My Journey in Writing, Ranting, and Woodworking

The sharpening monk master looked at the tiny walnut box.  He turned it over in his hands.  Three of the corners were pretty good, but one of them was slightly off.  The sides needed more sanding to get rid of the scratches.  The lid doesn’t fit snugly.  The bottom is far from perfectly even.  He hung his head, and flipped the box back to the young apprentice and said, “For a first attempt…at least it is the right shape.”  I didn’t want to tell him it was actually my third attempt.

I routed the edges for the lid today.  The tiny piece jig was actually a bit of overkill and I spent way too much time trying to make it work.  When I decided to just use my router table and fence, I learned that for such a shallow cut, it was a better choice.  Though the master was not at all impressed with the tiny walnut box, I still like it.  I agree with all of his assessments and in truth, when I cut the piece of walnut into two pieces, I chose to use the lesser of the two for this third attempt.

When I started this project, it was early in the 18th century.  Actually, it was over three weeks ago.  My woodworking shop has changed considerably since the project began.  I have added Jeff the bandsaw and Manfred and Donna the Lie-Nielsen chisels.  The obvious next step is to take the other piece of wood, use the knowledge I have gained, to make a better tiny walnut box.

The plans call for a two tiny triangular keys to be put into each corner, as a decoration and to strengthen the box.  This step will require another jig, or an add on for the tiny piece router table jig.  I think I will see how quickly I can get the box built and then worry about the jig.  So what am I going to do differently this time?

1. Cut a deeper groove for the bottom piece.
2. I routed too far into the bottom piece and this left a slight gap on one side.  I am going to get it close this time and then call on Manfred to finish.
3. To cut the 12 degree angles on the lid, I will use Jeff.  I didn’t have Jeff when I did the lid last time.
4. Do a lot more sanding on the box when it is done, instead of taking a picture and immediately writing the woodworking blog.
5. I won’t spend 3 days putting together a bandsaw.  The omission of this step alone should speed up things considerably.
6. Mostly, I will be able to work more confidentally and quickly.

This is how I expect that most projects will go for a while.  This was my third attempt, and the best yet.  I am slightly smarter than I was before.  I am quite sure that Doug Stowe, who wrote the book, ‘Basic Box Making’, didn’t achieve perfection on his very first box, or his third.  Well maybe hid did by his third, I really couldn’t say.  The point is, though it isn’t as stunning as the one in the picture, it is a step forward.