Rick in Rhode Island wanted some details.

Rick wrote me a note, asking details about making the kitchen utensils box. Specifically, he wanted to know at what point I cut the steps on the sides of the box.

Rick, the simplest way I know to keep all sides properly registered against the side stop is to make a “regular” box first, as follows (remember, I used finger joints, machined on the Leigh R9Plus jig):

The kitchen utensils box, a WIP (Work-in-Progress)

Why do I want proper registration? If the work piece is not properly registered againsthe side stop, and also under the finger assembly, the box may not be square. Simple as that!

The rest of the story.

Following a couple of dry fit runs to make sure I had all the sides oriented properly, I used the band saw to cut the steps. This is the safest way I know to get the steps right. I suppose I could have used a hand saw of some kind. Next time I will – maybe.

Some may wonder what I do with the off-cuts from the rift-sawn white oak. I simply keep them in a barrel, until I find a small project. However, storage is getting limited in the shop – so I might have to change my ways in the future.

Thanks for writing, Rick!

— Al Navas