Making small boxes is a favorite project for many woodworkers. While it may seem a simple process, there are many ways to build a box -- and in this comprehensive pictorial reference, veteran woodworker Doug Stowe covers all the techniques you will need to produce boxes youll be proud of.

Youll learn about making boxes by using traditional carcase joinery or by shaping on the bandsaw or lathe. Stowe also covers special boxmaking techniques associated with making lids and bases, attaching them to the box, and partitioning boxes to hold small objects like jewelry. Additionally, there are a host of techniques for creating special effects that decorate a box, turning the small, useful object into a jewel itself.

This book covers all these methods in a highly visual format that has become the hallmark of the Complete Illustrated Guide series: Everything is covered in over 500 step-by-step photos accompanied with straightforward text.

About the author
Doug Stowe is a professional furniture designer and box maker. His work has been featured in national woodworking magazines and is the author of Creating Beautiful Boxes with Inlay Techniques and Simply Beautiful Boxes. He lives on a hillside overlooking Eureka Spring, Arkansas.

Introduction

1. Tools for Box Making
Creating Shop Space
Measuring and Marking Tools
Dimensioning Tools
Shaping Tools
Drilling and Boring Tools
Holding and Clamping Tools
Sanding Tools
Hand Tools
Noise and Dust
Safety and Accuracy Aids
Shopmade Jigs

2. Box-Making Materials
Rough-Milling Small Logs
Resawing Boards
Working Boards with Handplanes
Making Wide Panels
Making Thin Stock and Veneers

3. Box Joinery
Butt and Rabbet Joints
Miter Joints
Mortise-and-Tenon Joints
Finger Joints
Dovetail Joints

4. Lids
Basic Lids
Lids Cut From the Box
Sliding Lids
Joints for Frame Lids

5. Box Feet and Bases
Box Feet
Box Bases

6. Box Interiors
Dividers and Trays
Interior Drawers
Box Linings

7. Hinges and Hardware
Installing Hinges
Installing Locks
Shopmade Hardware

8. Decorating Boxes
Inlay
Veneer
Carving

9. Shaped Boxes
Bentwood Boxes
Turned Boxes
Bandsawn Boxes

Index

A wooden box. What could be simpler? Yet what could be more profound? Boxes have become an art form and a way in which thousands of craftsmen express themselves through wonderful works in wood. A wooden box is an expression of a complex relationship. The stuff that goes inside has had a role in inspiring the design. The material, wood, with its character, color, texture, and structural characteristics, has an age-old relationship to mankind, his culture, and his survival. To make a wooden box is to be connected to the whole of human history and to our natural environment. The pleasure we may find in making a box rests on the shoulders of our loving planet, the bounty of our forests, and the box makers who have built a tradition of caring work.

In 1865 my great-grandmother, at age 11, brought her precious possessions to the United States in a tine or cheese box made by an unknown craftsman in her village of Voss, Norway. It served in my mothers family as the place where family pictures were kept. Then, with its contents of photos distributed to others, the box was a part of my home as a youth, informing me of simpler days when a young mans or womans most important things might fit in such a small space.

That this simple box could convey such meaning through more than a century tells me something important about the boxes we make. They need not be perfect to have great meaning. Make boxes for what they offer in learning. Make boxes with attention. Make boxes with love. Make boxes knowing that some may be held sacred by those you love and last generations beyond your own time.

Although this book is titled a complete illustrated guide, no book about boxes could ever be complete. The techniques used by the thousands of people making boxes could never be fully documented. In fact, it could never be complete without the inclusion of your work. In your box-making adventures, I ask that you experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them. Know that your work will become part of this large craft, this worldwide conversation, for future generations to discover and enjoy.

Customer Reviews from Amazon

This is an excellent book full of great ideas and plenty of pictures to explain what you may not understand. There are boxes explained in this book ranging from simple to complex with a number of elements thrown in that can be combined with other ideas to make some truly unique boxes.

I have been box making for several years now and have found Doug Stowes books to be amongst some of the best. It is obvious that he is very talented in this field and some of his examples will simply blow your mind. I do not suggest this as your first book though, get David Freedman's basic box building book first and then buy this afterwards. There are tons of pictures with examples that serve as an excellent reference for ideas on your own projects. I believe Doug Stowe may in fact be the best box builder in the world....his work sure says he is. Buy it!!

This is an excellent guide to box making and kind of spoon feeds you thru the steps. I recommend it.

I have to agree with some of the other reviewers here. This is a nicely organized book covering a multitude of relevant subjects, but there's very little useful detail in here. I think Taunton made a mistake by trying to stuff too much into too little space. I'm a decent intermediate woodworker and thought this book would help me with some of the things I struggle with in making decorative boxes. But I already knew about 75% of what's in this book. Besides too little detail, the photos, although plentiful, are too small to be of value. Sorry Taunton, a nice effort, but this one misses the mark for me.

The book gave me several new ideas for design as well as new techniques for creating beautiful boxes. It was well illustrated but could have included some specific plans.

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