Make This Elegant Memory Box

resources for the project described in my book ‘Complete Woodworking’.

This is the most challenging of the five projects in the book. It incorporates a number of different techniques into one piece. My original plan was to have dividers in the box so it could house collections of items but I decided this was “a bridge too far”.

Whenever I make a box I like to have the grain continuously run around the sides with the discontinuity at a back corner. This may seem a little obsessional but I think its little considerations like this that make the difference between a good piece and an exceptional one. Often beginners tend to try to get everything out of a very limited stock of wood, this can lead to some clashes of grain pattern which can spoil the look of a piece. I know it can be difficult when working on a limited budget but I think it is better if you can get more wood than you need so you have more options when selecting for grain continuity

Cutting off the lid can be tricky. The cutter you will need is part number T5415 in the Wealden catalogue, this should be fitted to the long arbor T3030 ½ . They require a ½ “ collet router and table. Depending on the configuration of the table you may have to have the arbor extended from the collet some way to get the height. Reduce the router speed considerably and feed steadily. Alternatively to top could be cut off with a back saw as described in the book.

The box described in the book had no stay or chain to prevent the lid falling back. It may be worth fitting one to help prevent damage at the hinges. Alternatively hinges are available with integral stops. They are not cheap but they exude quality! These stop hinges from the American company Brusso can be fitted in the same way as ordinary butt hinges. These strap hinges from Smart hinge are a very elegant solution. They are also very simple to fit using a router table, they are quite narrow which would allow the sides of the box to be slimmed down if desired.