# Recipe Box ver 2. -- Lots of pics



## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Since I didn't partake in the 2nd round of mallet swapping, I was able to get new recipe box underway for the wife. I built a maple recipe box last year for her, but didn't apply finish to the inside and had some unfortunate wood movement. I don't have any pictures handy of this, but the result was a bow to the front and back panel and some splitting in on the lid. The original box was 1/4" or so thick maple with mitered corners and a cedar floor. It was decent looking, but very very basic. 

For the newer box, I decided to make the walls a little thicker, the corners stronger, more capacity since the former box was nearly full, and, of course, better looking. 

I started with some 4/4 Curly Cherry that I resawed on my TS in two passes to around 3/8". I glued these up into 8" wide panels, sanded smooth, and cut them to size for the walls of the box. 










I used a 1/4" straight bit and my Incra joining templates to cut box joints for the corners. I chose a decorative pattern with thicker fingers on two of the sides. 










































There are a lot of complaints about the Incra system being slow or complicated, but it really isn't either. If you take the time to read the directions and watch the tutorial DVD once, it explains the actions needed for all of the joints possible, demonstrates the procedure, and really makes it fool proof. The more joints that you make with this system, it easier it gets. Below are a few pictures of the dry fit. 


















I cut a dado for the floor of the box and rabbeted the top. The floor is 5/8" walnut that I had some scrap of. The top was some 4/4 walnut that I had gotten from Mike1950 in a recent visit. I was already cutting and jointing some for a different project and found a nice piece to be part of this box. 










I then glued up all of the joints and the top of the box.


















This next pictures shows one of the corners with the excess material removed.










The top of the box was looking a little bland, so I cut some 31/64" slots in a square pattern with a straight router bit for a decorative insert. I then cut some interesting sections of the same curly cherry to fit into the slots.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

After trimming the excess off the ends with a tenon saw, I sanded the top to smooth-ish with 80 grit, then 220. 


















Next, it was time to cut the box open. This is always a bit nerve racking. Last time that I did this, I made the two straight cuts with a table saw in offset positions and cut a curve between the two with a jigsaw. The difference in kerf made all kinds of headaches for me. This time around, I decided to be a little smarter about it. I first scored the two straight cuts with a draw knife and then started a cut slightly with a tenon saw. I then used my Disston crosscut saw to make the straight cut from that point. The kerf on the crosscut saw is almost identical to that of one of my better jigsaw blades. After making the straight cuts, I loosely drew a curve on one side of the box and followed it with the jigsaw. I then traced this the shape of the cut, marked it on the opposite side, and cut it to match. 


























I then sanded the cut edges to remove blade marks. I also did a freehand roundover on the front edge of the box and lid with a sanding block. 










I brushed a coat of oil based satin finish polyurethane onto the inside of the box. When I had cut the walnut for the top of the box, I also did some round grooves across the top with my router. I am not really sure what I was going for other than just playing around. The spacing is fairly consistent. I simply moved my LS positioner 1/4" between cuts.










































I am working on wipe-on coats of satin finish poly on the outside of the box now. I have two coats on so far and it is coming along well. 

One think that I haven't spent enough time considering is the hinges. I had some small brass hinges that I had originally thought that I might use, but I am beginning to think that they will be too light for this box. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for hinges?

I'll have more and better photos of the outside once it is finished.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Incredible work you do. Great pictures, and I love the added detail of the inlay on the top.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Good work! That turned out well. I really like the curved side walls, they look sharp. Finish looks great too. Nice job documenting this too.


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## gus1962 (Jan 9, 2013)

That's a good looking piece! It turned out very well . The top is nice and the dovetail is perfect.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

very nice. it looks great. 

dovetails would have been a nice touch, but the finger joints look great too. how did you clean the edges of the joints up?

i might have missed it, but what are the ridges for? are they just decorative, or do they serve a function? are they on the inside face of the top?


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> very nice. it looks great.
> 
> dovetails would have been a nice touch, but the finger joints look great too. how did you clean the edges of the joints up?
> 
> i might have missed it, but what are the ridges for? are they just decorative, or do they serve a function? are they on the inside face of the top?


Chris, 
I cleaned up the excess material simply on my stationary belt sander, moving from 80 to 220 grit belts. I just have a Workmate for a bench, so planing something lime this would likely have been a recipe for disaster (pun intended). The grooves on the inside of the lid are decorative, but would have been a nice choice for the floor of the box to keep the recipe card from sliding. Live and learn, I suppose. I am still hunting for hinges, so I suppose I will just keep adding coats of finish until I figure it out...

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

thanks. it is very nice.

what about something like a piano hinge?


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> thanks. it is very nice.
> 
> what about something like a piano hinge?


That might be an option, though I have never used one. Can they easily be cut to size?


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## jerbone (Jan 29, 2013)

That inlay top really sets it off.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

Phaedrus said:


> That might be an option, though I have never used one. Can they easily be cut to size?


never done it myself, but ...

http://www.woodworking.com/forum/showthread.php?54723-Cutting-piano-hinge

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?138476-Cutting-Piano-Hinge

http://www.ehow.com/how_5701395_cut-piano-hinges.html


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Yes they can be easily cut wit a hacksaw, then sanded or filed to smooth the metal. That is what I was thinking of too. I like using piano hinges on projects myself. I've inlaid piano hinge into the back of a chest before, and I've also just screwed it ont the surface, purely your preference.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Hmm, looks like I need to go to the hardware store and look at some of these in person. I think it will just about have to be mounted to the back of the box. I could probably mortise them in, but the walls are only 3/8" thick, so mounting hinges to the facing edges of the walls is pretty much out of the question. The rest of the design for this has been planned as I go, so I guess it makes since that my hinge situation is much the same way.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

I still haven't reached a hinge solution for certain, but I am persevering with the finish. I took a couple of photos on my "real" camera today before I sanded and applied the next coat. 

















I am a big fan of this side with the two sapwood areas butted together from the glue up:
























The curl is quite pronounced on this side:








Here is a good view of the slight round-over on the front opening side. I was considering something like this anyway, even before a mild sawing blunder :shifty::laughing:


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

That looks good man!


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

that looks awesome dude! Very nice job, and I love the fact that you "played" around experimenting different techniques like the top. 

I'm at a loss as far as the hinges go. 3/8" is not much to work with.


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## gimmodog (Feb 3, 2013)

A wooden hinge would like nice on that. You already have the Incra system why not get their hinge crafter and make some wooden hinges. I've got my TS on order and plan on trying the hinge crafter also. Amazon has it for less than Incra.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

gimmodog said:


> A wooden hinge would like nice on that. You already have the Incra system why not get their hinge crafter and make some wooden hinges. I've got my TS on order and plan on trying the hinge crafter also. Amazon has it for less than Incra.
> 
> Amazon.com: INCRA HingeCrafter: Home Improvement


I have looked at this kit in the past--but holy cow it is expensive. I think someone else on the forum should get it and make hinges for everyone! :thumbsup:
The kit is $80, but the bits are more still. That's a whole lot of cash for a tool that can really just do one thing.


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## gimmodog (Feb 3, 2013)

I think the bits come with the kit, at least it does if you buy it from Incra. It will only do one thing but just think of all the neat little gadgets that use a hinge and just the idea of 
wooden hinges and the challenge of making them makes me want to try it.

http://incra.com/product_booksplans_hingecrafter.htm


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

> Kit includes HingeCrafter with drill guide bushings already installed, instructions, drill bit, and two 6" brass hinge pins.
> Just add the straight bit and round-over cutters for your choice of barrel diameter.


Incra's website really wasn't upfront about what comes in the kit, but Rockler gave the above description. 


http://www.woodpeck.com/hingecrafter.html
Woodpeckers is a little cheaper on the jig at just under $70, but the bit set costs $181! Woa!


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

**&$#!!!!!*

Well, I found some small brass hinges that looked like a good fit. I mortised the box so that it would close flush. I picked up some different brass screws (#4) since I have ready horror stories about cheap screw that come with hinges breaking off. I pre-drilled the holes for the screws with a 1/16" bit. My I's had been dotted and my T's crossed--then this happened: 









:furious::furious:

I managed to break off two crew heads. I wasn't even close to tightening them down yet. What do I do??


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Very nice!!!! You did a great job. I like the top and the box joints look clean and tight. 
But I have to agree with doing wood hinges.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Well I quit cursing over the broken screw heads long enough to catch my breath and be reasonable. I counter-bored the screw holes to 3/32 at the top and bees waxes the screws for the next hinge and they went in without a hitch. I am still pondering how to fix this...

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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I would dig away some wood around the broken screw enough to get a plier on it and thread it out. Then glue in a tooth pick, let dry and replace a new screw.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Here are some pictures for scale. The wall of the box is only 3/8" thick, so it will be difficult to get in/around the screws. One of them is probably too far down to even attempt this. The other may be doable. I am going to play with it a little more and see if I can coax it out. If so, I will just epoxy a screw head on the one side, insert the proper screw on the other and epoxy the hinge in place.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

Dominick said:


> I would dig away some wood around the broken screw enough to get a plier on it and thread it out. Then glue in a tooth pick, let dry and replace a new screw.


sounds like good solution. since it will be covered by the hinge, you should could even plug it with a little dowel first


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

The deeper of the screws I drilled through. This is an interesting thing to attempt without a drill press...but happily seems to have worked. The other screw was a little more work. I dug around next to it with a sharp knife gently. I attempted to get ahold of the top of the screw with my smallest needle-nose pliers with no luck. I attempted to cut a groove in the top of the shaft with a rotary tool and just back it out with a flat screwdriver, but this was also a bust. I ended up using a round carving bit and boring down next to the screw. I was then able to just push the screw shaft into the new hole next to it and free it. 








I have two crudely shaped plugs drying. I will hold off on round two until tomorrow when I can get some new screws.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

OUCH! I gotta say though, that you are really finding a good way to fix this, and no one will be the wiser once the hinge is in place.

I have found that I use a regular screw (of the same size) when I set the hinges for the first time to "pretap" the holes. Then unscrew them, and replace with the weaker brass screws. I then use wax if they are still snug. If the first screw you use is a little larger than the brass ones, you could either put a dab of epoxy in the hole, or along the lines of what Dominick said, put a sliver of wood (toothpick may be a little too much). Hope this helps for future efforts.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

this quote comes to mind ...

"A master woodworker is not someone who doesn't make mistakes; he is someone who can fix them so they are not noticeable."

OK, I don't have the quote exact, but you get the idea.

Phaedrus, you are one step closer to being a master woodworker.

I am more than a few steps behind you. It's more like you are so far ahead of me that I can't even see you.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> this quote comes to mind ...
> 
> "A master woodworker is not someone who doesn't make mistakes; he is someone who can fix them so they are not noticeable."
> 
> ...


Thanks for that, but I am quite far from it. Honestly, I will say that my woodworking has gotten a lot better over the last few months with the more precision tools and measuring devices that I acquire. Things just shockingly fit together. I have things mended and I am editing pics now to post. Stand by!


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

*Done!*

Well folks, here it is: FIN.

First, here is the repair: 









Enough with the words, here are some pics.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Nice recovery. It looks beautiful.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

That turned out Nice! I'm sure mama is gonna be proud.


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