Best wood for a trout fly box?

[Dewayne Reding]

I've never built anything this small. What woods are easiest to work with for the intricate joinery of small boxes? Of course I would like it to be attractive, and not be destroyed like oak if it gets damp now and then. I have eliminated pine and oak. How about walnut, cherry and cedar? I have no experience with the exotic foreign hardwoods, other than they feel like they are made of granite.

[Royce Meritt]

Don't know if this will help you or not. I have made LOTS and LOTS of wood fly boxes. I make mine out of a solid piece of wood. Using a template I rout out the inside of the box for the foam insert. (See attached photo.) Using this method there really is no joinery to be concerned with. Almost any wood will work. A good waterproof finish such as Spar Urethane will protect it well.

[Paul Canaris]

Teak would be a good wood to use as it is pretty good around moisture. I can only tell you how I approached this when I used to make these, for a local Fly Fishing Shop. I routed them out of a solid block of wood with a template so they were simply a top and bottom joined with hinges. In this way I eliminated the issue of what glue and leakage at the joints. Ideally you want these to float if they are dropped so there is a possibility of retrieval, so I would add a gasket to the opening.
If youre set on doing joinery though, I would use epoxy on the joints, as well as an epoxy finish. Just my two cents.

[Dewayne Reding]

Thanks Royce. From a functionality standpoint, the solid wood method is probably best. I need/want to practice some joinery though.

[Aaron Frank]

Royce,

How do you do the jumping fish that is on the front of the fly box? Is it hand carved, laser cut, or something else?

Your work is really nice, and I can see that these boxes would be a relatively quick gift for some friends and relatives. Thanks.

Aaron

[Royce Meritt]

Royce,

How do you do the jumping fish that is on the front of the fly box? Is it hand carved, laser cut, or something else?

Your work is really nice, and I can see that these boxes would be a relatively quick gift for some friends and relatives. Thanks.

Aaron

The graphics on the front are lazer engraved. I sometimes also have the recipient's name and address engraved on the back.

[Keith Beck]

Don't know if this will help you or not. I have made LOTS and LOTS of wood fly boxes. I make mine out of a solid piece of wood. Using a template I rout out the inside of the box for the foam insert. (See attached photo.) Using this method there really is no joinery to be concerned with. Almost any wood will work. A good waterproof finish such as Spar Urethane will protect it well.

Royce,

Those are great! That would be a great gift for my fisherman brother. Do you have any details on how you make them and perhaps where you get the inserts?

Keith

[Dan Forman]

Another factor to keep in mind is weight, a well equipped fly vest gets pretty heavy by the end of the day.

Dan

[Dewayne Reding]

Royce,

Those are great! That would be a great gift for my fisherman brother. Do you have any details on how you make them and perhaps where you get the inserts?

Keith

Keith,

If you are referring to the foam inserts? Those are available anywhere you find fly fishing gear. Cabelas, Gander Mountain, and any fly shop of course. They are very common in at least two or three sizes, and can be easily trimmed.

Dan,

Weight is why I was entertaining the possibility of cedar.

[Royce Meritt]

Royce,

Those are great! That would be a great gift for my fisherman brother. Do you have any details on how you make them and perhaps where you get the inserts?

Keith

As someone said before, the inserts are available at most fly fishing outlets or on line. Search for "foam fly box inserts".

As for construction, it is pretty simple. First, get the inserts, cut 2 pieces of stock approx. 1/2" wider and longer than the insert and somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2" to 5/8" thick (overall size is up to you), using a template or some sort of jig, rout out the interior of the box to the size of the foam insert. Lots of different choices for hinges like small decorative, surface mounted, the tiny barrel hinges, or the barbed leaf hinges that fit into a slot cut into the edge. I use tiny rare-earth magnets in the corners as a latch.

As for weight, I don't think it is much of a factor. The boxes end up so thin that even the heaviest woods don't add up to much weight. My favorite wood for these is probably ash.

Hope this helps.

[Eric Sabo]

Guy I took a class with made one out of figured Cherry... sides were ~1/4" thick. Came out BEAUTIFUL. He used tiny tiny tiny finger joints to connect it.

[Peter Lyon]

Royce,

What type of router bit are you using? And, to clarify, are you saying that the thickness of each side is either 1/2" OR 5/8"? Do you put the foam insert in both halves?

Thanks in advance- and your boxes are beautiful.

[Roy McQuay]

I've never built anything this small. What woods are easiest to work with for the intricate joinery of small boxes? Of course I would like it to be attractive, and not be destroyed like oak if it gets damp now and then. I have eliminated pine and oak. How about walnut, cherry and cedar? I have no experience with the exotic foreign hardwoods, other than they feel like they are made of granite.

I know you eliminated pine and oak, but white oak would be a good choice as it does do well outdoors. Cedar would be very good and light but the scent may be transferred to your tackle. As someone else says, spar varnish would protect any wood for this use.

[Dewayne Reding]

Royce,

What type of router bit are you using? And, to clarify, are you saying that the thickness of each side is either 1/2" OR 5/8"? Do you put the foam insert in both halves?

Thanks in advance- and your boxes are beautiful.

Peter

I know you were asking Royce, but yes, he is saying to use 1/2 or 5/8 stock for each side. Some fly boxes do put foam in both sides. Size of flies varies widely. You will definitely need to keep the box walls thin or it won't hold to be useful. (That's no doubt part of the reason why the commercial boxes are aluminum or plastic). Best way to get a good idea of your box size options is to go look at commercially made boxes in a fly shop. There really is no "correct" size, but it would be nice if it fit inside a fly vest pocket. I am going to make a couple different sizes for myself.

[Royce Meritt]

Royce,

What type of router bit are you using? And, to clarify, are you saying that the thickness of each side is either 1/2" OR 5/8"? Do you put the foam insert in both halves?

Thanks in advance- and your boxes are beautiful.

Thanks for the compliment!

I use a 1/2" spiral bit to rout out the interior. Yes, both halves of the box are either 1/2" or 5/8" thick. I usually put ripple foam in one side and flat foam in the other. The 1/2" thick sides work fine for small flies, particularly nymphs and the 5/8" thick sides work for somewhat larger flies. On a couple of ocassions I have even went to 11/16" thick sides for larger flies. Much bigger than that doesn't always fit in a fishing vest pocket.