Holly Box with Built-In Hinge

Show and Tell
#1

Several years ago I got some holly from a tree a neighbor was cutting down. The wood had a lot of knots, but I was still able to find some clear pieces. It was very easy to work with.

Glue up, with box joints and a floating bottom:

image
image1522×1142 178 KB

Drilling pilot hole for the hinge pins:

image
image1522×1142 66.4 KB

Finished the holes using the long bit on the hand drill, then put in some steel rods for pins:

image
image1522×1142 159 KB

Then spent a bunch of time shaping the lid so it could open up to about 95 degrees. The mechanism works well enough. It’s relatively tight, and when the box is closed it leaves a tiny gap in front. If I do this again I’ll make sure that the protrusion in the back for the hinge is exactly equal (or slightly longer) to the thickness of the back, so the hole can be right in the center.

Finished with spray lacquer

image
image1522×1142 150 KB

image
image1149×915 105 KB

1 Like
#2

I like that Tim, I will have remember how you did the hinges, What did you use for the pin, a welding rod?
Holly is nice to work with, it takes finishes well too. Are you going to put some finish on it?
Good job,
Herb

#3

Thanks, Herb. For the pins I used 1.5mm stainless steel rod I found on Amazon. They’re cheap and now I have more than I know what to do with. :slight_smile:
I finished lightly with spray lacquer. You can’t really tell in the picture, but I like how it doesn’t affect the wood look and feel too much.

1 Like
#4

Good show ole chap, the clear lacquer is excellent for perserving the natural color of the wood. Now you have to make more boxes to use up the SS rods.
Herb

1 Like