So, might recall a couple months ago,
I made my Deadpool head bandsaw box,
which is actually only the second box I've ever made.
The first one happened the day before
and it was my practice box, that's more
of a simple trapezoid shape, and I did film it,
and that's what I'm going to show you here today,
and sort of a step-by-step, so you could see
how simple this process is.
Just the series of steps, but when you look
at the finished piece, it's a little bit mind-boggling
on how exactly you make a drawer inside
of a solid block of material like this.
Now, because it was my first time,
fortunately, I had on the shelf David Picciuto's
'Bandsaw Box Book' and he's got a number of designs
in here ranging from more complex stuff
to really beginner-friendly things.
One of those is the Tennessee box,
which obviously was an influence
on the box that I made here.
So, you might see some resemblance there,
but if you're looking to get into bandsaw boxes,
this book is a really good place to start.
All right, so let's get to the build.
I'm lucky to have some 12 quarter walnut on hand for this.
I'll mill up two pieces, so that I can glue them together
for a nice deep box.
You can also stack up numerous layers
of thinner material for some cool effects.
In my case, both pieces have a decent amount of sapwood
on one face, so I'll glue those faces together
to give the illusion of grain continuity.
As you can see, my pieces aren't exactly the same size,
but it doesn't matter, this is just a rough blank.
Once the glue dries, I can square up one edge,
which will serve as a reference surface for the pattern.
I just drew this shape on a piece of paper.
It's seven inches at the top,
five and a half inches at the bottom,
and four and a half inches tall
with half inch thick walls.
I didn't make a printable pattern,
because it's pretty easy to draw.
The first cut establishes the outside of the box.
The blade cuts pretty cleanly,
but the box definitely needs a little bit
of sanding to smooth it out.
Next, cut a half inch slice off the back
of the blank, this will be our box back.
Now, here's where the magic happens.
Begin cutting in from the outside of the blank,
aiming for the interior line.
This cut establishes the inside walls of the box
while simultaneously releasing the drawer blank.
Keep in mind, there are no do-overs with this cut.
The wider and more jagged the cut line,
the sloppier the fit of the drawer,
so try to make one continuous smooth cut.
The walls should spring open just enough
to allow you to stop the saw, raise the guard,
and remove the pieces.
The outside shell is the box itself,
so we'll glue it back together right on the cut line.
The cut is rough,
but it should nest together pretty well.
Be sure to wipe away the glue squeeze out on the inside,
that stuff is no fun to clean up later.
Once dry, it's time to glue on the back.
Now, I didn't film it,
because I honestly wasn't sure that it was a good idea,
but I did some sanding on the back,
as well as the box rim, in order to smooth them out
and remove the bandsaw ridges.
Turns out, that works very nicely
and the glue line becomes all but invisible.
When the back is dry, the sides
of the box can be sanded and smoothed,
and we can remove the template schmutz from the front.
I'm sure with some practice the initial cut line
will become less visible, but for now it can benefit
from a little bit of brown colored filler.
Once the finish is applied, it should look passable.
The box then gets a little decorative round-over.
The round-over on the inside is nice too,
because it helps hide some of the discrepancies
between the box opening in the drawer.
Speaking of the drawer, let's make it.
Start by cutting off the back of the drawer blank.
Next, cut off the front.
Make sure you keep these pieces in order.
On the remaining blank piece,
draw a half inch line around the sides,
and the bottom, to mark out the drawer cavity,
and then cut it out.
Smooth the inside however you can
as this won't be easy to do once we have a front
and back glued back on.
By the way, I'm using Titebond Original for this glue up,
which tends to leave a light colored glue line.
Titebond makes another product
called Titebond Dark Wood Glue, which is a great choice
for woods like walnut, and especially on a project
where we're trying to create an illusion
by hiding joints, this is a good idea.
This project was just a practice run for me,
so I wasn't too worried about it.
Once the glue is dry, clean up the exterior of the drawer.
Keep in mind, the more material you remove,
the looser the fit.
That's why it's so important
to get the cleanest cut possible right off the bandsaw.
The drawer then gets the same round-overs as the box.
Now, for some fine sanding and the finishing touches.
Because plagiarism is a detestable thing,
I'm going to completely differentiate my trapezoid box
from Picciuto's.
You see how his drawer pull mimics the shape of his box.
Well, I'm turning my pull upside down,
so yeah totally different.
The pull will be cut from walnut sapwood
for a little bit of contrast.
I start with a small strip
that is two rabbits cut into the sides.
I, then, cut two small dados at the appropriate angles.
Now, I can make angle through cuts to release the pool.
This method results in a pull that sits up off
of the drawer front surface, making it easier to grasp.
A little cleanup and it's time to glue the pull
to the drawer.
The finish will be an oil varnish blend,
just a couple of coats wiped on
and wiped off will really bring the walnut to life.
To apply the material, I'm using a small piece
of white Scotch-Brite pad,
and then wiping back with some blue shop towels.
(jazzy music)
All right, so that's all there is to it.
Simple bandsaw box is actually pretty easy, right,
like once you know the series of steps
and you have a good piece of material
that reinforces this illusion of a big thick block of wood,
you can make something pretty awesome.
It's like anything in woodworking,
it's just a series of steps, say it all the time,
but it bears repeating, right?
All right, thanks for watching everybody,
we'll catch you next time.