Australian Wood Review - June 2018

http://www.woodreview.com.au 65

PROJECT

as to where I take out my parts. I’ll do a rough layout using
chalk so I can change the marks if I change my mind. A
quick wipe with a damp cloth will erase the chalk (photo 2).
I spend a lot of time at this stage of the process. To me, one
of the best things about being a woodworker is having the
ability to choose the grain, figure and colour of the wood
so I can achieve visual harmony.

The box is made from black walnut (Juglans nigra) and
the board I had was just over 50mm thick. I resawed the
board at the bandsaw and finished at just over 12mm
which left me some room for handplaning the sides and lid
piece (photo 3). With the boards surfaced, I marked them
with the cabinetmaker’s triangle to lock in the orientation
(photo 4). I like using a white pencil for darker woods
because a regular pencil all but disappears on walnut.

Rebates all around

I decided to go with rebates bolstered with 3mm wooden

pins to join this box together. I wanted a simple, plain

aesthetic for this box and something like dovetails would

have been a bit much. There are many ways to cut the

rebates with either machines or hand tools. With only one

box to make I opted for the hand tool method (photo 5).

If I had to make multiples then I would have looked at a

machine option.

With the rebates cut on the corners of the two long sides,

I then cut the rebates for the 6mm Baltic birch plywood.

The nice thing about using rebates in the corners instead

of dovetails is that the bottom rebates are all through

cuts. I chose to rebate the bottom in, just in case I have

1. Some grid paper will
   make the layout easy,
   especially if you can
   work full-scale.


2. Chalk is a great marking
   tool for rough timber and
   initial layout.


3. The cabinetmakers
   triangle helps to keep
   your parts organised.


4. The handplane is still the
   fastest way to prepare the
   surfaces of these boards.

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