ToyBox

[robtown]

So I'm working on some toyboxes for the kids, so thier rooms will no longer look like ratholes...

I figured I'd share if anybody is interested.

Specs:
3/4 Birch ply sides and bottom, 3/4 Maple ply top with solid maple edgebanding.

The Fingers of the box joints fit TIGHT, I shaved the fingers on the sides (only) just a hair for a better fit, but on the second one I plan to try adjusting it by making my 1/4" bit diameter .245 in PW. Since we all have our own ways of dealing with things I figured I'd offer up the files as is and let you deal with it how you will. The box joints are an exact fit in the CAD software.

In the dxf file the top is actually two pieces, the picture shows a one piece top.

In the DXF there are 1/4 holes at the corners of the box joints for dealing with the inside corners.

The Dados for the bottom are at .75 wide, and should be .25 deep in the final toolpath.

That's all I can think of, feel free to download and play around with it. I plan to do some engraving on the fronts for the kids, I have a train motif for the boy, and a princess/castle motif for the girl...

File can be downloaded here: www.robtown.com/toybox.zip (http://www.robtown.com/toybox.zip)

it is a dxf as PW files are a little more difficult to edit (IMHO) and I don't want to take responsibility for your toolpaths.


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[mikejohn]

You can buy safety hinges for toy boxes which prevent the lid slamming down on small children.
Also there has to be enough 'air holes' to prevent suffocation in case a little one climbs in and shuts the lid.
Robs 'shape' in the front of the box probable needs to be a little larger, and similar shapes on the sides would help.
Making toys, I know how stringent the regulations are. I also know from statistics that young lives are lost each year in toy box accidents.
But with those two pieces of information, it looks like Rob has a great toy or blanket box.
............Mike

[Brady Watson]

Looks great Rob! Clean, simple & functional.

We had a similar toybox growing up...except no safety hinges, no vent holes and a big brother that was 6yrs heavier than me...Why deprive your kids of that kind of fun???

[ron brown]

Nice work Rob,

On my last "dovetail" project everything fit a little "too" tight. It was a bear to assemble. I put a little "lead-in" in the inside of the dovetails to help the start.

The geometry of dovetails is different than box joints so the lead-in was completly hidden when assembled. The assembly was a lot easier. IIRC it was "only" 0.010-0.015".

And Gerald, some of the kids diving in the dumpsters here will weigh 15 stone or more. I like the idea of a "live-trap" rather than a death bin.....

Ron

[paco]

Thanks for sharing Rob!

[mikejohn]

"Toy boxes, too, should be checked for safety. Use a toy chest that has a lid that will stay open in any position to which it is raised, and will not fall unexpectedly on a child. For extra safety, be sure there are ventilation holes for fresh air. Watch for sharp edges that could cut and hinges that could pinch or squeeze."
From the American Child Protection Organisation.
I don't see humour in dead or injured children, anyones children.
..............Mike

[david_morris]

Thanks for sharing Rob. I plan on cutting one as soon as my SB gets here. (Just ordered it today.)

[bleeth]

Rob: Please don't forget that building toyboxes also requires the use of non-toxic finishes.
(Nice Work)

Dave

[amorgan]

Rob thanks for sharing.

Did you have to hand cut the inside corners of the finger joints since you used a 1/4" bit?

Dovetail and finger joint templates are cut with the bit in-line with the wood which leaves a sharp corner. Is anyone using the Shopbot with a fixture to hold the boards vertically to route dovetails?

Leigh makes some interesting templates for their dovetail jig called Isoloc templates. It seems like the ShopBot could make some really interesting joints, really easily. Has anyone tried this?

[srwtlc]

Here's an example of one that I recently used for a small box. I can't remember where I saw the design, but I had been wanting to try it for quite a while and finally gave it a shot. You couldn't have asked for a better fit.

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[gerald_d]

*Applause!*

[mikejohn]

I too am impressed.
Impressed enough to copy it myself

..............Mike

[pete]

Scott, how did you position and hold the box sides with the "pegs" please - clamped at the end of the table or?? Beautiful joints and contrasting wood, by the way. Thanks. Pete

[srwtlc]

Thanks. Because this was a spur of the moment gift project and the front/back pieces were 6" long, I just used some right angle jigs from a past project to stand/clamp them on end (kind of like a book between bookends). If I were to do more and larger pieces, I'd cut a hole or slot in the table and use a cam clamp setup to lock them in perpendicular and at the proper height.

Rob, great job on the toy boxs! Give us a shot of them after the fronts are done up.

[normand]

Look at Morris's jig http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/jigs.html

[jhicks]

Very nice work & Ideas here. Thanks.
I've been thinking about toy boxes and kids room benches and this dowel joint looks really neat.
An idea for consideration if you're so inclined would be to area clear/inlay their names and cut matching "puzzle letters or shapes" that they can sit and play with on the top of the toy box.
I suppose one would have to put a small center peg or cabinet knob on one or each piece so they would fit loose enough to get out and tight enough not to fall out when the top is opened but with a few thousands clearance on the inlay I think it would work and be a nice personalized or shape puzzle training aid for younger kids.

[davidallen]

I was doing 'dog bone' and similar joints about 4 years ago using a right angle clamp sold for finger joints. I've shown them at a couple of camps along with the clamp. I picked it up from Northern for about $30. I think it's up to around $45 now.

it is mounted on the edge of the table with the boards hanging vertically off the end. if your router won't cut past the edge, you'll need to cut a slot.

A few of points I found useful:

reference your zeros to the clamp, it's conductive and consistent.

mount the clamp on a sled that has alignment pins on the bottom. you can then clamp the sled to the table in a reproducible position.

cut the boards long then face the edge of the boards with your router. use the inside edge of your joint as an alignment point. it requires some calculations for offset but allows you to compensate for the differences in wood thickness and gives a better finish.

make sure your Z axis is square to the table in both X and Y. if you're cutting 2D shapes, you can be off square a bit and not make a difference, with these joints, you will see it.

The clamp I have allows 2 boards to be held and machined at once, one laying flat and the other vertical. when you put them in the fixture, use a spacer to provide room for the bit to move between the boards. otherwise you'll find waterlines on your finished pieces.

use support blocks to hold the flat piece level. even though it's clamped, long boards can torque in the clamp.

use something on the vertical clamp faces besides glossy paint. eventhough it feels secure, vibration can cause the board to move. the thin gasket material that Bill P. introduced for vacuum jigs works well.


da

[bleeth]

Mike:It is for most of the world!! (Most of the UK too!!)
Gerald: China (another part of the world where fine future Americans have and still do come from.)

[robert_cheal]

Last week while looking in a tool catalog when I came across the router jigs for dovtails etc. they also had a jig to make "cresent joints". This photo is of a sample I cut to proximate the acutual drawer box on an old dresser. Last Christmas for gift ideas I made a couple of boxes using this joint. I failed to take pictures so this sample joint is all I have. I machined it with a 1/4" bit and then cut by hand the inside corners, I did the extra hand work to get it close to the original. I too was very intrigued by this box joint. It machines very well and fits tight (tap with a hammer) I adjusted my offset a few thousanths to get an idea of comfortable assembly range. A couple of questions; Does anyone know the history of this box joint method? What kind of tool set up did the old timers use etc.
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[robert_cheal]

Last week while looking in a tool catalog when I came across the router jigs for dovtails etc. they also had a jig to make "cresent joints". This photo is of a sample I cut to proximate the acutual drawer box on an old dresser. Last Christmas for gift ideas I made a couple of boxes using this joint. I failed to take pictures so this sample joint is all I have. I machined it with a 1/4" bit and then cut by hand the inside corners, I did the extra hand work to get it close to the original. I too was very intrigued by this box joint. It machines very well and fits tight (tap with a hammer) I adjusted my offset a few thousanths to get an idea of comfortable assembly range. A couple of questions; Does anyone know the history of this box joint method? What kind of tool set up did the old timers use etc.

[foamcarver]

Rob-

I took your drawings of the toy box and put it into artcam, I then tried a 2d profile to make a toolpath and it keeps coming up with a half circle as the toolpath, instead of the square. I was wondering if you used artcam and could give me some advice. Thank you for sharing the design

Thanks
Nikki

[ron brown]

Robert,

I have cut and assembled that joint with a plug cutter, copeing saw and a drill in a drill-press in pre-shopbot daze.

Ron

[robert_cheal]

Ron,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m the type of guy that wonders about historical processes and techniques. On the antique drawer that I have the joint looked very precise and I wondered if they stacked the parts and ran the drawer sides on a molder to cut the profile on the ends and then took to a drill press etc., I am impressed with what someone can do with a handsaw.
Thanks ,
Robert

[Dusty Knobel (Unregistered Guest)]

Robert, I'm a furniture maker, and recognize the joint above as a Knapp joint. Google shows a couple of historical references, Apparently it was only used between 1870 and 1900, and fell out of use because it looked too machine-made.

[Dusty Knobel (Unregistered Guest)]

Robert, I'm a furniture maker, and recognize the joint above as a Knapp joint. Google shows a couple of historical references, Apparently it was only used between 1870 and 1900, and fell out of use because it looked too machine-made.

[robert_cheal]

Dusty,
Thank you for the historical references. My wife inherited a Victorian piece of furniture, and not being any kind of expert on the period I figured it to be late 1800's. Their story was that great grandma "So & So" brought it out west in a covered wagon. I told them that maybe some other piece of furniture might of came by wagon but this piece came out on a train, and that really ruffled some family feathers over the cherished story. I am glad to learn more about the Knapp joint and it's brief appearence in furniture history. I agree with others that is an atractive feature on a draw box I guess that is why I had to cheat and test it out on a CNC. My hat is off to Ron and others who have done it by hand and hand cut dovetails for that matter.

Thank you every one for their input.