Lidded box

[Perry Hilbert]

After tinkering with mostly spindle turning for the past two years, I started turning a few lidded boxes this past week. I am still not great at hollowing them out, but progressing.

Is there a rule of thumb for tightness of the fit? or does tightness vary for use. Some wooden containers seem to have a much larger over lap between the box and the lid, depending on what it stored. (a needle case vs a salt box)

 

[John Torchick]

Turners in our local chapter look for a "pop" when the lid is removed, indicating a snug fit. Do you realize you have committed to photos of your boxes?

 

[Dan Bevilacqua]

I personally like a good suction fit. However, even though many of my boxes start out that way, some end up loose after a day or 2. Of course, there are those that were intended to be a good suction fit that somehow end up with a loose fit . On the other hand, I do sometimes go for a looser fit on larger boxes that will be easier to handle with a loose fitting lid.

Bottom line is that it is a matter of preference and function.

 

[hockenbery]

Considering function will answer most of your questions

A needle box needs a 1/2 lip because it may spend a lot of its life on its side and the lid should not come off when it is lying down on the job.

A box meant for a desk or a dresser should have a top that comes off with one hand leaving the box in place.
People don’t want to use two Hans to open a box that has jewelry or paper clips.

A box that is likely to be turned up side down should have a suction fit so the lid will stay on.
Screw threaded lids are idea for this

A beads of courage box needs a lid that will be secure with some bumping but be easy to open too. Hear a loose fitting lid with a not too strong magnet works well

 

[Clifton C]

As Dan said, "Preference and function" ... If it's a box for something, as in a box on a dresser for cuff links, or ear rings, then being able to take the top off one handed makes life easy. A pill box for a purse would want a snap fit lid. Most turners like lids fitted to show they can turn to the Nth degree, most non turners don't care...
Boxes are fun and addictive, threaded lids will come later...

 

[robo hippy]

In some years of selling them, but not many, the pop fit ones didn't sell well. Mostly they would pick them up, give a gentle tug on the lid, and if it didn't come off easily, they would put it back on the table. To get a good suction fit, you need the tenon to be about 1/2 inch long, and the tenon and recess in the lid have to be dead on parallel. If you end up with about a 2 to 3 second drop time, pick it up by the lid and it takes 2 to 3 seconds to fall off, that is excellent. The difference between too tight and falls straight off can be about twice around with 220 grit sand paper, and I never use abrasives on that part of the box. I don't use calipers to tell if the tenon and recess are spot on parallel. I use a 6 inch steel ruler against the surface and eyeball that against the ways of the lathe. Far more accurate. Learned that one from Bonnie Klein. Hope to have a video out later this year...

robo hippy

 

[Dean Center]

Preparing for next month's club demo, I've actually been pondering this exact issue.

Snap fit, friction fit, suction fit, piston fit and probably more styles of snug fit--whatever you call it, the purpose is 2 fold. 50 years ago, before there were plastic mayonaise or peanut butter jars or threading jigs, a snug lid to keep the contents from spilling out was a functional feature. In today's world, the snug fit is designed primarily to satisfy us we have some skill and to impress other turners. As Al and Reed point out, the end user doesn't appreciate too snug a fit.

As to overlap, it depends on whether you want a suction/piston fit, which, as mentioned above, requires the longer tenon, or you want to have the best grain match between top and bottom of the box, which is best with the shortest removal/tenon you can accomplish and still have a good fit. Spalty or punky wood probably also do better with a longer tenon, but softened wood is not ideal for boxes, IMHO.

So the bottom line is, there is not a consensus opinion on what is the ideal snugness. Please yourself.

Reed--for years I used calipers to test for parallel, but once I tried the ruler method, there was no going back. It's WAY more reliable in my hands. (Wonder if I learned that from Bonnie, too?) I'd add that finding a ruler with a truly square corner is important, and can take some looking.