For my container, I wanted to make a small, square container that could be used to hold a small potted plant. My original goal was to make the container as small as possible, while still making something that was functional. I decided that using joints would be the best way to make the box with an open bottom and top — one for the potted plant and another to allow for the water to drain.
I increased my available surface area by using the bandsaw to cut the wood lengthwise, giving me two thinner pieces of wood. Because there was a narrow margin of wood on either side of the blade, I had to use plastic sticks to guide the wood through the saw. This made it difficult to get consistent thicknesses. I didn’t know initially, but this inconsistency would m
ake the process of creating joints difficult.
I lined up the four pieces of wood on the table, and measured out corresponding joins, making sure that the joints would fit properly before I cut. I used the scroll saw cut out the joints on the edge, and then used the chisels to removed the center joints. Using the chisels was not difficult, as I was using the chisel along the grain. Laid out flat, the four pieces fit together, but when I tried to join the joints perpendicularly to each other, I discovered that I had not made the joints deep enough to compensate for the thickness of the wood. So, I used the chisel to shave of small portions out of the joints until I had the desired depth.
Another problem I faced was the physicality of the wood and the scale of my project. Since we had limited wood to work with, I thought that making a small box made the most sense, but the small size of the joins made them chip and crack easily. This could have been avoided had I been more gentle with the chisels. Taking more careful measurements, with special attention to the thickness of the wood, would also have helped the box hold itself together more sturdily, as the joints would have been tighter.
I used the belt sander to smooth one side of the pieces, and used the woodburner to draw a tree design on the other side. Because of the way I cut the joints, the pieces can be oriented with either the plain side outward, or the decorated side outward.