A four-way grain match makes for stunning effect
Veneer offers a wider variety and higher quality of species and figures than hardwood, creates stable panels with minimal movement, and allows for tighter tolerances. I always use the highest quality veneer because my labor is the same and the finished product is well worth the investment. For this project, it’s best to pick veneer that has a non-linear grain like a burl so the figure will be a close match on the box’s vertical corners.
The miter fold method starts with a single panel and a few special cuts. When you add veneer into the mix, the grain aligns continuously around the top corners and down the sides to create a stunning effect. Although you can use a single piece of veneer, you can create more dramatic patterns by matching sapwood or figured accents within the grain. A single seam book match or a four-way match can generate a mirrored design element, while radial, random, or spiral matches create the most unique boxes. For this box, I used a simple four-way match.
With a few tools and a router table, this process produces deceptively simple but dramatic boxes. And with the many veneer and hardware options available, and the possibilities of storing jewelry, cigars, and untold knickknacks, learning this technique will never leave you feeling boxed in.
Sizing and sequencing
The function of the box helps define its size. Will the box hold keepsakes, memorabilia, and tchotchkes, or will it hold something specific like #10 envelopes, cigars, or jewelry? These considerations will define the minimum interior size. From there, add 7⁄8” to the width and length to allow for a 3⁄8” wall thickness and a 1⁄4”-thick bottom panel with 1⁄4” reveal. From there, tweak the measurements until the proportions look right. When in doubt, employing the golden ratio (1:1.6) is a good place to start.
To calculate the size of the veneered mdf panel, add twice the height of the box to both the width and length. For example, for a box that is 6 × 9 × 3”, cut a panel that measures 12 × 15”, that is: (3” × 2 + 6” = 12”) by (3” × 2 + 9” = 15”).
As you match the pieces, you’ll notice the grain changes subtly from leaf-to-leaf. If you sequence the four leaves in numerical order, then seams 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 will look good, but where leaves 1 and 4 meet, the grain alignment will be off. Equalize the difference by sequencing 1-2-4-3. When cutting a four-way match, cut and seam two sets of leaves first, leaving the next cutting edge long. Then cut the two sets for a final matching straight seam.
Upside-down and inside-out
An MDF panel veneered on both sides forms the body of the box. Sized to fit its intended purpose, V-grooves cut just through the panel create sides that fold to form the box while maintaining a continuous veneer wrap on the outside. A groove around the panel’s perimeter holds the veneered plywood bottom. After glue-up, the box top is sawn off and additional veneer added to cover the MDF edges. A small lip installed in the box top helps align it to the box when closing. Different veneers inside and out create a unique effect—or try abalone or mother-of-pearl veneer for a surprise interior.
Size to suit. Let your box’s purpose determine its proportions.
Fold and glue. The face of the veneered panel that receives the dados and v-grooves will become the box’s interior.
Cut lid and Customize. A lip glued into the box top helps align the grain when closing the case.
Prepare the veneer
Number your veneer leaves right out of their packaging to keep them in order—the closer the leaf numbers, the more similar the grain. After locating the seams for an attractive grain match as shown, cut each leaf oversized using a utility knife. If you find the veneer too brittle, soft, or warped to cut easily, a simple conditioning process will get that unruly burl back in line (see onlineEXTRAS). Then tape the veneer to create an oversized sheet (see Sizing and sequencing), the center of which will become the box top’s center. The best tape is paper veneer tape (see Buyers Guide), because it is very thin and has a moisture-activated adhesive. Light tack painter’s tape will also work, but is harder to remove and, if overlapped, builds up in thickness, leaving an impression during pressing.
Select the best grain. Use a pair of mirrors held at 90 degrees to each other to visualize what a grain match will look like on adjacent veneer leaves.
Cut the face veneer. Slice veneer sheets using a breakaway utility knife and a straightedge. In a pinch, a straight length of MDF reinforced with a bit of cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive to harden the fibers makes an excellent straightedge. Adhere some sandpaper to the face of the straightedge to keep it from shifting while cutting.
Tape and iron. After taping a seam together, use a household iron to quickly remove excess moisture and set the tape adhesive. Do not use an iron on painter’s tape.
Prepare the box
After sawing an oversized MDF panel, glue on veneer as shown. Be sure to veneer both sides to avoid warping. Consider choosing a contrasting interior veneer for a surprise when the box is opened, or use inexpensive veneer inside a box that will be lined with leather, velvet, flocking, or Spanish cedar. Apply glue to the MDF—never to the veneer, which may curl. Use cauls to apply even pressure to the veneered panel while the glue dries. After unclamping, dampen the veneer tape to loosen its adhesive, then peel the tape off carefully. Remove any remaining adhesive with a card scraper, then gently sand and pre-finish both sides of the panel.
Apply glue and veneer. Lay the interior veneer tape-side down atop a flat surface (platen), apply a thin even coat of glue to the MDF panel with a roller or 1⁄16” notched trowel, and carefully lower the MDF onto the veneer. Then repeat the process for the face veneer, laying it atop the glue-coated MDF.
Clamp the panel. With veneer glued to both sides of the MDF, sandwich the panel between two large flat surfaces called platens, then add cauls and clamps to apply even pressure to the panel. Allow to dry overnight.
Form the box
Lay out and cut the veneered panel to its final size, locating the center of the veneer match in the center of the panel, and keeping the panel’s sides parallel to the veneer seams. Cut a piece of 1/4” hardboard 1” larger in length and width than the box’s interior. Veneer both sides as above. At the table saw, raise the blade to 1/4” and cut a dado around the perimeter of the veneered panel’s inside face, 1/4” from the edge. Adjust the fence as necessary to widen the slot. At the router table, cut a V-groove just through the outside veneer of the MDF panel. The distance between the fence and the bit’s point should be the same as the box’s height. Remove the small squares in all four corners of the panel, then fold the box to shape. Cut the bottom panel to size, measuring from the bottom of one dado to the bottom of its opposite. Glue up the box’s sides around the bottom panel. Tape and clamp the box until the glue dries.
Dado for bottom panel. After cutting the dado, the veneered bottom panel should fit snugly in its slot.
Cutting the miter-fold. Adjust the router height so the V-groove bit’s point just barely cuts through the veneered panel. A few layers of masking tape applied to the outside of the veneer keeps the panel from fully separating when the cut is completed, and acts as a hinge for later assembly.
Folding. After removing the corner pieces and sizing the bottom panel, apply glue to all the beveled edges and fold the box up around the bottom panel, and tape the corners to hold tight while the glue dries. The bottom panel floats in its dados.
Finish up
When the glue has dried, cut the box open at the table saw. Apply veneer to the exposed edges at the top and bottom of the box, and the bottom of the lid. Fit a 1/8” thick lip frame inside the lid as shown. Hand plane or sand a slight bevel on the outside face of the lip, leaving about a 1/16” of vertical face exposed above the bevel. The bevel helps guide the lid into the box, while the last 1/16” square face perfectly aligns the closed lid in the box. Glue the lip frame into the lid, or keep the frame loose, gluing only the mitered corners together for removability for finishing and other accessory installations. Inspect the entire box for any veneer chips and patch with wood filler. Sand gently and apply finish.
Cut off the lid top. Raise the table saw blade to about 9⁄16” and set the fence at 1”, then cut the box top off with smooth, steady passes around each side of the box. Keep the box top against the fence, and protect the veneer with a layer of masking tape.
Veneer the edges. Apply glue to the raw MDF edges and press against a sheet of veneer laid on a flat surface. Clamp until dry, then trim the veneer flush to the edges of the box with a sharp knife.
Fitting the Lip. Mill hardwood liners 1⁄8” thick and 1⁄4” taller than the box lid’s interior depth, mitering the corners to fit inside the box. Glue them to the lid’s inside walls, or glue only the mitered corners together leaving the frame loose inside the box for removability when finishing or installing other accessories.
Designer’s Notebook
After building dozens of miter-fold boxes, I still enjoy each and every one. The build process is enjoyable, and the grain patterns make each one unique, but just as enjoyable are the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle additions that make each box special. I’ve included a few ideas here, but make your miter-fold box your own with hardware, handles, lining, and the like.
A flocked, felt, or leather lining creates a soft surface for jewelry, while dividers organize items. Or veneer the interior with mother of pearl, opal, or paua shell for a surprise reveal.
Add even more pop to the outside by incorporating additional veneer elements. Here, I added a compass rose and Fibonacci’s golden spiral.
Do something unexpected outside, like lopping off the top at a wonky angle or adding a stylized handle – I put mine on the lid, but you could put handles on the box sides.
