Man, I am loving my Shapeoko Pro so much. I am cutting panels for jewelry box for my grand daughter who is graduating soon. The machine cuts the tenons and mortises so precisely I don’t even need to use glue in some places. The parts are held together firmly with friction and the compression of the wood. So cool!
Here are two walls fitted together. I’ll post a shot of the complete project when it’s done. Dark wood is Walnut; lighter is Curl Maple. Big fun!
I love to make boxes. Yours looks great so far. Be sure to sign the bottom with the date. You never know maybe your great great great grandchildren will be using that box.
How did you cut the tenons? Did you clamp the curly maple vertically in front of the machine?
Hey, Steve. No, I clamped the piece down flat on the waste board and simply cut around the circumference of the piece with a 1/8-inch flat bit. On the inside corners where there was a slight radius, I ran a square file to sharpen up the corners. What was convenient was that I was able to cut a rabbit for the bottom panel at the same time the tenons were being cut. Here are a couple of shots showing the assembled box and a view of the bottom.
Hi David
Great idea, and job.Would love to see final results.
Okay box is finished. Love the Curly Maple against the Walnut. Hope she likes it: I’m sure she will when she opens it up and finds some college money inside. Can’t wait.
Very nice I like this box alot.
Anthony
It looks great, I am sure she will love it.
Thank you! I hope she does.
Thanks, Anthony. It was fun to make. Now that it’s all done there is one small change I would have made, but for the most part it came out fairly well.
Nice box. Those types of projects are fun to turn over and over looking at the precision/craftsmanship while sitting in your favorite chair.
What size bits were used on the top carving?
Very nice, and unique. I especially like the thru-tenons and the sweeping feet that raise the box up. I might have to borrow those ideas 
Thanks, Steve.
If I did this project again I would use a slightly thicker panel for the sides, then alter the file that carves the sides (which hold the tenons). The surface of the tenons would be 1/8-inch below the outside surface of the side panels. That way when the box is assembled the mating of the end panels and side panels would be hidden better. All I would have to do is add another tool path to the original drawing. The only problem with this is that I’d have to do flip the panel over to cut the rabbit for the bottom. That would required re-centering on zero. That might be tough.
Let me know if you want the file. I’d be happy to post it.
Yes, I’d like your file if you’re willing to post. In particular the file for the ends of the box…
I used a 1/8-inch square bit to cut out all of the parts. The final decorative cuts on the lid were done with a 60° V-bit.
Okay here are the files for the end panels and the side panels. Alter to you preferences. Enjoy!
sidePanel.c2d (60 KB)
wallPanels.c2d (44 KB)
Great - thanks for posting the files!
An option might be to pocket the sides 1/8 inch to accept the walls and bottom. This could achieve a similar effect. Better or not, I don’t know. This would avoid turning the walls over for another cut.
sidepanel_bozod.c2d (56 KB)
wallPanels_bozod.c2d (44 KB)
That is beautiful. Thank you for posting your download.
Tim
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