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Thread: How I Turn Little Boxes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
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    How I Turn Little Boxes

    For those that are interested, I'm posting a tutorial of how I turn my little boxes. I'm sure there are many different ways to turn these and probably easier ways, but this is how I do it.

    I started off by finding a chunk of dry mesquite, any wood would work, it just needs to be dry so the lid will keep a nice fit. I took it to the bandsaw and cut out a spindle blank that was about 2x2x5 (this one is a little bigger than the others I posted).
    I then put it between centers and roughed it to a cylinder with my roughing gouge, then turned a tenon on the tailstock end (that will be the bottom piece).
    2011-11-09_16-35-20_304.jpg2011-11-09_16-40-50_996.jpg
    Then I mounted it in a chuck, brought the tailstock up and turned a tenon on the other end (this will be the top).
    I took a pencil and marked where I would part off the lid. I usuall try to make the lid about 1/3 of the total length, but I just do it by eye.
    2011-11-09_16-51-05_207.jpg
    I used my thin parting tool and made a cut with the depth equal to what will be the thickness of the sidewalls. Then below that I start my parting cut. I part the lid section off and set it aside for later.
    2011-11-09_16-53-51_453.jpg2011-11-09_17-07-39_954.jpg

    continued....
    "If it is wood, I will turn it."
    vor-tex: any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.

  2. #2
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    Now I start hollowing the bottom.
    On the smaller boxes, I use a traditional grind 3/8 spindle gouge to remove the bulk and then refine and clean it up with my Easy Finisher (a scraper would also work).
    Since this box is a little bigger, I started off with the spindle gouge, but when I started getting a little too much overhang on the tool rest, I used a 3/4 forstner bit to drill out the center then used my Easy Rougher to finish up the sides and my Easy Finisher to finish up the bottom.
    When using the spindle gouge, I start off on center with the flute open, when it starts cutting I use the tool rest as a pivot point and swing the tip to the left while also rotating the gouge to put the flute at about 10 oclock and lowering the handle so I am now cutting just above center. The cut is being made by the bottom of the gouge tip, being careful to keep the corners of the wings clear (hope that makes sense). By the time I get to the rim, the flute is closed. (Bob Hamilton has a good video on YouTube for hollowing endgrain with a spindle gouge, do a search for Bobham5)
    2011-11-09_17-22-28_9.jpg2011-11-09_17-24-09_188.jpg
    Before hollowing too much, I size the rim for a good fit for the lid. When I start getting close, I take very small cuts and test for fit often. When the fit is good, I continue hollowing being careful to avoid the inside of the rim.
    2011-11-09_17-46-16.jpg2011-11-09_17-45-37_571.jpg2011-11-09_18-08-50.jpg


    When the hollowing is done I remove the base from the chuck and mount the lid in the chuck. I use the lid as a jam chuck to finish the bottom of the box. I bring up the tailstock up for support and shape the bottom until I just have a small nub. Then I do whatever sanding is needed. With the speed down, I finish turning off the nub.
    2011-11-09_18-42-5.jpg2011-11-09_18-42-18.jpg2011-11-09_18-44-8.jpg

    continued....
    Last edited by Kathy Marshall; 11-10-2011 at 12:53 AM.
    "If it is wood, I will turn it."
    vor-tex: any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
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    Goodland, Kansas
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    22,605
    Nice tutorial Kathy and your pic's didn't show up on the second post or at least I can't see them.
    Bernie

    Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

    To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.



  4. #4
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    NW Florida
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    Not just you Bernie, I can't see them either, too bad.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Next I hollow out the lid using the spindle gouge and do the final cuts with my Easy Finisher.
    2011-11-09_19-08-25.jpg
    To finish turning the top of the lid I mount a piece of scrap in the chuck. Anytime I turn something in a chuck that gets parted off, I save the scrap with the tenon to use later as a jam chuck. I have lots of them in all different sizes and they get used over and over until I start getting a little too close to the chuck jaws.
    I cut a recess in the jamb chuck that will give a very snug fit for the lid. I mount the lid in the jamb chuck and bring the tailstock up for support. The fit is snug enough that I could probably turn the tenon off and finish the top without the tailstock, but why risk it?

    2011-11-09_19-21-41.jpg2011-11-09_19-22-36.jpg
    And here is the finished box, 4 1/2" x 2 1/4" with just a coat of DO.
    2011-11-09_19-58-35_409.jpg2011-11-09_19-55-53_187.jpg2011-11-09_19-56-8.jpg2011-11-09_19-57-26_558.jpg

    Hope this made sense!
    Thanks for looking!
    Comments and critiques are welcome.
    "If it is wood, I will turn it."
    vor-tex: any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.

  6. #6
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    Thanks guys! Got the pics fixed.
    "If it is wood, I will turn it."
    vor-tex: any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.

  7. #7
    Kathy,

    I have gotten in the habit of rough turning my boxes, no matter how dry the wood is. Let them sit for a week or month, then finish turn them. The wood always seems to move a tiny bit. We do have a pretty wide swing of humidity levels here from 100% in winter to 25 to 40 in summer.

    Nice tutorial.

    robo hippy

  8. #8
    Pretty good write up and similar to my process with some differences.

    I turn the tenon on both ends of the box while it is between centers. I also part the lid from the body while between centers.
    .
    I always turn the lid portion first and I put the recess in the lid and the tenon on the body.

    I also use a jam chuck to finish off the box, but because I've already done the lid I use it to finish off the bottom of the box. My jam chucks are tapped and threaded for my
    spindle rather than mounted in my chuck. This allows me to pull a vacuum for some additional security.

    Jason

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Chatsworth, GA
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    Kathy, that is a great tutorial and will be very informative in the future. Thanks for posting. Love your work.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Blacksburg, VA
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    Thanks for taking the time to write this up. It is a big help to those of us who haven't done much box work yet.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Lewiston, Maine
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    Great tutorial Kathy. This is definitely on my to-try list. Thanks for spending the time on this, it really is a big help for us who have'nt attempted this yet.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    sLower Delaware
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    Nice tutorial Kathy. Thanks for sharing!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Elizabeth City, NC
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    Very nice and informative tutorial Kathy. Thank you for taking the time to document it.

  14. #14
    Thank you Kathy for taking the time to post this tutorial..

    john

  15. #15
    Excellent tutorial. Now I want to give it a spin.....
    * * * * * * * *
    Mark Patoka
    Stafford, VA
    * * * * * * * *

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