Chip case, my first attempt

[shanghai_sparky]

Ok, so I have played around with power tools long enough. Now it's time to make something useful.
I will post pictures along the way.
The plan is to make a mahogany box large enough for six acrylic racks of chips and some cards. I plan on sanding and finishing the sides before gluing together.
After assembly, I am going to rip 1/4" out of the corners and insert a redheart edge. Redheart is harder and more durable.

The lid will be African Bubinga (rosewood) around the edge, with mahogany and redheart inlays.
I also want to use some speedcloth to line the bottom.

The basis of the box:



The start of the lid:
Three sticks of bubinga with some redheart and mahogany.
I am practicing with scraps to test pore fillers and stains.

[legend]

oh no.....not the bublinga

[noelsarchs]

Are you making this to store/display Maggie's chip inheritance from me?

[shanghai_sparky]

Originally Posted by noelsarchs

Are you making this to store/display Maggie's chip inheritance from me?

Depends on how i looks when I'm done.
If it looks like garbage, the pieces can be scrapped down to be used in smaller projects.
I'm not overly worried about the sides. At worst, they can be used for a humidor or jewelry box.
The top is the most important section.

[Brewster]

Are you planning on mounting some handles on the sides or just leave it as is? Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Best of luck with the project.

[shanghai_sparky]

I plan on having side handles, but not a top one.
600 chips would weigh too much for a top latch and hinges.

I put on some pore filler today, then sanded it off after it dried.
What a pain that step is.
Looks like I might have to do that step again tomorrow.
Next time, I will use wood that has tighter grain so I can skip this step.

I get four or five woodworking magazines, and none of them give much ink to finishing. They literally gloss over the topic and concentrate on the routine stuff.

[shanghai_sparky]

Here is my plan for the lid:
A racetrack design with a felt or speedcloth center.
The dark brown is bubinga, red is redheart, gray is mahogany, and the green for the felt.
Not to scale as the lid will measure about 12" x 10".


I started working on a mockup of the pieces to see IF it was possible or practical.
Here are blocks of pine cut and chiseled out to fit.

[tomb1]

That's a neat project, Sparky. I like doing a mock-up of the top first.

My only question is about the sides of the box itself. Will a mitre joint on those tall corners be strong enough? There will be a bit of weight inside and I'd be somewhat concerned about glue joints staying together.

Good luck, and keep the pics coming!

[shanghai_sparky]

Tom,
I'm going to put a red spine down the corners to match the lid.
This will give it more glue surface.
I'm also looking into other possibilities as well.
The bottom will be 1/2" plywood that will rabbetted into the sides.

[noelsarchs]

Nice, a racetrack top with felt and edge spots too no less!

Those sides as tom mentioned probably need some sort of biscuit connection.