Building a Drawer-In-Case Band Saw Box

The box that I am about to describe is not currently on Myebooth, but it shows how complex the process can be. This box, like most other band saw boxes, starts out as a collection of boards of various species laminated together to form a solid block of wood. This block is then cut up into the various parts of the box, but the sequence of the cutting is important. If any step is out of order, the entire project will be ruined.

The first photo shows the parts of the box in the order in which they were cut from the block. The block was first given the general shape of the project and then, the back of the box was removed. The entire center of the block was cut out to form the oblong case of the box and the resulting plug of wood became the raw material for the rest of the parts.

For the rest of the discussion, begin at the bottom of the photo. The front was removed from the plug, and then the hidden drawer with its small case was removed. This left a large opening in the back of the main drawer plug, which allows the main drawer to slide over the drawer in the case. At this point, the back of the main drawer was removed. The small drawer was then removed from its case and the front and back were removed before forming the internal cavity. The main drawer plug had room to remove two plugs on the ends to form deep cavies on the ends and a shallow tray on top. The inner surfaces of both drawers were then sanded smooth before assembly. Note that had I sanded all surfaces including the inside of the cases, the result would have been large gaps between the cases and the drawers. Therefore, sanding was held to a minimum on those surfaces.

Here is the box "dry-stacked" without the front of the main drawer. It's easy to see how it all fits together. Using the main drawer to determine the position of the case for the hidden drawer makes it easy to glue it in place inside the main case. The back is reinstalled on the main case and the fronts and backs are glued in place to form the drawers.

Add drawer pulls and finish with a mixture of bee's wax and mineral oil to bring out the rich colors and the beautiful grain of the wood.

Never mind the sawdust on the right-hand side - it's easily wiped away before adding the box to inventory. Here's the final product:

If you are one who does not enjoy sanding small parts, I would suggest that you not attempt to reproduce this project. There are many hours of work over a week's time in this single undertaking. I suspect that if I calculated my income per hour of work, I would be making pennies per hour on a project like this. But I also count the sense of accomplishment, and yes, the sense of pride that one feels upon successful completion of each item. It tickles me every time I sell a box to someone who thought enough about my work to pay me for it!

With all that said, feel free to copy my design if you would like to try it for yourself. I would love to see your work! Email me with questions, comments, or photos at cliffswoodworking@att,net. or leave me a message in the contact form below.