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by
Rick Campbell
photos by Dave Starrett
illustration by Len Churchill |
VINTAGE GIFT BOX |
| Forget
gift bags—this handmade gift box with an inlay pattern
is built to impress, and costs less than $50 to make |
The wine
lovers on your shopping list will be delighted when they re-ceive
a bottle of a quality vintage packaged in one of these handcrafted
presentation boxes. To achieve a charming, Old World appearance,
I used a specialty lumber called wormy maple (sometimes called
ambrosia maple). As the name suggests, the attractive marbled
colour is created by an army of tiny worms that attacked the
tree prior to harvesting. Don’t be concerned, though:
the worms are long gone.
Box
Basics
Wine bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so take
measurements of your gift bottle before you begin. My box was
designed to fit a 750-ml bottle that’s 12" long and
3" in diameter. Get started by cutting out the sides and
ends of the box from 1/2"-thick material. Note that one
end of the box is 1/2" shorter than the other, to provide
clearance for the sliding lid.
 |
| Good
things come in beautiful packages. Forget the wrapping
paper and build this handmade gift box |
|
Next, prepare 1/2"-wide x 1/4"-deep rabbets on the
edges of the end panels to join the corners. The bottom panel
sits in 1/4"-wide x 1/4"-deep dados that’s located
1/4" from the bottom edges. You’ll also need another
dado 1/4" down from the top of the box, which forms a channel
for the lid. I completed all of this work using a dado blade
installed in my tablesaw, but a straight bit and a table-mounted
router with a fence also gets the job done. Next, cut the bottom
panel and the lid to size from 1/4"-thick material. Apply
glue to the bottom dados and corner rabbets then assemble with
the bottom panel in place.
Easy Accents
To enhance the box exterior, I added two narrow bands of decorative
inlay made from a contrasting wood. I used purpleheart, but
any material that complements the appearance will do. (See “Adding
Stripes” on next page for help with this step.)
To create the support blocks that cradle the bottle inside the
box, you need to make a couple of internal bulkheads. Lay out
a curved recess on the top of each blank that’s equal
to the diameter of your wine bottle. Use your bandsaw to make
the cuts, then remove the saw marks with a drum sander. Glue
the support blocks into place; exact pos-itioning depends on
the shape and size of your particular wine bottle.
The lid’s handle is another opportunity to get creative
by adding a personal touch to the project. I made my handle
by laminating a piece of 1/4"-thick wormy maple between
exterior layers of purpleheart, then I cut a gentle arc and
rounded the top edge with sandpaper. To complete the design,
I drilled a 3/8"-deep hole on either side using a 1/2"-diameter
Forstner bit, then filled the openings with maple plugs made
using a plug cutter installed in my drillpress. After sanding
the plugs flush, glue the completed handle to the top of the
lid.
I finished the box by applying three coats of wipe-on polyurethane
to the exterior only. Leave the inside bare to avoid odour buildup
when the box is closed. The natural finish does a nice job of
accenting the dark purpleheart inlay so it stands out prominently.
Once the finish is dry, you can add your bottle of wine, then
proudly present this gift box with its delicious treat inside.
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1.
Box assembly basics, making easy accents
2. Adding stripes, required
materials |
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