Fixing the lid

Stage 1: Cutting off the lid

The lid needs to be cut off, this is done by the teacher on the band saw. Pupils are not allowed to use this saw. The thickness of the wood for the top is 10mm and the top is cut off at 20mm. (10mm form the top and 10mm from the box itself) By doing this the holes which were drilled earlier will appear in the top and the bottom of the box. Into these holes dowel rods are used as location pins. Each box will be different and only one lid will fit onto one box and it will fit only one way round.

Stage 2: Using the sanding board

After the lid has been cut off by the saw it is rough and the top and bottom need to be sanded off using the sanding board. This is necessary as the band saw will leave a rough edge onto the wood. If this rough edge is not removed then there would be a space between them and it would also not look well. When using the sanding board make sure you secure it into the vice with no part sticking out for people to walk into, also make sure you do not sand you fingers.

Stage 3: Drilling holes for location pins

Dowel rods were put into the small holes. The dowels need to stick up about 5mm and should be glued in. These are known as location pins and they match up with the holes in the lid. If the pins break off then it is necessar to re-drill the holes again and put in new pins. The main reason why the pins would break off is that they are sticking out too far.

Stage 4: Putting on the top

The hand drill is used to drill a hole in the lid to locate the handle. The hole is drilled from the inside through to the outside, a piece of wood is put into the vice along with the lid. This piece of wood was used to stop the drill chipping the wood. You need to decide where you want the handle to be located and then mark it onto the top of the box. The hole needs to be drilled from inside the box and you need to measure how far it is from the edges to get the exact location.

Stage 5: Fixing the handle

When the holes have been drilled the handle needs to be put on. This is done using self-tapping countersunk screws. The hole inside the lid is countersunk to take the screw head. The screw is put through and screwed into the wooden handle, which has a pre drilled hole. (to drill this hole in the top you need to secure it tight into the vice. The hole only goes through the top half way so that it is not seen on the other side) A small aomount of glue is put onto the handle and the screw is put in and allowed to dry.

This is one example of the top fixed onto the lid.
The design for the top was cut out using the hegner/fret saw.