Laid Back Day!

Every once in a while I get to take a break from making saw dust to work on related tasks that don’t require running a noisy saw and dust collector.  I just crank up my IPod, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy a quiet day.  Today I had to start putting the first of three or more finishing coats on a new group of bank boxes.   I’m anxious to get these finished because I am using Butternut and Quarter sawn oak in a few of the boxes for the first time and they are looking very promising.

Once the boxes had their first coats on, I started the ardent task of cleaning doors for these boxes.  I mixed up a batch of ammonia and Coca-Cola to soak the doors.  After about 30 minutes, I take them out and clean each one with a soft steel brush under running water.  Once dry, they get sprayed with a clear acrylic to keep them from tarnishing again, oil the locks, and tag each one with the combination.

Almost Déjà vu

About 11 years ago, I got side tracked and started making Post Office lock box door banks.  I made up about 15 of them, gave one to each one of my kids, a few friends, and set the rest on a shelf in the basement and forgot about them.  A few years later, my wife gave one to a nephew, with a little money in it, and precedence was set.  Now all the nephews and nieces expect one of these coin banks when they graduate.

My wife mentioned the other day that we were down to two boxes and still have seven nieces/nephews to graduate.  The next one doesn’t graduate for another four years, but I prefer to be proactive.  The original boxes from way back were built using red oak and walnut with a few using cherry and walnut.  This time around I opted for white oak and walnut.  I had 6 Grecian doors from the 50s and 60s sitting in a cabinet, so I went ahead and ran a batch off.

This is the first time I have used white oak in any project and I really like how it looks.  It doesn’t have the reddish hue of red oak, but more of an antique look when finished with the oil-based clear finish that I use on all my projects.  I never use stains on my projects and let the natural color and figure of the wood stand on its own.  What makes these boxes a little unique is the dovetail joinery.  Most woodworkers who make these coin banks use 45 degree miter edges to join the corners which is quick and easy.  Not being the person who takes the low road, I prefer to spend more time and dovetail them.  The results are much more dramatic.

My plan right now is to add these as a new product for my shows.  Unfortunately, the six I finished yesterday have already been sold through the power of customer email notifications.  I have a show in a couple of weeks, so I’ve got to get moving to get more ready.

The custom engraved coin slot really makes this box.

It takes a big mallet and a lot of clamps to get the dovetails together and glued.