious or aggravating, take a break or quit for the day.

Be ecologically sensitive

If you use rain-forest woods, such as mahogany and rosewood, please take some time to acquaint yourself with the ecological issues associated with harvesting such species. Some suppliers practice sustainable-yield forest management, others don't.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

1 BASICS OF BOX MAKING
Elements of Good Design
Selecting Wood and Preparing Stock
Finishing

2 MITERED BOXES WITH ONE-PIECE LIDS
Techniques

Projects:
Box with a Slab Lid
Beveled Box with a Rabbeted Lid
Lever-Action Pen-and-Pencil Box

3 BOXES WITH DECORATIVE LIDS
Techniques

Projects:
Keeper Box with End Inserts
Two Keeper Boxes with Raised Lid Panels
Keeper Box with Two Tiers

4 BOXES WITH SLOT HINGES
Techniques

Projects:
His-and-Her Ring Boxes
Stationery Box

5 BOXES WITH PIN HINGES
Techniques

Projects:
Box with Two-Piece Swivel Lid
Box with Bookmatched Two-Piece Lid
Box with Blind Pin Hinges

6 BOXES WITH BUTT HINGES
Techniques

Projects:
Sunburst Jewelry Box
Box with Ball Feet
Classic Jewelry Box
Southwestern Box

Metric Equivalence Chart

Index

Soft-cover, 9 x 11 in., 144 pages, with photos and drawings

ISBN: 978-1-56158-123-8