A cool place to stash your holiday treasures
I prefer my holiday decorations do some double duty—a flatpack tree that offers chocolate treats (Dec/Jan 2022), a chimney-shaped decoration that counts down to the big day (Dec/Jan 2023). This snowman bandsaw box certainly fits the bill, keeping an eye on things from a mantle or end table while its drawers contain candy or conceal a few spare bulbs or batteries for less-hardworking decorations.
The body is laminated to thickness—I made mine from 8 /4 ash—then bandsawn to shape. Drawers are removed from the body then shaped and hollowed at the bandsaw as well. After gluing the body and drawers back together, add simple hardware (see Buyers’ Guide) to adorn the snowman with those classic coal buttons and carrot nose that double as drawer pulls.
Adorable, not abominable
The entire box, drawers and all, are bandsawn from a single large blank. The snowman’s back is removed and glued back on after removing the drawers. The drawers are similarly formed: their backs and fronts get sawn off, then the remainder’s bulk is removed to create a drawer pocket before the parts are reassembled to form the drawer. The snowman’s traditional adornments—coal buttons and a carrot nose—double as drawer pulls with the help of some specialized nuts (see Buyers Guide). Start by expanding the scale drawing right, or download and print the full-size pattern from onlineEXTRAS.
Make the box
Prepare a blank large enough to fit the snowman pattern, edge and/or face gluing boards together if necessary. Saw off the back while the blank still has a straight side to ride on. Then tape it back in place and saw the snowman to shape. Set the back aside, then cut out each drawer, beginning with the largest. Follow the pattern line into the case and around the drawer, then remove the drawer plug before repeating the process for the remaining drawers. Apply glue to the saw kerfs and around the edges of the back before clamping the parts back together. Don’t bother sanding, since the saw marks help align the mating surfaces.
Cut off the back. At the bandsaw, set up a fence to remove a 1⁄4” thick back off the blank. A wide resaw blade makes for a clean cut, but a narrow blade on a well-tuned bandsaw will also accomplish the task.
Saw to shape. Adhere the pattern to the front with spray adhesive and temporarily reattach the back with masking tape. Then saw the snowman to shape following the outline.
Cutting out the drawers. Cut the inside curves, sawing right on the line. Both sides of the cut will show in the final piece, so avoid making any relief cuts; if your blade tracks off the line a bit, slightly alter the final shape of your drawer accordingly.
Glue saw kerf closed. Stretch masking tape across the kerfs to close them. For a little more persuasion, apply clamps and cauls. Then glue on the back, distributing the pressure with wide scrap strips.
Make the drawers
Back at the bandsaw, set up a fence and saw 1/4” slices from the front and back of each drawer. Drill the drawer fronts for the pulls where shown. Peel the drawer patterns off the drawer fronts and adhere them to the front of the remaining drawer blank (or print and cut more if yours don’t peel off easily). Then cut out the drawers’ interiors. Reassemble the drawers and test their fit in the case. Sand as needed to allow the drawers to slide easily while maintaining a close fit. Apply finish to the case and front of the drawers (I chose to bleach my ash snowman for an even whiter visage), then flock the drawer insides. Whatever finish you choose, a coat of wax adds a nice sheen and lubricates the wood-on-wood drawer movement. Finally, install the hardware and stash some holiday goodies inside your new seasonal friend.
Carrot and coal. Spike nuts (see Buyers Guide, below) act as drawer pulls.
Cut off the back and front. Register the flat drawer bottom on the table, then saw off the front and back of the drawer. Mark the pieces for reassembly later, and use a push stick to keep fingers safely away from the blade.
Open the drawer. With the pattern attached to the drawer innards, cut along the line to remove the waste and form the drawer’s cavity.
Close the drawer. Sand the drawer’s curved interior. Then reattach the front and back. Don’t sand the glue surfaces, the saw marks will help to align the parts and keep them from slipping.
Dress up the interior. Paint flocking adhesive on the interior surfaces of the drawers, then add the flocking fibers. You can use a flocking applicator, but I find it just as easy to pour the fibers from drawer to drawer, shaking each to ensure good coverage.
