Dovetail box grooves for bottom and top

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  • billstennett
    20 July 2015 at 3:30 pm #128652

    Hi All

    I am going to make a dovetail box I was just wondering what the options are for fitting the lid and bottom. In the past I have made boxes with the top and bottom fitted in to a groove and then patching the gaps that this created in the tails.

    Is there a way to make the box without having to patch the gaps? I can’t use half blind dt’s as the stock is only 7/16″ thick.

    Cheers
    Bill

    John Purser
    20 July 2015 at 4:15 pm #128655

    Bill,

    Have you watched the Dovetail box series on this site? The 8th episode shows a fitted lid.

    Dovetail Box Project

    Paul also makes a Shaker Candle Box with a hinged lid in his “Artisan Series”.

    John Purser
    Hubert, NC

    billstennett
    20 July 2015 at 8:46 pm #128661

    Thanks John – I have seen the dovetail box with the fitted lid but not the artisan series. I’ll try and check it out.

    My idea was to make the box with a hinged lid using a walnut raised panel in the lid.

    I’m wondering what the norm is when making small jewellery boxes for fitting the bottom and top panel. Do you have to go with half blind dt’s or mitred corners perhaps?

    Cheers

    Bill

    Matt McGrane
    20 July 2015 at 9:39 pm #128665

    Not sure I can add much to what’s already been proposed. The way of attaching a bottom depends on the size of the box. I was shocked when Paul glued on the bottom of the tool chest – I though that case was far to big to think about gluing the bottom in place. For larger boxes it is much more typical to capture the bottom in a groove. Mitered corners are an option. I remember seeing Cris Schwarz make regular dovetails except that the top one (or bottom one, or both top and bottom) was mitered. It’s been a while since I’d seen that, but that could be an option. Although I remember thinking at the time I read it “I’ll never do that because it’s way too complicated”. Maybe with the things I’ve learned from PS, it wouldn’t bee that complicated now.

    Matt, Northern California - Started a blog in 2016: http://tinyshopww.blogspot.com/

    billstennett
    22 July 2015 at 8:06 pm #128741

    Thanks Matt – I think you’re right about the mitred through dovetail. I did look at this one a fair while ago and reached much the conclusion as yourself! But who knows, maybe now it wouldn’t be so hard.

    Cheers

    Bill

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