John Doyle says, "All projects are personal." That's especially true of the folk who design, build, photograph, draw, and write the projects that appear in Woodsmith. Since we're involved with every step from concept to publication, it's no surprise that we get invested in those projects.
Those aren't the projects I'm talking about here. Several of us have a personal (or side) project or two going here at the mothership. During lunch hour, in the evenings, and on weekends, there's a good chance someone is tinkering with an idea. This is my latest project: it's a small, two-level box.
A sliding lid covers an upper compartment and a drawer keeps a few items underneath. I intend to use it to house my carving gouges. The box's design is inspired by a box that Peter Follansbee posted in February 2025. The layout was a fun twist on a box.
Skillbuilder
In addition, I wanted to improve my dovetail skills. A shop project is a low-key way to try out some ideas and learn lessons along the way. These are probably the best-fitting dovetails that I've cut. With the dovetails fit, the rest of the details fell into familiar territory. So I figured the project would slide to the finish line smoothly.
During a Monday lunch hour, I started warming up some liquid hide glue for the case assembly. Kraft paper formed an assembly stage with all the players ready to come together. I even dry fit all the parts (several times) before this.
The glueup proceeded smoothly. Later that evening, I basked in the success — until I was falling asleep. Then I realized that I neglected to glue in the bottom for the upper compartment.
Panic, disappointment, a little frustration haunted me until I (eventually) fell asleep. Since I used hide glue, the first solution seemed to reverse the glue bond with steam and heat so that I could remove one of the sides.
By the next morning, that idea felt fraught. Those joints were a tight fit already. My worry was that the white pine would get damaged in the process.
A Better Solution
Then I remembered a set of gift boxes Woodsmith did years ago. The bottom of one of the boxes was screwed to splines set in grooves. This approach offered a straighter path to completion. My worry was that I would lose valuable space inside the box by setting the bottom on top of a set of splines.
The route I took was to combine the spline idea with a half-lap concept. I started by routing a rabbet along the edges of a plywood blank. It's the same plywood I used for the original bottom. The depth of the rabbet is half the thickness of the plywood.
I ripped off the edges of the blank to create narrow strips. A small, full-thickness section tucks into the grooves. The rabbeted tongue extends into the open space. I glued these in place to create a frame around the opening.
The bottom panel needed to be trimmed down to fit the opening in the box. I did this step in stages so that I could get as snug a fit as possible.
When I was satisfied with the size, I routed the same rabbet on all four edges of the panel's underside. I applied liquid hide glue on the strips and lowered the bottom into place. I clamped the bottom with gravity and a few small planes.
In my head, I feel that I simply disassembled the bottom then rebuilt it inside the grooves since I used the same material for the splines and panel. The joint lines can only be seen if the drawer is removed and you look for it.
The final lesson I learned is to not rush an assembly. My mind was distracted by an upcoming appointment and I focused on fitting the dovetails. Corrolary to that, few mistakes are truly fatal in woodworking. My family has a phrase "It's wood. Phil can fix it." One of the delights of this craft and material is how many ways there are to achieve a good result.
Right now, I'm celebrating this box and how well it turned out. Even with the detour.
What about the Color?
One last note. The white pine I used in this box has some blue-tinted staining. From what I understand, the tree had a beetle infestation that resulted in a fungus getting into the wood.
I've heard this referred to as "denim pine." A good way to turn a problem into a friend. I like how the blue frames and divides the box into its two compartments. A book-matched lid emphasizes the color as well.
Goodbye Kanan.
