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by
Rick Campbell
photos by Dave Starrett
illustration by Len Churchill |
VINTAGE GIFT BOX (part 2) |
These
steps duplicate the inlay pattern I created for my gift box.
You can follow my lead or create your own design. Or you can
skip this step and leave the box sides plain.
First, create four 1/8"-wide x 1/8"-deep connected
grooves around the sides and ends of the box to accept the wood
inlay strips. A standard saw blade makes a 1/8"-wide swath,
so all you need to do is set the blade height and position the
fence to prepare for these cuts. Locate the fence 1 5/8"
from the blade and complete the first pass on all four sides
of the box, with the bottom face running firmly against the
fence. Relocate the fence 2 1/8" from the blade and repeat
the procedure to form a second set of four connected grooves
parallel to the first.
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Keep
the gift a secret by sliding the lid into a simple
groove cut
with a router. |
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| CLICK
ABOVE FOR DETAILED ILLUSTRATION |
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Take some contrasting 1/4"-thick material that’s
roughly 2" longer than your side panels and slice 1/8"-wide
strips from the edge to fit the grooves. For safety reasons,
make these cuts so that the narrow strips fall to the waste
side of the blade. Be sure to use a zero-clearance insert in
your tablesaw to prevent the wood slices from dropping down
through the blade opening. Although this technique requires
you to reposition the fence after each slice, it’s much
safer than working with the fence set 1/8" away from the
blade. The way I did it here, there’s no chance the thin
inlay strips can get dangerously trapped between the fence and
the blade.
I made my inlay a little on the fat side to start with, then
I taped the ends to the bench and lightly sanded the sides with
100-grit sandpaper wrapped around a wood block to achieve a
perfect fit. If you bevel the edge slightly as you sand, the
strips are easier to install without gaps.
Using a sharp utility knife, cut the strips to final length
with 45º mitres on adjoining ends. Apply a little glue
to the bottom and sides and press the inlay into the slots.
Lightly tap them into place with a wood mallet if a little extra
persuasion is required. After the glue dries, scrape or sand
the excess material protruding from the slots until the inlay
sits flush with the box sides.
Make Multiples
Turn your shop into a gift-making factory
This box is the type of project that can be produced in large
quantities if you have many wine connoisseurs on your holiday
shopping list. I recommend that you build one box from start
to finish as a prototype before shifting into high-production
gear. After all, you don’t want to wait until the parts
for all your boxes are ready for assembly before finding out
the bottles won’t fit. |
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1.
Box assembly basics, making easy accents
2. Adding stripes, required
materials |
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