A box for Ben the birthday boy

My youngest grandson will be nine on Sat. I used an online box generator to make the plans for this box. First time I’ve ever made a box out of wood, so gluing it was quite a challenge. A couple engravings (not shown here) left something to be desired, since I did them while they were tweaking the engrave settings…and the last negative thing is the cheapo little hinges…and the screws that
went all the way through the wood. A woodworker, I’m not. BUT, the good part is that I like it and I think Ben will, too. I put some money in it and some candies.

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Came out great! That’s thinking outside the… oh, never mind.

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Awesome!! Way better than some cheap thing you buy at the store :smiley:

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That’s beautiful! And I love the personalization! :grinning:

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Super nice @Xabbess!

Just one tiny suggestion, try using pan head or similar screws so they do not damage the hinge. The screws will sit flat on the metal hinge and not counter sink into the metal. Photo attached.

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Thank you! Appreciate your input. Those would look a lot nicer, too…in addition to functioning better. As I said…cheap little hinges…and the screws that came with them.

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So cool! Did you laser the hinge holes?

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Very nice box! Sweet birthday gift for sure!

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Sweeeeet! That should result in a memorable birthday for sure!

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This is awesome. I used to make craft boxes all the time with my daughters when they were young. I can imagine all of the things they would have had me do if I had a laser back when craft night was popular. :slight_smile:

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Very nice box! And who doesn’t love candy and money? :grinning:

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Duh, no…didn’t even think of that! There’s always next time. Also, didn’t even have any little hinges until AFTER the box had been made. Thanks for the great suggestion, Dan!

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NOT at all saying you missed an opportunity here. Again, what you created is simply awesome and I’m so happy you have the tools to do it now! Just thinking for your next box you could also etch where the hinges go to make them flush with the lid. Or maybe that’s weird. I dunno. I’ve just been thinking that that’s how I’ll add hinges. :slight_smile:

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A future alternative for hinges:

I am always a fan of not needing extra bits of hardware

EDIT: And an even more amazing approach: http://cartonus.com/jewelry-box/

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@Xabbess…I was at Michaels’ just 1 hour ago…was looking at the boxes and even sorta a chest…( you know…a YAAAAARGH…chest ) , boy o boy did they…vacuum…yours…worthy of an oscar, to me.!

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I have to wonder if the pattern they show on their page has intentional “mistakes” added to it (sizing/alignment/etc)? Otherwise, it would be way too easy to reverse-engineer the designs from drawings like this:

I certainly wouldn’t, but you know that there are those out there who would. :unamused:

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No, not weird at all. I’ve heard of people that ARE real woodworkers using a chisel to take out enough wood to make the hinges flush. I know it would look much more clean and professional.

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I like this…bookmarked it, thanks!

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Awww…kind of you to say. Thank you. I’m thinking that future box-making endeavors will show vast (not arghh, avast ye matey) improvements. :smiley:

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That is one lucky birthday boy! nice job!

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