Simple elegance from a bent plywood panel
Overall dimensions: 15"w × 9"d × 6 1⁄4"h
When I design a project I often try to include a curve or two to add a touch of elegance. The curved top for this box is made with two pieces of 1⁄8"-thick plywood sandwiched between two pieces of veneer and then bent in a simple shop-made form. The form is easy to build and is reusable for making multiples of this project. Although you could use two single continuous sheets of any type of veneer, I like to add another dimension to the design by creating a four-way matched pattern (see “Laying Up a Four-Way Match,” below).
The box itself is constructed using basic miter joints reinforced with contrasting splines (Figure 1). Like many boxes, it’s made by gluing up the walls with the top and bottom panels captured in their grooves, then sawing the lid free after assembly. I also added a decorative handle and a removable tray with curved sides that complement the shape of the box top.
First make the form
1 Lay out one upper and one lower rib (Figure 2) on 3⁄4"-thick plywood. Bandsaw the curves a bit shy of the cutline, and then carefully sand to the lines. Note: The radii differ to account for the 3⁄4" worth of platens and panels that will fit between the ribs during the panel glue-up. You’ll use these two “pattern” ribs for making the rest.
2 Use the two pattern ribs to mark out 12 additional ribs on 3⁄4"-thick plywood. Mark the same face of each piece for consistent orientation during assembly. To economize material, lay the ribs out in nesting fashion on a 9"-wide panel. Then bandsaw each rib curve slightly oversized. Screw a pattern rib to each piece and trim the curve to final shape using a flush-trim bit on the router table (Photo A).
Drill two 1"-diameter clamp access holes in two of the bottom ribs where shown in Figure 2.
OnlineEXTRA
For full-sized rib patterns to make the bending form, see onlineEXTRAS, below.
3 Build the bending form, nailing or screwing the ribs to the 3⁄4"-thick plywood panels, spaced evenly along the length of the form. Make sure that the marked faces of the ribs are all oriented in the same direction for consistency of curvature. Cut four pieces of 1⁄8"-thick plywood to use as platens. Tack two of them to the bottom half of the form, but set the other two aside for use as top platens during glue-up later. (It’s best not to attach them to the upper concave ribs.)
4 Screw the registration bars to the upper half of the form, squaring each one to the plywood top at the center. Align the two halves of the form and screw the registration bars to the bottom section with veneer scrap separating them from the center bars for ease of operation.
Make the top and bottom box panels
1 To make the top panel, begin by sawing two pieces of 1⁄8"-thick plywood (A) to the rough size in the Cut List. Then cover one side of each with a sheet of veneer (B). Use the techniques described in “No-Fear Veneering”.
2 Saw the bottom panel (C) to rough size, making it from either two pieces of 1⁄8"-thick plywood glued together or from a piece of 1⁄4"-thick plywood. Apply veneer (D) to both sides of it, and then cut it to the finished size shown in the Cut List.
3 Glue up the curved top using Titebond III, plastic resin glue, or other hard-drying adhesive. Spread the glue on the back of each panel using a small paint roller, and then place the panels back to back in the form on a piece of clean paper. Also lay a piece of paper over the top of the panels before covering them with the upper platens, as shown in Figure 3. Center the panels on the bottom platen, and put the top half of the form in place. Clamp the form together as shown in Photo B, and let it sit overnight.
4 Mark the panel for ripping to final width. Gauge a line at each long edge of the panel that’s parallel to the panel center (or the long veneer seam on a four-way match) and 4 7⁄16" from it. Working on the tablesaw, clamp the panel to the bending form with one of the gauged lines aligned with the blade and parallel to its path. With the rip fence guiding the jig, make the cut as shown in Photo C.
Then rotate the form and adjust the panel to make the opposite cut in the same manner.
5 Mark the panel to finished length, measuring out 7 3⁄16" from the center of the panel (or the short veneer seam). Saw to your lines using a crosscut sled (Photo D).
Build the basic box
1 Cut the walls of the box
(E, F) to the sizes shown in the Cut List. If you cut all four walls from a single board and join them in sequence, the grain will flow continuously around three of the corners. (Orient the odd corner toward the back.)
2 Miter the corners, and then saw the 1⁄4"-deep grooves for the bottom panel where shown in Figure 1, gauging the width to fit snugly around the sanded panel. Also cut the grooves in the end walls for the tray support strips (H).
3 Stand the top panel (A, B) on its end to lay out the curved groove on the inside face of one of the end walls (F). Locate the center of the panel a hair more than 3⁄16" in from the top edge of the wall. Then equalize the distance between the panel corners and the top edge of the wall. Make a registration mark on the wall miter at each panel corner; then trace along both curved edges of the panel to lay out its groove on the wall. Finally, mark out the curved top edge of the box wall by guiding a pencil using a washer with a 3⁄16"-wide rim, as shown in Photo E.
4 Mark the panel for ripping to final width. Gauge a line at each long edge of the panel that’s parallel to the panel center (or the long veneer seam on a four-way match) and 47⁄16" from it. Working on the tablesaw, clamp the panel to the bending form with one of the gauged lines aligned with the blade and parallel to its path. With the rip fence guiding the jig, make the cut as shown in Photo C.
Then rotate the form and adjust the panel to make the opposite cut in the same manner.
5 Mark the panel to finished length, measuring out 73⁄16" from the center of the panel (or the short veneer seam). Saw to your lines using a crosscut sled (Photo D).
Build the basic box
1 Cut the walls of the box (E, F) to the sizes shown in the Cut List. If you cut all four walls from a single board and join them in sequence, the grain will flow continuously around three of the corners. (Orient the odd corner toward the back.)
2 Miter the corners, and then saw the 1⁄4"-deep grooves for the bottom panel where shown in Figure 1, gauging the width to fit snugly around the sanded panel. Also cut the grooves in the end walls for the tray support strips (H).
3 Stand the top panel (A, B) on its end to lay out the curved groove on the inside face of one of the end walls (F). Locate the center of the panel a hair more than 3⁄16" in from the top edge of the wall. Then equalize the distance between the panel corners and the top edge of the wall. Make a registration mark on the wall miter at each panel corner; then trace along both curved edges of the panel to lay out its groove on the wall. Finally, mark out the curved top edge of the box wall by guiding a pencil using a washer with a 3⁄16"-wide rim, as shown in Photo E.
4 Bandsaw shy of your top edge layout line, and then carefully sand to it.
5 Transfer the curve to a board that’s long enough to span your router table. Saw out the curve and sand its edges to create a fence for routing the curved grooves in the end walls (F).
6 Outfit your table router with a 3⁄16"-diameter straight bit, and then clamp the fence in place 3⁄16" from the bit. With the bit raised about 3⁄16", rout the groove, feeding the box wall from right to left (Photo F). Then groove the opposite end wall using the same setup. Raise the bit to 1⁄4" and repeat the process. Reposition the fence about 1⁄16" further from the bit to rout the grooves to final width. Test the fit of the panel in both grooves. If necessary, readjust the fence away from the bit and take another shallow pass.
7 Dry-assemble the box with the bottom (C, D) in place. Mark out the top grooves on the front and back walls (E), carefully intersecting the ends of the curved grooves. Then use a bevel gauge to register the angle of the curved top edge in relation to the front or back wall. Tilt your tablesaw blade to this angle and rip the 1⁄4"-deep panel grooves in the front and back walls, resetting the rip fence as necessary to accommodate the thickness of the top. When you’re done, leave the blade set at the angle.
8 Sand and finish the inside faces of the walls, masking off the miter faces and tray support grooves before applying the finish. Also finish both faces of the top and bottom panels (see “Finishing Up” belowfor advice on finishing veneer).
9 Glue up the box with the top and bottom panels in place (do not glue the panels in their grooves). Make sure everything is square under clamp pressure with the box sitting on a dead-flat surface. Let the glue dry thoroughly.
10 With the tablesaw blade still set at its previous angle, adjust the rip fence to trim away the excess at the top edges of the front and back walls (Photo G).
Afterward, plane or sand as necessary to flush up and smooth the adjoining edges.
11 Lay out the spline slots where shown in Figure 1. Cut them on the tablesaw, using a shop-made cradle to carry the box over the blade at a 45° angle to the table as shown in Photo H. Saw the slots as deep as possible without intersecting the box interior. Make splines (G) that fit snugly in the slots, glue them in place, and then saw and sand them flush to the walls.
Online Extra
For a simple hinge-mortising technique, refer to “Installing Butt Hinges” (Woodcraft Magazine, Issue 26, Dec/Jan 2009, page 54, or see onlineEXTRAS, below)
Cut away the lid and hinge it in place
1 Separate the lid on the tablesaw by cutting through the front and both ends. Before sawing through the back, shim the previous cuts with 1⁄8" plywood to keep the parts from pinching the blade at the end of the cut. Use a band clamp to hold everything in place, and then make the cut (Photo I)
2 Make the tray support strips (H), apply finish to their exposed edges, and then glue them into their grooves.
3 Cut the hinge mortises by laying each hinge in place on the box base with the axis of the hinge barrel aligned with the box edge. Now knife around the hinge perimeter. Rout out most of the waste; then pare to the knife lines with a chisel. Install each hinge with one screw. Clamp the lid on top of the folded hinges, and knick its edge at the ends of each hinge to mark the mortise locations. Then lay out and cut the lid mortises.
Shape the feet and make the handle
1 Rout the foot recesses using a router table outfitted with a 1⁄2"-diameter spiral bit to minimize burning. Clamp a stopblock on either end of the fence, setting each to terminate the cut 11⁄4" from the ends of the box (Photo J). Make a series of progressively deeper cuts to achieve a 1⁄4"-deep recess.
2 Lay out the handle on a 1⁄2"-thick piece of stock about 4 × 8" (Figure 1). Locate the curve near the edge of the stock, extending its arc about 1⁄2" beyond each end of the handle. Bandsaw the arc, sand it smooth, and rout a 3⁄8"-radius, 1⁄4"deep, on the underside (Photo K). Then saw out the rest of the shape and sand it. Set the finished handle aside for now.
Make the tray and finish up
1 Referring to the Cut List, saw the tray bottom (I) to rough size, glue veneer (J) to both sides, and then trim the bottom to its finished size.
2 Mill 1⁄4"-thick stock for the tray’s long sides (K) and ends (L). Referring to Figure 4, rip the long sides to width, bandsaw the tray ends, and sand the curves. Miter the corners and saw the 1⁄8"-deep grooves to a width that accommodates the bottom panel (I, J).
3 Sand the interior walls and bottom panel, glue the mitered corners, and clamp up the tray, making sure it’s absolutely square. When the glue is dry, saw the spline slots, glue splines in place, and trim and sand them flush to the tray sides.
4 Check the fit of the tray inside the box. Then sand the tray, handle, and exterior walls of the box through 220 grit, and apply several coats of finish to all. To attach the handle, clamp it in place, trace around it, remove it, and then mark the screw locations (Figure 1). Drill screw clearance holes; then poke screws through them into the handle to mark the pilot hole locations. Drill the pilot holes, and then screw the handle in place. Finish up by reinstalling the hinges.
