[louieatienza]

Here you are louie, I put all the pieces in 1 dxf. It goes Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Side(only 1 shown).

So if I made .25" rabbits in the front and back and made the bottom .5" wider it would float?

Thanks!

I would put the rabbet on the bottom piece, you'd have to make it .5" wider minus 1/32" to allow for wood movement. The rabbet should face down.

Then on the front and back, you can make a 1/4" groove about 1/4" from the bottom. I'd also break the hidden edges with sandpaper, so they do not impede with assembly nor catch. I'd also glue as such that none gets into the groove. You typically don't need to make the bottm piece shorter than the sides since wood would expand minimally if at all in that direction.

[Drools]

wanna do a quick sketch of what you have in mind Louie? I'm kinda thick sometimes...
I have not cutout the bottom or front/back yet so I should do what you are suggesting.

[DonFrambach]

I never realized the paradise box was made that way ...

If you're glueing these up, I would not glue the bottom panel to the sides, since that is not good woodworking practice; that panel can crack over time. ...

I agree with louieatienza that it is best to avoid cross grain construction where possible and certainly not to glue across grain.

For that very reason, I used plywood (which I did glue in) instead of hardwood for my two Paradise boxes. The plywood is dimensionally stable. It's also cheaper! (and doesn't show)

I also made some other changes:

I used non-mortise hinges.
I added pads to soften the closing sound.
(those two changes required that I slightly adjust the height of the box sides)
I drilled holes on the bottom of the box and installed silicone pads into the holes so that the pads won't fall off.
I made the recesses in the side panels 3/8" deep.

Here are a few photos of the second of my two boxes:

[louieatienza]

Here's a quickie drawing of the side view of the front and bottom pieces... the edges of the rabbet should be broken...

[Drools]

Thanks Louie, I just attached your dxf as a jpg just incase someone that is fololowing this thread cannot open a dxf (unlikely but...)


This is not hard to do for the back but will require a flip operation on the front if we want to keep the bevel.

[louieatienza]

Thanks Louie, I just attached your dxf as a jpg just incase someone that is fololowing this thread cannot open a dxf (unlikely but...)


This is not hard to do for the back but will require a flip operation on the front if we want to keep the bevel.

Or, two quick swipes with a sharp block plane....

[Drools]

Something like this Louie?


I'm not sure I will implement this change on this one but I will make the changes on the next one. I will just make sure not to glue the bottom piece on this Purpleheart box.

[louieatienza]

Something like this Louie?


I'm not sure I will implement this change on this one but I will make the changes on the next one. I will just make sure not to glue the bottom piece on this Purpleheart box.

That looks fine to me! Just make sure you make the bottom piece just a tad narrower (about 1/32" or less) that it's allowed to "float."

[Drools]

Continued from post #10
#4 Purpleheart gives off a very strong smell!
Story:
My dust shoe skirt has been bandaged several times with duct-tape, well it finally happened the DT let go and wrapped itself around the bit. The racket it made me think the machine had exploded! However it was just a strip of DT being spun at 16K and hitting the work piece. The rest of the DT and skirting got sucked up in the dust collector plugging it but that was an easy fix.
While I was replacing the skirting I decided to finish the mirror pocket on the lid. It seems the dust collector kept me from smelling what the Purpleheart really has to offer. My wife came into the garage and promptly said "did the dog crap in here somewhere"?
It really does have a strong smell!

[Lee DeRaud]

It seems the dust collector kept me from smelling what the Purpleheart really has to offer. My wife came into the garage and promptly said "did the dog crap in here somewhere"?
It really does have a strong smell!

It can't possibly be as bad as turning wet zebrawood...

[louieatienza]

It can't possibly be as bad as turning wet zebrawood...

Wenge is pretty stinky as well...

[Drools]

here is the purpleheart box.

[DonFrambach]

VERY nice!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!

[CarveOne]

Excellent work Drools! The curly purple heart really sets it off nicely.

[louieatienza]

Beautiful work!

[Drools]

Thanks guys!
Just one last point on working with Purpleheart.
Finishing: Most of the sites I found with information told me to use Shellac, this was the first time I used Shellac and I found it a challenge.
Firstly, it has been really rainy and damp for the past two weeks, this really hampered the drying of the Shellac. Every time I picked up a piece after letting it sit for 24hrs I still left finger prints in the finish. It seems to be able to cover Shellac with a top coat of anything you need to use the de-waxed Shellac…
I didn’t use the de-waxed Shellac which had me worried because this stuff was not drying. I looked around a bit and found Shellac in a spray bomb, I used this over the original brushed on stuff, same result not drying. However the spray stuff said on the can, “you can top coat with anything” hmmmm. So I took a chance and sprayed a topcoat of Poly and you see the result. Don’t know how it worked but the poly sealed the Shellac and the finish is very hard.
Thanks to this box, I got a paying job for one in Walnut and Cherry

[CarveOne]

- snip-
Thanks to this box, I got a paying job for one in Walnut and Cherry

Didn't I tell you guys this thing will become habit forming? I didn't?

Sorry, my bad...

[louieatienza]

Thanks guys!
Just one last point on working with Purpleheart.
Finishing: Most of the sites I found with information told me to use Shellac, this was the first time I used Shellac and I found it a challenge.
Firstly, it has been really rainy and damp for the past two weeks, this really hampered the drying of the Shellac. Every time I picked up a piece after letting it sit for 24hrs I still left finger prints in the finish. It seems to be able to cover Shellac with a top coat of anything you need to use the de-waxed Shellac…
I didn’t use the de-waxed Shellac which had me worried because this stuff was not drying. I looked around a bit and found Shellac in a spray bomb, I used this over the original brushed on stuff, same result not drying. However the spray stuff said on the can, “you can top coat with anything” hmmmm. So I took a chance and sprayed a topcoat of Poly and you see the result. Don’t know how it worked but the poly sealed the Shellac and the finish is very hard.
Thanks to this box, I got a paying job for one in Walnut and Cherry

Dewaxed shellac is generally considered a universal sealer. The best stuff to use for craft stuff like this are shellac flakes, cut with denatured alcohol, and rubbed in with a ball made of cotton. The can stuff does not dry as hard, and the older it is, the worse. If you keep the flakes dry they will last forever.

[Drools]

Thanks Louie, that is exactly what I read. I will have to order the alcohol and flakes online the next time I work with the purpleheart.

[r00t4rd3d]

I use Zinsser Shellac in a can all the time. Very thin coats and room temp and it dries in minutes. I use a rag and go so light I have to force into the grain the first couple coats.