Veneered and Dovetailed Box

A box like this one is the perfect way to polish your hand tool skills and play with new techniques.

- Kenan Orhan

PROJECT #2314
Skill Level: 
Beginner 
Time: 1 Day 
Cost: $35

Looking for a good wedding gift for family or friends? How about a wedding box such as this one I designed for very dear friends of mine? I wanted to spiff up a simple box just a bit so instead of miters, I used trusty dovetails (decorative and utilitarian!) and settled on veneering a gorgeous bit of tiger maple I had lying around to the lid. To compliment this, I was also careful in choosing my stock. Cherry is a dream to work with and its warm tones complement maple as well. I found a great bit of grain with a wistful strip of sapwood at one edge and set to work.

I dimensions the lumber in the machine room of my local guide, but the rest of the box is made without electricity. This guide is about using hand tools to make all the components, but it is a fantastic hybrid project if you find you do not have a tool I mention or want to save time.

Joinery Work

With any dovetail box, the first thing I do is figure out the position of any grooves that will be in the box so I can place the tails and pins accordingly. In this instance, I am making 1/8" grooves that are inset 1/8" from the top and bottom so I made my half pins about 5/16" (maybe a smidge more just to be safe) to allow for hiding the groove that holds the lid and bottom.

1 Start by laying out the tails on one end of the front and back piece.