Wood Idea

Taking the Till To School

I have been building my oldest daughter a version of the School Box from the book "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" If you want to catch up on all the posts they are collected together HERE, in reverse chronological order so if you want to see what came before this post, you have to keep scrolling down.

Ive been making lots of boxes lately, most of them carved, bible box style boxes. But I havent fit a till in one for a while. I had to look back to find the last one I built, it was for the Medieval Style Hutch Chest I built a little over two years ago.


That one had a lid, fixed with pin hinges. This time I was forgoing the lid. But I still had to make the stopped dados for the till.

Like everything, it starts with the layout.


First I measured and penciled in for the 1/2" dados. There is no secret or magic to the layout, I played with a couple 1/2" wide pieces of scrap until the spacing felt right.


I have been getting to like laying things out with a marking knife more and more. I started using them because I had read many woodworkers I respect write about how wonderful and accurate they were, but it was a tougher sell for me. I would start using the knife and before too long in a project, I would switch back to my trusty mechanical pencil.

I am up to about 60% knife and maybe 40% pencil. I still like to scribble in my waste area so the pencil is always near anyway.






Everything ripped and fit to size.

A while back I started writing on my work, but not like you think. I started writing in places that no one can see. I write on the inside faces of joinery, behind moldings, and in other odd places. Thos. Moser got me started after I read a passage in his book about him doing the same thing. I wrote about the idea HERE. Its putting just a little more of myself into the work. This piece, being for my daughter was no exception. I took the chance to write a whole letter on the bottom of the till, on the underside.  I also wrote in the rabbet.


Once the dovetails are glued up with the till wall and bottom sandwiched in place . . .


. . . and the bottom is nailed on. No one will see those words until the piece falls apart. That should be a long time from now. But Chloe knows its there, in fact she asked me about it. "Did you write something inside this one Dad?"

You bet I did.


With the pine bottom nailed in place it was just a matter of planing it and the proud parts of the dovetails down flush with the sides.

Ratione et Passionis
Oldwolf