How To Make A Bandsaw Box
Actually, the title should be "How I'm making bandsaw boxes". My system is still evolving and I'm still learning. If you're reading this, you've probably noticed that most of my jewelry boxes are made from a variety of laminated wood glued into blocks. I found that planing the wood before gluing it up helps make for better joints. Planing works best with longer pieces of lumber. Gluing works best with shorter pieces. I tried gluing longer boards together and then cutting blocks to length, but I found it too hard to clamp and get a good glue job out of it. So I plane the wood first and then cut it to length. It's also nice to have a planer because a variety of thicknesses are obtainable after using the bandsaw to resaw boards. A nice looking board can be resawn to use on the front and the back of a box for a matched look. With a good bandsaw a 3/4" board can easily be made into two 1/4" or thicker pieces.
After they've been cut to length, the pieces are stacked up and glued. I like a balanced look to my boxes so I usually have an odd number of pieces to glue together with thinner pieces for the front and back of the box. It may be a 1/2" or a 3/4" piece in the center with a piece of 1-1/2" on each side of that finished off with a 1/4" front and back. Or it might be three 3/4" pieces sandwiched between five 1/4" pieces. Or whatever works to end up with a box about 4" deep. Most of my boxes are about 4" deep. I think that looks good and also my spindle sander is only a 4" one. There is a lot of sanding to do! I use Titebond II for glue with a very small paint roller to get an even coat on each surface to be glued. Then I'll use six clamps on each block. That may seem like a lot of clamps for only a 6x8" or 8x8" block, but it's not a very happy moment when you see a bad glue line on one of the drawers after cutting them out. I try to let the glue cure overnight even though a few hours would probably be enough time. The back piece is NOT glued on at this time. That is glued on after the drawers are cut out. If you do glue it on it will have to be cut off before the drawers are cut out. If you are using a solid block of wood for a box, the back needs to be cut off before the drawers are cut out. After the glue is dry and the clamps are off, pieces of double-sided sticky tape or mounting tape is used to hold the back in place while the outside of the box is cut using the bandsaw. This way the back is cut at the same time the rest of the box's outside is cut. It doesn't have to be done at this time. Cutting the back separately, especially after gluing it on, is another option.
I have a few box designs I use. I drew them out and copied them to my computer. I can resize them or mirror them using Photoshop. I then print them using a laser printer. The laser printer allows for ironing the pattern onto the wood. The pattern can also be taped or glued on to the block. I have some 1/8" Plexiglas that I have used for other patterns, but I never got around to making any for these boxes. Freehand drawing or freehand cutting also will work.
After cutting the outside shape of the box the back is removed. The mounting tape works especially well, as there is a little space to allow a putty knife in. The drawers are then cut out. After lightly sanding the insides of the body the back is glued on, clamped and allowed to set. Again, the more clamps, the better. I went through a few different ways trying to clean up the excess glue there will be on the insides of the box and it's drawers. I now use a small stiff-bristled brush with some water to get it off. Working quickly, right after the gluing is done, I get what I can with a wet rag and the rest using the brush. Dip it in the water, shake it off, wipe some glue off, and repeat. And repeat. Then wipe off any excess water. Getting all the glue out of the inside of the box isn't as important as it is with the drawers. It's harder to see into the body of the box, so I don't think it's as important. But in any case, wherever there is any glue left, the finish won't be the same there. And it's hard to sand in those corners.
Now I cut 1/8" - 1/4" off of the front and back of each of the drawer blanks. Since I mostly use a thinner piece of wood on the fronts and backs of each box, I cut just that thickness off. Then the insides of the drawers are cut out. I try to keep the thickness of each drawer about an 1/8" or a little more. I think about the curves. I try not to make them too sharp to make for easier sanding. The inside of each drawer is sanded and the backs and fronts are glued and clamped. I do a good job sanding the insides of the drawers. Again smaller clamps for the smaller drawer pieces, but use enough of them to make sure the joints are tight. With a small gluing surface, like the drawer parts, the glue only takes an hour or so to set.
At this stage the inside of everything has been sanded and glued and it's time to sand the outsides. The outside of the box can be well sanded and the edges rounded off. There is nothing to fit there, just make it look good. The drawers are a different story. If they are cut well and minimally sanded, they will fit nicely. The edges can be rounded. In fact, I round off all of the edges. I have 60, 100, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper. I mostly use just 150 and 220 on the drawers. Sometimes I need to use 100 on the outside of a box. I hardly need to use the 60 grit paper. After everything has been sanded and looks and fits right, the drawer pulls are glued on. The pulls are made from some of the cutoff pieces or of some contrasting wood. Again, cut, sand, glue and clamp. Get all the excess glue off.
After everything has been sanded, it's time for the finish. Mineral spirits can be wiped on to check to see if there is any glue or other defect showing. If I want a shiny finish I use polyurethane. For a more natural look I use Danish oil. Both finishes take 3 or more coats. The Danish oil is brushed on and allowed to soak in. it will actually soak right through 1/8" or a 1/4". Any excess is wiped off. The polyurethane needs to be lightly sanded between coats. Thinning with mineral spirits helps to keep the runs to a minimum. Actually I have a hard time with polyurethane so I've been using the Danish oil a lot. No runs, no drips, no errors.
As you can tell, I've learned some stuff and still need to learn a lot more. If you have any questions or any advise, please feel free to email me. gerard@alteredwood.com