Paradise Box Urn #3

[CarveOne]

This one is made the normal way, with a top panel that opens, by request of the person having it made for the family of his friend Jerry. It will be used as an urn though. Red oak, Minwax Early American liquid stain, and General Finishes Java jel stain to darken the cut areas.

CarveOne

[dwilli9013]

As always very nice. Really like your finishing techniques.
Thanks for sharing.

[mtylerfl]

Beautiful work! I keep forgetting to ask...where are you buying your piano hinges?

[CarveOne]

Michael,
They are Gate House #0004034 1-1/16" by 12" and I grind off 1/8" from each end using a disk sander.

I mount it to the rear panel before gluing the box parts together. The rear panel drawing has been modified so that a 1/4" end mill will cut a dado that is 0.150" thick by 0.55" deep. I'll provide a DXF file for that if you wish.

This leaves a place to mount the hinge at the same depth as the folded hinge thickness. When mounting the top panel to the box with the hinge screwed in place, I place two strips of corrugated cardboard box material between the folded hinge to act as a cushion. When I am ready to place the top panel in position, I put small dabs of 5 minute epoxy halfway between each screw hole, then position the top panel in place with the front edge even with the front edge of the front panel and add spacers at each corner to keep the top panel square with the side panels. Place scrap wood on the top panel and place a heavy weight on the scrap wood until the epoxy has set up for around 30 minutes. Open the top panel carefully and mark the top panel side of the hinge screw holes with a fine point Sharpie pen. Remove the hinge from the rear panel and drill holes in the top panel for the hinge screws . Install the hinge and top panel assembly and install the screws. The gaps at the side panels should be very parallel.

This sounds complicated, but gives the best results. It's a good idea to temporarily mount the top panel with spacers during glue-up of the box parts also. The spacers I use are made from blister pak cardboard from hardware parts. Thicker than regular paper and can be stacked in layers or folded to fit snugly to just fill the void between the top panel and side panels.

CarveOne

[CarveOne]

As always very nice. Really like your finishing techniques.
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Dwayne. The technique is very easy and simple to do. Gives a lot of character to the weaves and Vcarve.

[mtylerfl]

I use a similar method for placing hinges and marking holes (using spacers/cushions usually of card stock). However, I use small dabs of hot glue instead of epoxy.

[highpockets]

Great job! I'm with Dwayne, I really like to finish, really brings out the carving.

[CarveOne]

I forgot to mention it, but I now also make pockets in the side panels for handle screw head clearance and place a 60 degree V-bit mark at the screw shank location in the pockets. I drill the screw holes on my drill press using the V-bit marks with the appropriate drill diameter after the side panels are cut and cleaned up. The screw heads sit below the inside surface of the side panels.

I also cut both side panels on one 22" long 1 x 6 board. A center location is through-drilled in the drill press at the exact center of the board before the board is mounted on the machine. I use the hole to x/y locate at the center of the board, and I check it and/or relocate the x/y center on the second side of the board when I flip the board over to cut the second side. I cut the pocket side (inside) of the board first, then cut the decorative (outside) of the board. I used to have a lot of problems with alignment of the inside relative to the outside of the side panels. The board is aligned with the side of the machine table, and I no longer have side panels staggered relative to each other once the box is assembled.

Also, there are no handles shown in the photos. There will be real deer antler handles made for this box as soon as I get them from the guy that I am making this box for. Photos of those to be uploaded later.

CarveOne

[mtylerfl]

The antler handles will add some extra-special "coolness"! Can't wait to see the final photos!

[Beltramidave]

These paradise boxes are so neat, I really need to try one. Great job! I too can't wait to see the finished pics with the handles.

Dave

[CarveOne]

dah79,

I have made a few changes to the original free download files that Michael Tyler made for the Vectric Monthly Projects. Primarily it was to put a 1/4" radius on each corner of the side panel profile vector, because I was having chip-out issues when the cutter turned into end grain. I also like the looks better. Other than that the only other changes to the basic files are to modify it for the strip hinge, and to add the vectors for the handle holes and pockets. Most recently, I created the side panel file to cut both side panels on a single board as described earlier in this thread. I'll do the same for cutting the front and rear panels. This really lowers the overall machining time due to setting up the board and zeroing the job just once.

The Paradise Box is a good project to boost your design skills with. Not to mention how popular they have been with my family and friends.

I mentioned earlier that the new dual side panel board layout was a 1x6 board. Actually, it is a 1x8 board. My typo skills have been at a peak level lately...

The antlers should be delivered by Sunday evening and I will post photos early next week.

CarveOne

[martin54]

As Usual a great looking job CarveOne, can't wait to see it finished

Dave, I would second what CarveOne has said about the Paradise Box, there have been so many variations of Michael Tylers original free Vectric project that I bet eeven Michael didn't realise just how popular it would be when he first published it

I have made a few changes the same as CarveOne but it is basically the same file, I have also made them in a range of different sizes

[mtylerfl]

You're right, Martin - I had no idea! Gee, I wish I got royalties on this one!

[CarveOne]

I churned this one out in a record (for me) three days. Perfect weather here and I was able to dry the polyurethane faster than normal. No major screw-ups either. It just fell together this time.

Michael is probably like me. It would embarrass me to actually make money off of my projects because it happens so rarely.

CarveOne

[mtylerfl]