Idea Help requested

[Bert Kemp]

My Gran daughter has requested people write letters to my Great Grandson for his first birthday in lieu of presents. Letters to be opened on his 18 birthday. She's asked if I could make a laser engraved box to hold these letters for the next 17 years. Sort of a Time capsule box if you will.
I'm racking my ( excuse the expression )brain trying to come up with a good design for this box.
So if anyone would like to throw out ideas it would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Bruce Page]

Google keepsake box or laser keepsake box pictures. Lots of ideas there.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

While you could make the entire box and use some of the box designs posted here on the forum, or some scroll saw patterns, you can buy some decent boxes at craft stores and then stain and finish them, or do as Bruce suggested and search for keepsake box and you will find all sorts of nice ones made of different woods.

You could engrave his first name on the top of the box, and if they are religious, add a religious quote on the front or bottom of the box; or look for a good quote from a Harry Potter book or other author. Keep the font style in a timeless font so that it stays with him into adulthood and beyond.

[Kev Williams]

Probably a little bit too ornate, but would be cool if you could copy it!

pic1.jpg

This is a pretty special-to-me box. I had it for about a week.
It was made in the '40's, in Italy I believe, fully inlaid with mother of pearl.
Actually a bit beaten up, but still beautiful.

It has one purpose, and comes out of hiding every 4 years...

I'm curious if anyone else knows what it's for...

(to this day I wish I'd had a better camera)

[Bert Kemp]

Well leap year and elections happen in 4 year cycle's but I don't know what the box is for LOL so tell us what is it

Probably a little bit too ornate, but would be cool if you could copy it!

pic1.jpg

This is a pretty special-to-me box. I had it for about a week.
It was made in the '40's, in Italy I believe, fully inlaid with mother of pearl.
Actually a bit beaten up, but still beautiful.

It has one purpose, and comes out of hiding every 4 years...

I'm curious if anyone else knows what it's for...

(to this day I wish I'd had a better camera)

[John Kleiber]

It may sound a little crazy, but it just might work. Have you looked into possibly a humidor? 15-25.00 range is pretty cheap.
Find one without the humidity gauge. Or with a humidity gauge, remove it and insert an monogram in its place. They usually have locks which is nice.
You can either get a solid top or with glass.
Remove any unneeded partitions. Etch the glass opaque solid with name or initials un etched..... or Engrave a wood panel piece, stain or seal it and put it behind the glass.

http://www.bnbtobacco.com/accessories/humidors/

[Braden Todd]

What about making an acrylic box with engravings etc, but when you put the last piece on you weld it shut (weld on 3 or 4) so it can't be opened until the 18th birthday. May take a hammer, but guarantees no peeking until then.

[Bert Kemp]

I like the idea of the acrylic box , but I in AZ He's in NH where all the letters will be on his 1st Bday and I really don't think my granddaughter could handle welding it shut LOL as far as buying a box No No this I want to make for him my self and engrave it.. But good ideas so far . I've been looking at the keepsake boxes for ideas Like suggested.
keep em coming.

[Brian Lamb]

I've made quite a few boxes, some for jewelry, some hold guns, other hold all the TV remotes.... never put a lock on them, but they make some quality locks. I always use Brusso for the hinges, expensive, but the best.

DSC_2267.jpg

Mesquite box01.jpg

Box email version01.jpg

Box email version02.jpg

[Bert Kemp]

Nice Brian
Don't know if I can get that fancy.I/m not a wood worker, just dabble, but I intend to laser cut it.

I've made quite a few boxes, some for jewelry, some hold guns, other hold all the TV remotes.... never put a lock on them, but they make some quality locks. I always use Brusso for the hinges, expensive, but the best.

DSC_2267.jpg

Mesquite box01.jpg

Box email version01.jpg

Box email version02.jpg

[Kev Williams]

When my BIL gets to work this morning, I'll post up some pics of a fairly simple box he engraved for a couple of older ladies last year as a 'family heirloom' project. It was one of "those jobs", forever in the making because older ladies like to change their minds a lot ... but the end result turned out fantastic. The entire box was engraved with things like birds, trees & flowers and a lot of other stuff. The nice thing was it wasn't a graphics nightmare as everything was downloaded or art he already has (he has 2 catalogs with thousands of ready-to-laser vector art graphics)...

the BIL only let me use these pics. The last 2 were 'in progress' pics, there's a lot more engraving on this box.. but as an idea...
box3.jpgbox1.jpgbox2.jpg

And the box above- Another thing that happens every four years: The Olympics.
The Winter Olympics in this case. That box holds the "Mayors Flag", the Winter Olympics flag that the host city's Mayor flies at City Hall during the games.

Attached to the bottom of the lid are nameplates going back to the 1960 Olympics, made by an engraver or engraving shop in the host city.
I got that job for the 2002 games.
plate.jpg

[David Somers]

Bert,

Do you actually want to "Make" the box with the laser or simply decorate an existing one? Sounded like you want to actually make it?

If you want to make it you could do up a box with finger joints, either blind or open. Use solid wood rather than BB ply so you dont see the plywood edge. Your laser is 60 watt so a box made with 1/8" would cut well without any burning of the edges, or if you do a 1/4" and take care with the settings or multiple passes that should work too.

You could make a finger joint look a bit less machine made if you do that basic design using a box design program (there are a number of them) and then modify the design to create a different pattern of the joints. For example, if you design it initially with a standard finger joint you could then modify it to skip a number of fingers and creating a nice pattern for the joint that is not so regimented as a standard laser cut box.

If you look on Pinterest you will find quite a few examples of laser cut boxes that might give you ideas as well.

For decoration, you might consider playing with inlay rather than just engraving. The laser can do a nice job with inlay.

Lastly, for the interior you might either line it with felt (cut at the same time as the box so the fit is exact) or flock the interior. Or....following the inlay idea, inlay the bottom surface of the box so you see the inlay when you remove the contents of the box.

Lots of work of course, and practice. But it sounds like it is a special project and might be worth it for the end result, and the learning.

Show us what you end up with!!! <grin>

[Bert Kemp]

I've made several boxes using the finger joints , I was really looking for design Idea because of what its for.Like I said its kinda a Time Capsule, so I was looking for ideas with that in mind.The laser cut box is going to be pretty basic.

Bert,

Do you actually want to "Make" the box with the laser or simply decorate an existing one? Sounded like you want to actually make it?

If you want to make it you could do up a box with finger joints, either blind or open. Use solid wood rather than BB ply so you dont see the plywood edge. Your laser is 60 watt so a box made with 1/8" would cut well without any burning of the edges, or if you do a 1/4" and take care with the settings or multiple passes that should work too.

You could make a finger joint look a bit less machine made if you do that basic design using a box design program (there are a number of them) and then modify the design to create a different pattern of the joints. For example, if you design it initially with a standard finger joint you could then modify it to skip a number of fingers and creating a nice pattern for the joint that is not so regimented as a standard laser cut box.

If you look on Pinterest you will find quite a few examples of laser cut boxes that might give you ideas as well.

For decoration, you might consider playing with inlay rather than just engraving. The laser can do a nice job with inlay.

Lastly, for the interior you might either line it with felt (cut at the same time as the box so the fit is exact) or flock the interior. Or....following the inlay idea, inlay the bottom surface of the box so you see the inlay when you remove the contents of the box.

Lots of work of course, and practice. But it sounds like it is a special project and might be worth it for the end result, and the learning.

Show us what you end up with!!! <grin>