Getting Started
Before delving into discussions on joinery and box-making itself, it’s important to get organized, prepared, and have a working knowledge of the tools and materials you’ll be handling. Knowing what you need, how to use it, and having it readily available will make your shop time much more productive and allow you to focus all your attention on your projects. This chapter is meant to provide general advice on how to go about doing that.
Preparation and Safety
The best way to start any box-making project is to assemble all your materials prior to starting. This is important not only for the sake of efficiency, but also for ensuring your box-making is a success. Running around trying to gather the things you need while working can quickly put you in a headspace that simply isn’t going to produce good work. Do yourself a personal favor and gather everything in the project materials list before you attempt anything—you’ll thank me later.
An example of auxiliary safety devices available: featherboards and push blocks. These are vital for keeping your hands and fingers away from sharp, fast-moving blades.
Another extremely important part of preparing for any woodworking project is safety. Woodworking is a wonderful hobby that can unfortunately leave you with devastating injuries very quickly if you are not attentive. Always make sure to outfit yourself with proper PPE whenever in the shop—dust masks, ear protection, and eye protection are a must when working with any power tools. Additionally, many power tools have safety guards installed on them and the ability to expose only the amount of a cutter that you need (e.g. you can drop the blade guard on a band saw to just above your stock to avoid catastrophe if the blade breaks). Learn how to use these safety features before using the tool—and never remove them, even if that “expert” on YouTube says it’s fine.
Safety concerns don’t go away when the power tools go off. Speaking from experience, it’s very easy to hurt yourself quite badly with a hand tool. One thing I’ve found helpful is to constantly be aware of where both of my hands are whenever using a hand tool. My friend and fellow woodworker Vic Tesolin often says to make sure there’s no “meat” in the path of a cutting edge. Beginners will often use a tool like a chisel with one hand, leaving the other vulnerable to the sharp edge should the chisel slip or wood break unexpectedly. Staying focused, present, and mindful is key to avoiding injury when using hand tools.
There are, of course, improvements you can make to your shop to ensure it remains injury free. Investing money in good dust collection will not only make your work safer by keeping your space clean, but your lungs will also thank you in the long term. Additionally, plenty of manufacturers make add-on safety devices like featherboards, push sticks, and jigs that I find also make my work much more accurate.
The point here is that safety should not be considered an afterthought in woodworking; it’s an active process that requires you to be mindful about every task you are completing. Mitigate risks with proper equipment and training, and if something feels unsafe to you, don’t risk it!
Materials
All the projects in this book use solid wood as the main box material. Solid wood is not dimensionally stable. Fluctuations in humidity and temperature can cause already prepared boards to bow, cup, or twist. This is a particular concern when a box lid is just a free-floating piece of wood. Nothing is preventing that board from going all out of whack! Milling your stock a
