Written exclusively for Confessions of a Jackaholic, please do not copy and paste elsewhere.

 

 

 

Okay!  New Year, new projects......I mean, finish up old projects then start some new ones!!

See the previous work on this project, EICo Box - the cardboard mock-up.

 

I plan, of course, to make the box as SA looking as I can, but the construction method won't be SA or traditional. I don't have any 'real' woodworking tools so this is going to be a balsa wood build.

I am going to try to imitate 1/2 inch stock by laminating some 1/4 inch balsa pieces between 1/8 inch balsa cut to size. I did this once making a dollhouse, using 3 pieces of 1/8 inch balsa to make like 3/8 inch "plywood".

 

I procured the balsa wood supplies for this way back in October, but had the vacation trip and then the holidays seem to steam roll right in and then the New Year and recuperating from all the holiday hoopla!!  Now at last I'm ready to begin the balsa wood part.

 

Here we go--The Lumber, $34.00 worth of balsa wood!

 

Long day, tired eyes and sore hands from cutting all the balsa wood.  Hope to start some gluing up tomorrow.

 

Got the lid frame glued together. More tedious than I had anticipated, the joins required more work and precision than I would have thought.

 

 

Got the sides of the box together--please ignore the masking tape "clamps", it wasn't totally dry when I took the pic. I'm kinda tired of gluing and squaring, think I'll let these rest and start on the logo next.......

 

 

 

Was not real sure how to transfer the logo to the balsa. I'm not very good at tracing over for using graphite paper, seems I always make a mess with it and the balsa is "tender" and I didn't want risk making gouges while tracing. 

 

I decided to measure all the parts of the logo and draw it onto the balsa in sort of a projection enlarging method, modified because I wasn't actually enlarging it.  I had taken pictures of the logo to the copy shop and enlarged them a bit at time until it measured what I figured the size of the logo is on the box, that's where I got all my measurements.

 

I did two practice drawings on paper to make sure I could make it look decent.  Then I drew it up on the balsa.

 

 

Got the crosses cut out.  Really fiddly!  And the letters I am guessing will be worse fiddly!!  So,I am taking a wee break.  Put two copies of the logo up on the computer screen and held the cut out part up to see if it matched up at all. Looks pretty good I think!! (white part on lower crosses the pic too close to the lower edge and went out of frame).......

 

 

Just as I suspected, the letters were way more fiddly than the crosses.......what a nightmare, but done except for some smoothing up.

 

 

OH, and the letter 'o'.........I just hope cutting that out doesn't cost me the entire logo  *panic!*.......

I'm leaving it as is for right now while I formulate a plan.................

Here is the logo backed in black.  Will look a bit different when the edges of the cut outs are black also.

My balsa box doesn't have a top on it, so used the cardboard mock-up.

 

 

Not had a lot of time to work on this. Did re-draw the skirting. After giving my ref pics another going over, don't think I had it quite right on the cardboard mock-up. (add pic later)......

Got the lock set. It is so tiny and cute!


On the SU box, you can see there's a lock in there, and on the front of the box is a hole that is the key hole though the key hole cover is missing.



So I am assuming that the strike plate is in the edge of the lid, though I have no pic of that area. I'm putting the plate on mine, so it will be a functioning lock.

 

Not had too much time lately to work on this, but did get the skirt re-drawn and I like the new one a lot better.

 

 

Got a bunch of photocopies so I can start cutting the balsa.  Trouble doing things the way I'm doing things with the layering of thin material, I have to cut out a whole lot more pieces than if I were making it out of "real wood".

 

 

Here is the lock set I got for the box.

 

 

On the SU box, you can see there's a lock in there, and on the front of the box is a hole that is the key hole though the key hole cover is missing.



So I am assuming that the strike plate is in the edge of the lid, though I have no pic of that area. I'm putting the plate on mine, so it will be a functioning lock.

 

Here are the hinges and nails I am going to use.

 

 

Still not had a lot of time to work on this, but did get the brass pickled and the nails rusted....and started working on the mortises for the lock and hinges.  Oh, and trying to wear the key down and weather it a little.

 

 

Inch by inch, I carry on..........................

I drew around the inside of the logo cutout onto another piece of wood and carved it down just a bit.  This piece of wood will be underneath the logo cutout.  Since this is an unconventional build, I'm hoping the cutout logo layered with the shallow carved logo will yield a look like the SU box.  I painted the shallow carving and gave a try at painting the inside cut edges, but I was making a mess on top of the box.  I tried some painters tape, but it did not stop the seepage.  I'm going to buy and try painting around those cuts with rubber cement to see if that will help, else I'm in for some very tedious work painting around those cut edges.

 

 

UpDate: May 14, 2011
I swear sometimes I don't know where my head is!
I've made a rather heinous error in measurement and have taken the box apart and am in the process of re-cutting it.  Which isn't all that bad since I was wishing I'd done the sealing and sanding while the pieces were still flat.  Now I can do that.  Must re-draw the skirts, AGAIN, but the only real dread is having to re-cut the logo.........

Thanks to Tim for inspiring me to climb out of this hole!!! Maybe I can get it done now that I'm not hating on it for being a too big old ugly thing!!!

 

 

 

 

---

Some of my thoughts about the SU box and its construction.

 

I think the top of the lid was made out of one solid piece and what makes the "lip" of the lid was made separate and the carved top attached to it.

The rounded bottoms inside the logo, that's how it would look if you chiseled it out with one of those U chisels. Waffling on whether I should try to duplicate the look?  Decided, yes, to try.......

I think I know what the little box started life as, or at least probably what the prop folk built it same as or to give the impression that of what it began life as, and I've taken as much inspiration/information from that as from the SA box.

 

It could have been an antique or just an existing box--antique or modern--they started with that they carved the logo in or added a layer and carved it in. It has a mortise lock and looks like a keyhole cover has been removed.

 

I can see them putting the lock in there if they were going to also put the keyhole cover, but I don't understand why they'd bother putting in the lock and it not being functional. Of course they could have done all that and then changed their minds, or the keyhole cover came off and got lost or something?

That skirting is rather crude and applied in an unorthodox manner, rather like an Early American or bastardized Victorian style?

 

A deceptively simple design, it's a rather crude little thing with the skirt being its only 'pretty', but the EICo logo is cool.......

I'm pretty sure the logo is just from the POTC franchise. There were so many East India companies.....English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Swedish.....the only other logo I came across was the Dutch EIC and its pretty cool looking and maybe inspired the one in the movie.

---

 

How to install a mortise lock

These instruction are for something bigger and not balsa wood, but the basic steps are the same.  You just wouldn't use big power tools on your balsa box!  Replace words like router and chisel with pin drill and X-acto knife.

 

Drawer Locks

Locate the center of the drawer front. Using the lock as a template, mark its outline on the back and upper edge of the drawer front. Be aware that the key pin is usually offset to one side of the lock and it is the key pin that must be centered on the drawer. With a sharp knife, ruler and square go back over these lines.

 

Use a router or chisel to create the shallow mortise for the lock plate (I use a high speed steel straight cutter in a small router, as long as the cutter is sharp a router is very easily controlled freehand at this depth of cut).

Mark the outline of the lock body and adjust the router to suit this deeper cut.

 

Measure from the top and from one side of the lock plate to the center of the key pin and transfer these measurements to the drawer front. Drill a hole large enough to accommodate the key shaft and with a keyhole saw cut the desired keyhole shape. Alternatively you could push the lock into place and use the indent created by the key pin to mark for the drill. If you choose this method be careful not to chip out the front of the drawer as the drill comes through (tapered drills are recommended). The lock can now be fitted.

 

Box Locks

Set the lock in exactly the same manner as described above. With the lock fitted and the lid strike plate locked into place, lower the lid and press firmly down onto the strike. The strikes have two little projections on the upper surface and these will leave two matching marks in the lid.

 

Release the strike from the lock, set it accurately in the indentations and mark around with a sharp knife. Set your router to the thickness of the strike and create a mortise. You will need to drill two holes to accommodate the marking pins or simply file them off. Clean up the corners with a chisel and screw the strike into place. If interference is noticed a file can be used to remove a little material from the strike pins.