Building boxes?

Gamma said:

I keep thinking I'll find something that I can repurpose. A cool box of some sort. So far no go though.

I keep several of my stones in a Craftsman chest. Then I have a wooden bureau for the the Nagura and stones that that don't fit in the metal Craftsman chest. Space is at a premium so I don't want all of them in wood boxes but I'd like to get one or two into nicer looking presentation type boxes. Something along the lines of what Ardennes uses but nicer.

The 'blueprint' above for the but-joint box is what I had in mind but I think it'll come out looking like a hodgepodge.
This one stone deserves a box better than I can make I think.

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Hmmmm.... make a template and use a router on a nice piece of (exotic?) hardwood?

Yeah - gotta have a router though. lol.
A friend PM'd me - he might be able to hook me up.

buca3152 said:

View attachment 474823Last idea is cheaper than dirt sells plastic trays for sorting ammo or screws etc that fit perfect into a 50 cal ammo box. You can stack 3 of these organizers in there and the tabs are removable IIRC so there you have three. Its air tight but you could drill some holes so they breathe. And the 50 cal box is strong although you will draw suspicious stares! Lol. Hers a similar setup, ypu can break the tabs to fit and use some wood or foam. It all depends on the size of the stones so measure and check dimensions.

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I like this idea, that's cool.

Here's what I store mine in, well most of them. I'm pretty sure harbor freight sells one also, don't know how big the drawers are on those though. Or hit the flea markets and look for a old one.

Love machinist's chests.
I dream of having a Gerstner someday.
Not for stones though - tools.

I've thought about making some out of cedar. For about $6 I can get an 8 foot cedar 2x4 at Home Depot. I would first sand it all down smooth, since the cheap 2x4s come rough sawn. Then rip it in half (make two 1x4s), then trace the stones onto both sides, cut to length, and use my router to remove the excess. It's a pretty simple process, you just need the tools. I have made several things this way (never a box, but the idea is the same). In this way, the top and bottom of the box will match. You can add hinges if you want, or you can do like I plan on doing, drill holes top and bottom and insert magnets to hold them together. Epoxy will hold them in nice and tight. I'll have to find some nice rubber feet.

Woodcraft has wooden boxes that you can buy. Standard sizes. 2"x6", 2"x8". I saw them when I stopped in once.

Gamma said:

Love machinist's chests.
I dream of having a Gerstner someday.
Not for stones though - tools.

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Yeah I about crapped when I saw it sitting at the flea market. I got it for $80. It looked very rough when i bought it. It has a assortment of stuff in it, knives, razors, stones, a few of my tools from my machinist days.

I dreamed of having one when I worked in a shop, but couldn't justify more than a weeks pay for one.

The good thing about the Gerstners is that they are beautiful as well as functional. My wife even likes it.

Used to run into them all the time when I was flea-marketing. Always too small for me though.
I wnat a really big one - someday, maybe. Lol.

I use red oak 1x4 lay out the outline of the stone and cut it out on the scroll saw.use 1/8 birch for the bottom and glue and tack it with wire brads.for the top I cut it out with a wood chisel if necessary if not on to the hinges and latch.. if the stone is narrow then I leave about .5 on each side. you end up with a nice wooden box and the fancy latches and hinges are up to you.

kn4wd said:

I use red oak 1x4 lay out the outline of the stone and cut it out on the scroll saw.use 1/8 birch for the bottom and glue and tack it with wire brads.for the top I cut it out with a wood chisel if necessary if not on to the hinges and latch.. if the stone is narrow then I leave about .5 on each side. you end up with a nice wooden box and the fancy latches and hinges are up to you.

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Scroll saw, now why didn't I think of that?

Great stuff, guys! Keep 'em coming. (since not everyone has the same tools, the more ideas we have the more people we can help)

Table saw, what do they call the blade that makes a wide cut? Dado? Cut a solid piece of wood into a "channel" shape and cap the ends? You guys got me thinking, now.

aephilli said:

Table saw, what do they call the blade that makes a wide cut? Dado? Cut a solid piece of wood into a "channel" shape and cap the ends? You guys got me thinking, now.

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Yes sir. Although you do not need a dado blade. I have done a lot of work with just the regular blade. Measure and make a cut on the edge of one measurement, then the other, then a few passes in between and Bob's your uncle you have a dado. The difference is in the quality of the bottom of the cut. A dado blade is going to be much more smooth but if you can;t see it, you can't see it.

Rabbet is actually when you do it on the edge, dado is in the middle, like these pics I borrowed from Wiki:

Rabbet:


Dado:


A Rabbet can be done with a hand-saw or a router in addition to a table saw.

Yes, the one on the left, make the slot wide & long enough for the hone and cap the ends.

Gamma said:

Yeah - gotta have a router though. lol.
A friend PM'd me - he might be able to hook me up.

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What tools do you have and maybe someone can think up a technique?

Hold your hone up to a tree, preferably a hardwood. Wait for the tree to grow around the hone. Cut out the portion with your hone inside. True custom box!

I have made small scale holders for things with a dremel and a mill-like bit. It worked, but I would prefer almost any other method if it was a larger piece.

aephilli said:

What tools do you have and maybe someone can think up a technique?

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I have a pile of tools - no woodworking stuff really.
I do have a technique though.
Let the guy that knows how to make a box do it. Lol.

I'm thinking cigar box and hobbyist foam. XActo knife and whammo!

Going to look at some foam tomorrow after work and perhaps stop by the local smoke shop too. I hear that they sell these things called "cigars".

Frank

A quick and easy way, assuming a rectangular form and no access to a workshop, is to pick up some thin lauan plywood and some basswood sized for modelling purposes, the latter coming in various dimensions with the rough length as purchased being cut to size with a small X-acto mitre box and hobbyist saw blade. The lauan plywood, forming the top and bottom, can be cut to size with a utility knife and metal straight edge, using a scoring approach, rather than trying to cut it all at once. All that remains is to assemble it with a hammer, nails, and glue, sand it lightly, and varnish it.

Ardennes sells boxes for cotis for reasonable prices. Check your dimensions though as cotis are thin.

Gamma said:

I...
I do have a technique though.
Let the guy that knows how to make a box do it. Lol.

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buca3152 said:

Ardennes sells boxes for cotis for reasonable prices. Check your dimensions though as cotis are thin.

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Sounds like great minds DO think alike....

My girlfriend was running late today so I had a little time on my hands...built this box for my Les Lat and slurry stone. Took just under an hour. Used a jig saw for all the cuts. The oak top was not intentional-I made a bad cut and it was all I had left.