I’m finishing up a couple of custom boxes for people who’ve ordered them, but still have a few around that are available for sale, ready-made. All are oak, most have pine lids & bottoms, unless noted. Hinges are either wooden pintle-types that I use, or sometimes iron gimmals (snipe-bill hinges) made by my blacksmith friends.
I always carve the sides of the box, in addition to the front. Most period boxes I know are only carved on the front, but sometimes I see them done this way. I just like to cave the stuff, so always add the decoration to the sides.
If anyone would like to order one of these, I’ll take 10% off between now & Dec. 25. Email me with any questions.
thanks,
Peter
Peter.Follansbee@verizon.net
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#01
This first one is a small-ish box, pegged & glued at the corners. Wooden hinges, pine top & bottom. Red paint in the background of the front carving.
Small oak box, pine lid, painted front
small box, side view
with till inside
H: 5 1/2″ W: 15 3/4″ D: 8 1/4″
$600, – 10% = $540.
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#02
I have carved this pattern for over 15 years, and have never done it the same way twice. Nor have I seen period ones repeat! The variety and complexity make it one of my favorites. Art historians often call it “strapwork” carving, so that name gets stuck here sometimes too. Pegged & glued corners. Pine lid & bottom.
medium-sized oak box, “strapwork” carving
open, with till
end view, wooden hinge
H: 5 3/4″ W: 17 1/4″ D: 10 1/2″
$700 – 10% = $630.
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#03
This one, with the strapwork design again, has an oak lid. It’s made of two riven oak boards, edge-glued together. Then all planed down as one to make the lid. Iron hinges. Pine bottom.
large strapwork box, oak lid
open, with till
H: 6 3/4″ W: 22″ D: 14 1/2″
$800 – 10% = $720
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#04
This is a pretty large box, maybe the biggest of this batch. Size is usually driven by the oak boards I am able to rive from a given log…This time they came out pretty wide, about 7 1/2″ high.
large box, S-scroll front
open, till and woolens
end view of the S-scroll box
The front carving is done without a V-tool, so I chose a pattern for the ends that’s cut the same way. This means the curves are created by the shapes of various gouges to outline the designs.
H: 7 1/2″ W: 24 1/2″ D: 15 1/2″
$800 – 10% = 720
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#05 – SOLD
A smaller box again, this one’s been here storing papers and things. Glued & pinned rabbet joints at corners, iron hinges. Oak box, pine bottom & lid.
Here’s the till inside.
H: 6″ W: 18″ D: 12″
$600 - SOLD
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#06
I have no period example with painted lids and bottoms, but the box left plain. In this case, I painted the pine because it’s glued-up from two narrower boards, rather than one single board. Then a coat of linseed oil overall. Pintle hinges, wooden pins in the rabbeted corners.
box, white oak & white pine
side view, hinge, cleat.
interior w till
H: 7 1/2″ W: 23″ D: 15″
$ 700 – 10% = $630
December 5, 2012 at 10:03 pm
[...] cut to length. I opted for butt joints (I was going to do half-lap joints and then peg them a la Peter Follansbee but I cut the bottom out first, then realized I’d have to make twice as many joints to get it [...]
April 17, 2013 at 11:30 pm
I read your artical in woodwork and I am in the process of making a box of this type. I even aguired a 24 inch white oak bolt and am splitting out the boards . I am building the lid with a pintle hinge , as gimmals are difficult to come by. Any suggestions where else gimmals can be found.