Replies

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Oct 02, 2008 02:36pm | #1

   Here's a luthier's trick, used to get the sides of a guitar level all around for the back to fit to. Get a piece of plywood bigger than your piece, and glue sandpaper to it. Then, just carefully work the piece over the sandpaper until it's flat. Go slow and test often to make sure you're not favoring one side or the other.

   Kinda like "scary sharp", but for wood.

   Otherwise, you can scribe a line on the box parts and *carefully* plane to the line, again testing often.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   jschroeder | Oct 03, 2008 03:00am | #5

   Thanks to everyone who responded so quickly. This was my first post and certainly won't be my last!

   I really like the idea of sanding on a flat surface. I was planning to keep planing, but the grain orientation and clamping issues make it hard to not make the fit worse.

   Thanks again and I hopefully be able to report back soon on the results.

   Jonathan

2. 
   JerryPacMan | Oct 02, 2008 03:08pm | #2

   I use a method close to what Mike described.  I use a granite slab and sandpaper.  I then sand the pieces on this to achieve a very flat surface.

    

   Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .

   "Life is not a success only journey."  Dr. Phil

3. 
   joinerswork | Oct 02, 2008 03:31pm | #3

   Jonathan,

   Easiest is to set the lid on the box, then rock it back and forth (closing the gap on the corner).  You can see then where the excess wood needs to come off.  It might help to mark those corners with a pencil.  Of course, you need to decide if it is the box or the lid, that needs to be worked on, (or both). Placing first one, then the other onto a known flat surface will help you decide where to start.  As you get close to being right, you may find (depending on how long the sides are, and how aggressively you planed in a particular area) that although the lid doesn't rock, there are slight hollows here and there that don't quite meet. Continue to mark the high spots and carefully plane til all meets your expectations.

   Be aware that if you are not paying attention, it is possible to end up with a joint that mates perfectly and yet, is not parallel to the top of the top.  If you are too far off, this can be pretty obvious. 

   An applied molding, like an astragal, or a cockbead, even a scratch bead, is a traditional way to improve the appearance of mating surfaces that don't quite mate, by drawing attention away from the crack itself, and/or rounding over the mismatched edges slightly.

   Ray

4. 
   oldusty | Oct 02, 2008 05:02pm | #4

     Hi Jonathan ,

            You have been given good advice on how to fit what you have .

            It may be too late on this box lid but in the future or now my advice to you is make box lids either with a lipped edge or rabetted notch so the lid fits down in the box as well as over it .

      Or we make the box with the top glued as one , then slice it off then you know the top is the right size and will line right up easily .

        If you don't have to have hinges on the lid ( maybe a nice wood knob ) the lipped edge will hide any discrepancies.

        Or , make a molded edge that drops or even a sliding lid top box can be simple and no hinges .

                            regards  dusty