Wenge Tea Box
Episode 105 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Tom is joined by Mike Pekovich who shares his methods for making a beautiful tea box.
Host Tom McLaughlin is joined by Fine Woodworking’s Mike Pekovich who shares his methods for making a beautiful tea box out of the dark and exotic wenge wood. He then contrasts that with a bird’s eye maple which creates the interior pieces. Along with sharing his methods for making dovetails and a textured surface, Mike reveals a special clasp enclosure that makes this tea box really special.
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Classic Woodworking is presented by your local public television station.
Distributed nationally by American Public Television
Wenge Tea Box
Episode 105 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Host Tom McLaughlin is joined by Fine Woodworking’s Mike Pekovich who shares his methods for making a beautiful tea box out of the dark and exotic wenge wood. He then contrasts that with a bird’s eye maple which creates the interior pieces. Along with sharing his methods for making dovetails and a textured surface, Mike reveals a special clasp enclosure that makes this tea box really special.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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>> TOM: This week on Classic Woodworking, we'll be making this sweet little tea box.
Beautiful details in a small package, like exotic textured wenge, proud dovetails, a surprising interior of golden birdseye maple, and a concealed magnetic clasp with hemp to tie it all together.
I'll be joined by Mike Pekovich from Fine Woodworking.
It's all coming up next, right here on Classic Woodworking.
♪ ♪ >> Funding is provided by: >> Woodworking is a passion.
Woodcraft understands that.
We offer name brands and tools for fine woodworking.
Woodcraft, proud sponsors of Classic Woodworking.
And by Felder.
>> It's not only about work.
It's about fun and success.
We are with you.
Felder Group is your partner for your woodworking projects.
>> And by SCM-- a rich heritage of woodworking technology since 1952.
>> TOM: Hi, I'm Tom McLaughlin.
Today's special guest is a great furniture maker, instructor, and he's the creative director at Fine Woodworking magazine.
He's Mike Pekovich.
>> Hey, Tom.
>> TOM: Welcome to the shop, Mike.
>> Thanks for having me, man.
>> TOM: It's really great to have you.
>> Cool.
>> TOM: I've admired your work.
It shows a really beautiful Craftsman-inspired influence.
>> Thanks.
>> TOM: What draws you to that style?
>> I did build in the Craftsman style for a long time, and I think what drew me to it was the exposed joinery.
It's a really straightforward style.
You could look at it and see how it's made, but more than that, there's no added moldings or inlay or decorations-- the joinery itself is the star of the show.
>> TOM: Now, the primary joinery feature on our box are these proud dovetails on the corner.
A dovetail consists of the tail shape and the pin, and they interlock together to form the corner.
You see when they come together, we get that really nice exposed, proud joinery.
>> Well, before we get to laying them out, I like to orient all the parts with a cabinet maker's triangle.
I'm sure you do that, as well.
Because when we're cutting dovetails, it's a lot of work and effort, and if you get things in the wrong place, it's a lot of wasted effort.
I just throw a triangle across each pair of parts.
The triangle's on the top edge, and it all faces in the same direction.
As long as those triangles are going in the same way as we're cutting our joint, everything is going to come together really well.
So with that done, the next step is to mark our shoulders for our dovetails.
And this is where we determine how much that joint is going to stick out.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> And if I wanted my dovetails perfectly flush, I would set my marking gauge exactly to the thickness of the stock.
In this case, I want them to stick out a little bit.
and with that set up, I'll just scribe the shoulders, and that outset of those dovetails, it's already locked in.
>> TOM: So you'll stack them up to make it a little easier?
>> Yeah, give me a little clearance for the head of the marking gauge.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
I love this method, because we're going to use a combination of machine and hand techniques to cut these dovetails.
We'll begin by cutting the tail shape.
And to do that, we're heading over to the table saw.
So Mike, we're ready to cut our tails.
And rather than cut them with a handsaw, you've got this really clever method of cutting them here at the table saw.
>> Yes.
It all works around a blade which was specially ground for dovetails.
But the first thing I want to do is figure out where I want those tails to be cut.
And the only tricky thing in this box is that because we're sawing the lid off later, I've got three tails of the same width, but I have one extra fat tail, because that's where we're going to be sawing through.
We're going to lose a little bit of material there, and it's going to even things up, just a little bend.
On this piece here, I went ahead and laid out that layout in pencil.
It's really hard to see in wenge.
So to give me a little better guideline, I'm just going to mark, basically, a center line every place that I want to make a cut.
And this is a cool thing about this process is, we don't have to be laying out our dovetails on every single piece.
Lay out one, get it where you want it.
From there, we can use that to set up the saw to make all of our cuts.
And to make things a little more reliable, because we have sort of off-center, asymmetric dovetails now-- I don't want these pieces flipped over-- so I'm going to go ahead and tape these two pieces together.
We'll cut two parts at once.
They're going to be perfectly aligned, piece to piece.
(table saw whirring) >> TOM: So, Mike, I'm going to get to cut the pins here.
>> Good.
>> TOM: But I wanted to see some of your tips for laying out.
What's this with the blue tape?
>> Oh.
The first thing I like to do is lay down some blue tape on the end-grain of the stock.
The next step is to get my scribe lines exactly where I want them, and I have a couple of tricks for that.
This is just a little flip lock.
It's a square piece of wood with a little fence tacked on.
I use that, and I register the work piece right to that lip and use that to clamp that in the vise.
That way, I can flip it around to support the opposite end of my tailboard, and I can put pressure down in between, and that really holds that in place.
The next challenge is getting this piece exactly where we want it.
This is just a piece of MDF, a piece of pine as a fence.
So with my parts still in their orientation, I'm just going to slide this underneath.
And here's the key-- I'm just going to slide it up until the jig is right in line with our scribe line.
And put a spring clamp on here.
So this can still wiggle around a little bit.
So I hold these together, and now I can slide the stock forward so the MDF is right up against my pin board, and then I can slide it over so the fence is right along the side.
So I'm aligned front to back, side to side, and we're ready to scribe some pins.
♪ ♪ >> TOM: Yeah.
All right.
You've got a very clever jig that removes that easily with a router.
>> Yes.
Yeah, and the key is the bit that I'm using.
It's a straight bit, but the important thing is, it's got a bearing at the top, as well.
>> TOM: I see.. >> This is really key, because I can set the bit right to the scribe line.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> And the bearing rides on the side of my pins, which means I'm not going to cut into the pins, it's just going to ride against the pins and clear the waste all the way down.
>> TOM: All right, let's see it.
(router whirring) (router slows and stops) >> TOM: Wow.
Don't tell me that's it.
>> That's it-- pretty quick.
>> TOM: All right, so we're going to go ahead and hit all four ends, and then we'll see if it fits.
>> Yes.
(router whirring) (router slows and stops) >> TOM: It's time to see if they fit.
So we get our pieces on the bench, and we orient them so we're going the right way here.
I'll put these two into these sides.
So far, so good.
>> So far, so good.
>> TOM: (laughs) Then we'll flip down into our other side.
>> That's nice.
>> TOM: It's going nicely, and now we'll use a mallet just to lightly tap.
You've got to be careful with this wenge.
>> It's such a hard wood, there's no compression.
So it's too tight until it's too loose.
>> TOM: That's right.
So I'll just get it tapped home, but... wow.
Your method really works!
>> I'm glad.
>> TOM: (laughs) So we've pre-sized the top and bottom larger than our box so that we create this overhang, and it's even more proud than the dovetails.
And also, we've got a very thin profile.
And the way that's achieved is by cutting an interlocking groove... >> Yeah.
>> TOM: ...on the table saw.
(table saw whirring) >> So let's check our fit and make sure that fence was where it needed to be.
That's perfect, I like that.
>> TOM: Wow, yeah.
That's awesome.
>> That's great.
You can still see that we're a little bit shy of our side, so we have to do some work on that tab.
and on the finished top, you can see how that tab is cut quite a bit short, so we need to tackle that.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> And then the ends that don't have a groove at all, we're going to cut that tab off altogether to allow for that same overlap.
>> TOM: I see.
>> So I'm going to go ahead and readjust the fence and the blade height, and we'll start by trimming the side tabs, then we'll cut the ends all the way off.
(table saw whirring) >> TOM: So before we can glue up our box, we need to do a few little details.
and one of those is breaking the edges to our proud elements.
And a good method with wenge, especially, being such a fibrous wood, is to simply glue some sandpaper to a block like this, and holding at about a 45-degree angle, I'll just go right across the end grain, trying to be repetitive to create a nice, even, very slight chamfer on the material.
And we'll flip and hit the underside edge.
>> We're going to hit the stock with a wire brush, which is more at home at your barbecue than it is in a wood shop.
>> TOM: Right.
>> But wenge, it's a really hard wood.
It's also a little bit dead.
And hitting it with a wire brush is removing some of the softer wood, and it's leaving a really nice texture to it.
And the important thing is just to go with the grain.
>> TOM: Okay.
(scraping) >> So after that wire brush, the last thing I like to do is hit it with some fine steel wool.
It just gets rid of any raised fibers, and it gives it a nice polish, as well.
Check that out.
>> TOM: That really finishes it off.
>> Yeah.
>> TOM: So our pieces are all textured, the edges are broken.
We're ready to add that thin coat of shellac.
>> Yes, sir.
We're not doing any sanding after it's together, so any squeeze-out on there is going to be a nightmare.
So first off, by adding some shellac where the joinery is, the glue isn't going to discolor anything, and it'll pop off even if we get on it on there.
So we'll hit everything with shellac.
It's going to dry really fast.
I love this finish.
And we won't do anything else to the inside of the box.
When it's all glued up, we'll hit it with some more shellac later, but that first coat of shellac is good for glue, and it takes care of the inside of the box.
♪ ♪ >> TOM: So we're ready to glue up our box.
And to do that, we're going to just apply glue to the pins, just a small amount.
And we don't a whole lot of glue squeeze-out.
Put a good drop on each pin.
We just want to make sure that once it's pressed together, it stays together.
That looks pretty good.
Mm-hmm.
It's good to see it fit, right?
(laughs) >> I was a little worried there... >> TOM: I had no doubts in you.
>> Thank you.
>> TOM: Beautiful.
(tapping) That came right up.
>> Yeah.
>> TOM: So we have our box.
It feels like a box.
Only problem is, there's no way to open it.
So what are we going to do, Mike?
>> We're going to saw the lid off.
>> TOM (laughing): Right, just like this one... >> Yep.
>> TOM: ...our finished box, we need to create a lid by sawing through it.
Now, that's a crazy cut, huh?
>> It's tough.
We've put a lot of work into this.
>> TOM: I know.
So what are you going to do?
>> Well, if you remember, we left one of our tails wider than the rest.
I'm just going to line up my bandsaw fence to get the blade roughly centered, saw it off, and we can move on from there.
(bandsaw whirring) (bandsaw slowing) >> TOM: So that cut went well, huh?
>> That's it.
>> TOM: Tell me about this surface.
It's, now it's got that bandsawn kind of ridge.
>> The majority of the time, when I'm making a box, I definitely want to smooth that out, along with everything else.
But we've got so many other textures going on, I actually like that bandsawn texture.
I think it fits with everything.
I do want to soften up those edges, and I think your sanding block is a really good... (scraping) It's a really good solution for that.
And then after that, I don't want to sand those scratches out, so I think, get some steel wool.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> Just to burnish those a little bit.
It's really soft to the touch.
>> TOM: Oh, yeah, that makes a big difference.
>> And that's it.
>> TOM: So with our wenge box finally finished, we're ready to turn our attention to the interior liner, which is made of this gorgeous golden birdseye maple.
The liner has three compartments, and it's made from six pieces.
We've got the front and back, the ends, and these two interior partitions.
The corners are simply mitered, and the interior has a V-groove to accept the dividers.
And then there's a bottom that floats in the box and drops in.
And lastly, we'll cut these nice scallop shaves, which add a visual interest.
Now, to make our box, we'll need six pieces.
We've got our front and back, and our ends and interior, and we'll make that joinery over at the router table.
(router whirring) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> TOM: Done.
And what are you doing?
>> Nice.
Well, we're getting set up for gluing up.
But the first step is to throw some shellac on the inside of all these parts.
♪ ♪ >> TOM: Okay.
>> Cool.
>> TOM: I think we're good.
So now, for our glue-up method, we've put this straight edge against our glue board, and we're going to orient our pieces... >> Upside down.
>> TOM: Okay.
>> We'll get them in the right order, with the bottoms registered against our little straight edge there.
>> TOM: Okay.
>> Save the little dividers for a second.
Our blue tape makes another appearance.
I tend to just get long strips.
>> TOM: Yeah, sure.
>> And I like this sort of masking-style tape, because there's a little spring to it.
And it's okay if the parts buckle a little bit-- that's okay.
Because that's going to give it the clamping pressure we need when it all comes together.
>> TOM: Right.
>> So with that done, we can flip it over and get some glue both in our miters, and just a little bit in our V-grooves, as well.
>> TOM: Okay.
>> You also want to hit the miters and the ends of our tape-up, as well.
>> TOM: Right.
>> Come around.
>> TOM: Now, we don't need to put any glue on the ends of the... >> No.
>> TOM: The runners.
>> Nope.
>> TOM: So we've got our pieces all taped together and glued, facing up.
What's the next move?
>> Roll it up.
>> TOM: Okay, let's see that.
>> So this is just like a mitered box.
The only difference is, we have to get our dividers in place, as well.
So let's go ahead and throw these in place here.
Let's close it up... >> TOM: That's tight.
>> ...and just stretch that.
>> TOM: Wow, that's awesome.
I mean, look how easy, how everything comes up nice and tight.
>> Yep.
Now, the tape does a good job at the corners.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> It's not doing anything to hold this joint apart here, so a couple of clamps just across our dividers are going to keep those nice and tight, as well.
>> TOM: Okay.
So we'll set this aside for a couple of hours, and we'll get to work on our clasp.
>> Good.
>> TOM: So our boxes are finished, all except for three elements-- this base we need to attach, the cord, and this great magnetic clasp.
>> Yeah, and that's where we want to start first.
>> TOM: Okay.
>> It's really cool, but it's pretty simple to make.
>> TOM: All right, let's see that.
>> I'd make that out of ebony, so I start with a long piece of stock, I cut it to length.
And then just drill out a hole with the drill press for the cord.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> And in addition, I drill a pair of holes in each piece for magnets.
I like to use just little quarter-inch-diameter rare-earth magnets.
And in order to increase the attraction to make sure it really stays closed, I stack a pair of magnets in each hole.
>> TOM: Okay.
>> And then, when that's done, they'll get covered up with a piece of veneer, and then we'll clamp all that up.
>> TOM: Nice.
>> So I got one half down.
I'll put the pair of magnets in there.
Just to double-check, I can put the veneers in place, and hopefully they're going to match.
>> TOM: Awesome.
>> So far, so good.
>> TOM: Yep.
>> So the next step is to get these glued in place.
I put glue just on the veneer strips themselves.
Get that in.
What I have here, it's just a little wedge clamping system.
One cleat, a second cleat at an angle, and a wedge cut at the same angle to give me a nice parallel reference surface.
>> TOM: That's really good.
>> From there, the magnet goes in place.
Slide the wedge in.
So when that's dry, I just go ahead and sand it down, the faces and the ends.
And just to add a little bit of texture, to sort of match everything else, you can hit this with really coarse sandpaper, a few swipes going across the grain.
So with this done, the next step, before we can add the cord, is to get the base in place.
The base is made from three pieces.
So basically, two feet which are dadoed at the table saw, and a crossbar, which is rabbeted on the ends to fit in the dados.
And in addition, I drilled basically two sets of holes-- a single diameter hole for one length of cord, and then we need to run two lengths of cord through the opposite hole in order to tie everything off.
So I just drill a couple of holes and open that up with a chisel.
That's in place where I want it.
The holes on the inside are where I want them.
(drill whirs) This is the reason why we have that false bottom, is, it's going to cover all these screw heads in there.
>> TOM: So all we have left is to tie the cord.
>> That's it.
So the first thing we need to do is get our liner back in place.
That's going to register the top and the bottom so it's not shifting around too much.
And then the next step, because that magnet can come apart with too much pressure, I'll just throw some tape around those two halves just to keep them together through the process.
And I want to start by threading that rope through our double hole.
♪ ♪ We do have to secure this cord.
So what I like to do is get a dowel the same diameter of the hole, and with a chisel, just chisel a little wedge onto the end of it.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> And I can use that to hold everything in place.
>> TOM: Sure.
>> And I'm just going to get it and just throw that wedge in there.
And flip it back around.
And the next thing I want to do is figure out where I need to start and stop the wraps on the side of the box.
>> TOM: Right.
>> And to do that, I just use twist ties.
So this is really good.
I like this, it's nice and centered, I like the tension.
My twist ties are where they need to go.
So before I move on to that, now I really want to lock this in place.
(tapping) So I want to saw that off and get these wrapped.
Here you can see I've started the wrap by the twist tie, and there's my little end that I'm going to wrap over for a good eight or ten wraps.
And I'm trying to keep them fairly tight, and tight against one another without any gaps, and I certainly don't want to overlap those wraps.
And I want a good, probably, eight or ten wraps.
Just going to pull that cord through, underneath those wraps.
>> TOM: That's so good.
>> So that's all locked in place.
>> TOM: Mm-hmm.
>> Straighten that out just a little bit once it's wrapped on there, but that's basically done.
>> TOM: That looks beautiful.
So we'll just take the twist ties off, do the other side, and we'll be ready to talk about our finish.
So before we attached our base, we hit it with a few more coats of shellac, rubbed it out with steel wool, and then a wax.
Then we're ready to put it back together.
>> Yep.
>> TOM: So we drop in our bottom, and the liner.
And we're ready to put on the lid.
>> Don't forget the tea.
>> TOM: Of course, the tea.
Get our lid on, and then the magnet.
>> That's it.
>> TOM: What a beautiful, elegant box.
>> Thank you.
>> TOM: Really well done, Mike.
For more on this project, go to finewoodworking.tv.
What a pleasure to have Mike Pekovich in my shop.
Join me next time, right here on Classic Woodworking.
♪ ♪ >> Closed captioning is provided by AWFS, the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers.
Funding is provided by... >> Woodworking is a passion.
Woodcraft understands that.
We offer name brands and tools for fine woodworking.
Woodcraft, proud sponsors of Classic Woodworking.
And by Felder.
>> It's not only about work.
It's about fun and success.
We are with you.
Felder Group is your partner for your woodworking projects.
♪ ♪ >> And by SCM-- a rich heritage of woodworking technology since 1952.
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