4. Bend wood
- Rick carefully wrapped the wood around a form he had created out of medium density fiberboard or MDF.
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- It was important to support the fingers, or swallowtails, as he bent the wood around the form because they were very thin and had a tendency to split. Once the wood was in position, Rick held it there for about a minute to let it cool down and get used to its new shape.
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- While Rick held the wood, Ron carefully marked the ends of the swallowtails.
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- Rick called these "registration marks" and he would use them to return the wood to its bent position after he removed the form.
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- After the wood had cooled, there was no need to continue working fast. The wood now held the bend they had put in it. After removing the form, Rick eased it back into the rounded position and lined up the pencil marks that Ron had just made.
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5. Tacks and anvil
- They moved over to a jig that Rick had made from a couple of pieces of 2x4 supporting a piece of black pipe used as an anvil. Rick took one of the tiny copper tacks and placed it in one of the pilot holes he had drilled earlier.
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- Rick tapped the tack firmly with a hammer. When the tack went through the wood and hit the anvil, it cinched and flipped over, holding the tack firmly in place.
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- To keep the box's shape while the wood dried, Rick used two tapered pieces of wood as plugs and secured them firmly in each opening. The wood made a squeaky, crunchy sound as each plug was inserted, indicating that it was nice and tight.
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- The box needed to dry overnight, but since they didn't want to wait, Rick brought a duplicate that had already dried. Ron firmly grasped the holes in the wooden plugs and carefully pulled each end out.
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6. Box bottom
- The next step was to create the bottom of the wooden box. Rick traced around the inside of the newly formed box...
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- ...and they cut it out with the band saw.
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- Ron fit the new bottom snugly into the box for a squeaky tight fit.
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- They secured the bottom with dowels, which in this case were actually toothpicks. Rick carefully drilled small holes into the bottom edge, around the perimeter. He was careful not to get too close to the edge. The edge is the highest stress point and drilling too close can cause the wood to snap.
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- Rick inserted toothpicks into the holes...
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- ...and then tapped them in securely with a small hammer.
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- He snapped off the protruding ends with wire cutters…
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