Paperback 8 1/2 x 10 7/8 in. 160 pages
Published 2007 ISBN 978-1-56158-852-7 Product #070904
Learn the art of box making from one of the foremost experts of the craft. Through Doug Stowe's decades of experience, you'll learn the basic techniques to get started, as well as more advanced ways to approach finely crafted boxes.
Project after project, your skills will build, and you'll come to refine your work, asking how can processes could be simplified and how can finishes be improved. Throughout the book, Stowe offers this advice: Repeat yourself. Repetition leads to refinement, and refinement leads to success.
Though it's not necessary to build the projects in this book in any particular order, they are arranged by the level of difficulty. As you grow in confidence working through the projects in this book, use your imagination and ask a few questions: What if this box were made in that wood? What if that joint were used on this box? What if the lid had more overhang? What if I made it larger, or smaller? The question "What if?" will challenge and engage you as a box maker for years of adventure.
Winner of a 2008 Golden Hammer Writing Award.
I began making wooden boxes in 1976. Aside from the pleasure I found in making them, they served a very practical purpose. Boxes kept me busy between commissions and allowed me to explore designs and techniques without making a large investment in time or materials. Since then I've sold thousands of small boxes through craft fairs and galleries.
I can tell you from personal experience that developing the skills you need to accomplish your best work won't happen overnight. There is a difference between knowledge that you get from a book and skill that takes residence in your own hands. For skill to develop you will need to pay attention, not only to what is told in the pages of a book, but to what the tools tell you: the sight, sound, and feel of their operation, what the wood shares of its own nature, and what your own hands and body tell you of motion and movement.
As your skill develops, you'll begin looking for greater challenges. But don't rush the process. Take your time. Many of the best things that happened in my own work came through repetition of the same simple tasks. Watching carefully, I began to notice things: when cuts could be made more accurately, how processes could be simplified, where finishes could be improved. These things don't come in a rush. Slow down, savor the process, enjoy the special scent of each species, and take time to feel and enjoy the texture of its grain. At the risk of repeating myself, I offer this advice: Repeat yourself. Repetition leads to refinement, and refinement leads to success.
Though it's not necessary to build the projects in this book in any particular order, they are arranged by the level of difficulty. As you grow in confidence working through the projects in this book, use your imagination and ask a few questions: What if this box were made in that wood? What if that joint were used on this box? What if the lid had more overhang? What if I made it larger, or smaller? The question "What if?" can challenge and engage a box maker for years of adventure. It has for me, and I hope it will for you as well.
Customer Reviews from Amazon
Average Customer Review:
Box Making, October 5, 2009
I purchased this dvd because I wanted to use up some scrap lumber - unknowing how Doug Stowe made this process so simple. I had to laugh when he talked about his equipment - the age - and yet he produces some master projects. Doug keeps things simple - gives the basis of how to do instructions and what you can come up with is many, many different styles just by changing some simple procedure in the crafting of the box. The tips are great and with this dvd you can keep busy all winter long - making something that you will be proud of. I incorporated the Green and Green style - and most of Doug's tips and came up with some fantastic boxes. My thanks to Doug for sharing his knowledge with us.
A box-making bible, August 7, 2009
This is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in making heirloom boxes. Everything from types of wood to corner joinery to hinge options are covered in an easy-to-understand way, and there are pictures to illustrate each step. Whether you're a novice or an experienced woodworker, you'll find lots of good information in this book. I've just finished my first box and my wife is very impressed!
Great DVD - Excellent companion to the Book, December 16, 2008
This DVD and the companion Book by Doug Stowe are great box making references. I highly recommend the pair to anyone that is wanting to build wooden boxes.
Very BASIC, November 29, 2008
Very good printing. Very good photos. And very BASIC box making. There is nothing wrong with the book. It just tells you the very basic about box making using a table saw. I bought the other book Box-Making Basics together with this book. I found that Box-Making Basics was more informative than this book although the printing in Box-Making Basics was not so colourful as this book.
Bok review-Box Making, July 21, 2008
Well written, easy to understand basics, and plenty of photos and diagrams.
Well worth the price to expand your horizons in box making.
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