Box joints for boxes or drawers

[Kgstakes]

When I built the rolltop desk, I just used dadoe joints and rabit joints for the drawers.   I built a jig to do box joints for different projects and tested it by building a small box.  The box joint are a 1/16 inch made on my proxxon table saw (1/16 blade).   Came out pretty good.  Will use this type of joint for future drawer construction.  Yes dovetails would be better but haven’t mastered that yet in miniature.

 

[Kgstakes]

Here is a picture of the rolltop desk before stain and finish.  All joints for the desk are mortise and tenon.

 

[MeezerMama]

Wow!!  That's impressive.

[awilliamson]

It sounds like you've found a joint that works well for your projects! Box joints can be a great alternative to dovetails, especially if you're working on a smaller scale or don't have the tools or experience to cut dovetails. The key is to make sure your joints fit together snugly and securely, so take the time to properly set up your jig and test your cuts before assembling your drawers.
 

 

[WeekendMiniaturist]

Beautiful project!  Congrats on a the execution.  What are you working on now?

[Kgstakes]

I really haven’t been working on any miniatures lately.  I have pictures of other miniatures but I need to resize them to be able to post.

 When I’ve done that I will share them.  Being a woodworker, I have many books that have drawings or pictures of furniture and what I do most times is scale down the dimensions and build the miniature.

By doing it that way it’s a cheat because I don’t even have to make a cut list or material list, it’s already there just scale down the dimensions and start building.  I also do my own drawings when needed but if I want to do a project and just start in building, I go to my woodworking books and magazines and pick what interests me.

 

[WeekendMiniaturist]

I think it is accepted practice to do the math from existing plans to scale accordingly in all aspects of producing a fine miniature.  I don't think I would redraw the item in scale, if the plans already existed, but it is important to draft a new piece, and of course if you can't find plans, and you are scaling down from a piece of furniture you own.

While there are a lot of resources of scale projects in magazines and books, it is very common for all people who are building furniture from a book, to just scale it down.  However, we have to scale down our wood grain and thickness of a board, too... so re-sawing wood on a band saw, using planers and thickness sanders become important tools.  In 2023, I know a friend did purchase scaled woods from SH Goode & Sons in CA.  

The 1/12th scale roll top desk plan was published in Fine Woodworking.   The original publisher of The Scale Cabinetmaker, Jim Dorsett, had this 1/12th scale plans published in FW.

I need to practice more handcut dovetails in life size and miniature, it is more peaceful to hand cut them, no spinning end mill, dental tool, or router bit is needed.

I think there is / was a video of William Robertson at the Craftsman museum (Sherline museum in CA.)  of him hand cutting dovetails online.