So for Christmas I want to make my girlfriend a nice wooden box for her to put special things in, memorabilia and all that junk. Something like pic related. Probably not as nice as I am new to wood working.
Can someone help me out on how to get started doing something like this?
>>907904
Exact same idea here, I tried once already and the joints came out all gapped and shit looking so i gave up. Any advice on making nice joints/edges would be awesome.
>>907909
Measure twice, cut once. Dry fit it before gluing and screwing. Clamps, motherfucking clamps for days. If its small enough you can use a couple of picture frame clamps to get everything square.
OPs pic looks to be a miter joint with splines. Not a beginner joint but pretty and strong. If you have a table saw and a decent fence/jig you can cut up a nice looking box/finger joint. If you have a miter saw then stick to a miter joint.
Are there any good tutorials out there for what to do? Honestly I'm not terribly sure where to even start.
Or where to buy some decent wood.
>>907917
I've got some wood for your girlfriend's box.
>>907917
What tools have you got?
You should make her a nice finger box. Like pic related but with a better finish
>>907946
This meme is more over used then your own asshole anon.
>>907943
nothing myself but one of my close friends is a carpenter so I'm sure he's got lots of shit I could borrow. I'd ask him to show me what to do but he's really busy these days with work so I don't want to hassle him more than I have to.
>>907961
Ask him. If you listen to 4chan before consulting him you're just going to be annoying, here and to him. He knows his tools, and he knows more about woodworking.
>>907961
>one of my close friends is a carpenter so I'm sure he's got lots of shit I could borrow.
Every poorfag on 4Chan has a friend with all the exact tools he needs to do the job he knows nothing about. I guess it's OK if you ruin his tools, not knowing how to work them, or loose a finger or two.
Yeah, borrow tools from a man who makes a living with them, break, dull, and abuse them and he'll be a poorfag like you, it's not like you can afford to replace them or even purchase various consumables you'll wear out.
No one borrows the tools that I depend upon to feed my family.
Get a job, buy your own tools, read a book and don't be a nuisance to others.
How about this...
Because limited skills
Google kiln dried bowl blank find one that is 4 -5 inches thick other dimentions less important.
Use carpenter friends bandsaw and cut one inch off for the top.
Hollow base so sides and bottom are all 3/8 inch thick. Do same for top, ask to use friends router to do this.
Sand uo to 400 grit, finish with spray can of deft satin
Install hinges or other hardware
No glue, no miters, no dovetails, no clamps
This can all be done in a day.
>>908013
A little rough, but true.
I only spent about two years amassing all of the carpentry tools I want (within reason) to build stringed instruments, and there were projects to do from day one with what I could afford.
>>907904
>>907904
>Buy Jenga
>Stain the blocks to whatever colours you want
>Buy wood glue and clamps
>Summon all your Tetris skills
>Still fuck it up because you're a tard
>>908065
That would have end grain on the sides. Not pretty for a stained piece in most woods, butcher-block excepted.
By far the easiest plan I've seen around, all your friend would have to do is hand you the correct tool a tell you where to cut.
http://www.woodworkingcorner.com/box.php
>>908189
A dick?
>>907904
This can be done with a coping saw, or a back saw, or a fake Japanese pull saw, all of which are available from Home Depot. They'll also have sandpaper, files, finish, tiny brass hinges, the wood... Almost everything you need! But what they won't have in stock is the several months it'll take you to practice up and produce something that she won't look at and almost visibly say, "Shit, I have to act like I like this." Think about shooting for Valentine's Day, OP?
You can easily make the grain wrap around the box which is a pretty cool look. Perfect fitting miters aren't the easiest thing in the world but glue and saw dust will go a long way in covering slight gaps. Build the box and attach the top and bottom, then cut the top off. Don't make that shit separately or itll never fit without a bunch of planning, sanding and filing.
If you've got access to some gear follow this blog and youll look like a hero.
http://lumberjocks.com/BritBoxmaker/blog/17048
Some shitty woodworking tips to help you be a shitty woodworker and get away with it
>Measure twice, cut once, then fuck it up. Don't break it up to fix it just sand it flush and as long as it is genuinely flush nobody will notice
>A butt joint will work and look shit if its overt. But you can hide it fairly easily by sanding a bevel on all the corners.
>Invest in a couple gradients of sandpaper, when you have finished the thing before varnishing/staining you should sand it all going from heaviest grain to lightest. Gives it a nice smooth touch.
>Ratchet clamps, buy some
>PVA is the only wood glue you really need. Dont invest in gorilla glue and shit like that
>If you have access to a mounted jig saw, a vice, a jewellers saw and some pva you can do basically anything easy, a drill is good.
>Biscuit joints and dowels let you join shit super easily without having to have any real skill.
>Buy cheap pine and stain/varnish it. It probably wont look amazing but it will do. Also helps to use cheaper materials and make a mock-up first. Especially good for an amateur.
>Google anything you don't know how to do. There is a video for everything.
>Move slowly. Moving quickly will make your tools skip and make your wood splinter and look horrid. Just. Breath slow and work slowly and carefully and things will come out alight.
If you want to actually learn a bit more and make something nicer. Finger joints are pretty great and really easy to do. Pic related.
