From WoodworkersZone WoodWiki
NOTE: I have used a couple of different boxes in this tutorial, as I did not accumulate the right pictures to explain what I wanted to explain on only one project.
On a bevelled box, you'll start out with 3/4 or even 7/8" thickness all around.... so you have the meat to bevel off....For example, on this one, 3/4" starting thickness....
You can see the lid's border sitting 1/4" proud of the box. I have the border sitting on ply spacers inside the box, with 1/2" of the border inside the box... the spacers will be in there when I drill the hinge pin holes. The border has a groove 3/8" deep centered.
The lid is mounted 1/4" proud of the border. I cut a 3/8" rabbett, 1/2" deep leaving a 1/4 inch "tongue" all around the bottom of the lid piece.
This will allow an 11 degree bevel, the saw blade will just "kiss" where the angles meet on the lid. Should be a fun cut.... I'll post a picture after I make the cuts...
The lid will be cut first, then the box will be turned on it's side to bevel the top edges 11 degrees to match the bevel on the lid.
The side of the box, all the way around, will be bevelled at 9 degrees.... leaving 3/8" thickness at the top.
On most bevelled boxes, you will use hinge pins. I use 1/8" brass rod that you can get from any of the borgs.
Note: I have some hardwood spacers cut to size so the lid can sit inside the box without falling to the bottom. I left 1/2" "inside" the box.
On the box pictured, I measured 1-3/8" in from the back of the box. This will account for the 3/4" thickness of the box in it's current state, a 1/16" reveal and placing the hinge pin hole 13/16" in from the back of the lid.
I then measured 7/32" down from the top (1/2 of 7/16") and made the second reference mark for my hinge pin hole.
You're probably asking why 1/2 of 7/16".... because when you bevel the lid and the top of the box, you will lose 1/16" of the original 1/2" of the lid.
When you drill your hole, make sure the lid is held firmly in place, clamp if you can, to prevent the lid from creeping out from the torque of the drill bit. (It's happened to me ONCE).... Also, I used shims to place in the reveal between the lid and the box. This will keep the lid in place when drilling the holes.
I drilled my holes so they went in to the lid about 5/8".
When testing your hinge pins, cut two lengths of 1/8" rod about 2" long. You do not want to drive them home at this time, as you will need to remove them throughout the assembly until you are ready to permanently mount the lid.
The next thing I did was bevel the top of the box. I tilted the table saw blade to 11 degrees and secured the lid to the jig that I had made for this purpose. You can do without a jig, but it gets a little scary. I drew a mark 7/16" up from the bottom of the lid as a reference to line up the fence.
Next up, I beveled off 1/16" of the top of the box to match the 11 degree bevel of the lid.
I then adjusted my table saw blade to 9 degrees. I adjusted my fence so when I made the bevel cut, it would leave 3/8" at the top of the box.
Now that the bevels are cut, I test fit the lid and sanded everything flush, particularly the transition from the box to the lid. Keeping the spacers still inside the box as without them, the lid would fall to the bottom on the front of the box, as you still need to mount the handle for the front edge support.
I then mounted the lid handle. It's a good idea to keep the cut offs from the bevelling. They come in handy to bring it back to 90 degrees for any clamping you may need to do. The also made a stable support when sanding.
Now that you have your handle mounted, and the pins in place, you will need to round over the back edge of the lid to ensure that it has enough clearance when opening the box. I did this by hand using the trial and error method. This is another reason why you want the log pins in place because I think I removed the lid about 10 times before I was satisifed with the roundover.
I cut the hinge pins so that when "hammered home" they will recess about 1/8" from the outside of the box. I have trimmed them flush and then sanded them down so there is a brass appearance. Time to glue the hinge pins in. I put a dab of epoxy in the holes to the lid portion only. Putting my shims in place, I tap the hinge pins all the way in to the hinge pin holes on both sides. Making sure the lid is centered where you want it. If you have the shims in place, you won't have any problems with this. I use another piece of the 1/8" rod to drive the pins in to the bottom of the holes.
You will want to make sure that pins are set tight, as you do not want any side to side slop in the lid movement. Allow the glue to dry before playing with it too much.
Other than that, you should be able to take it from here.....
One thing I like about this lid is that it allows you to do a little something to the inside of the lid. As there is a 1/4" recess that is perfect for a mirror or a framed photo.
And there you have it.... A bevelled box.
Note: The bubinga & cocobolo box was not yet complete at the time of this writing.
Another Note: You the thicker the sides, the greater degree of a bevel you can do. On this box, I bevelled the top and the bottom 15 degrees - I started out with 7/8" sides.
--EdS-454 04:43, June 24, 2009 (CDT)
