Carving round boxes

[rhodge]

Just wondering if folks have some tips on carving round wooden boxes? I have tried a couple, but when cutting on the bandsaw the slightest wiggle will leave a flat side to your round box, any suggestions as to step 2 after cutting out on the bandsaw?

[AlArchie]

Careful hand sanding with a sanding block will usually round out those "flat spots" if they are not too pronounced.

Al

[breezly]

Welcome to the site

[rhodge]

Thanks for the sanding block suggestion, that is what I did use, but thought there might be an easier way. I still had some small blade scratch marks after sanding the heck out of it, Is there any way to use a router and some type of jig that would hold the box steady?

[Donsexton]

Do your rough cutting on the bandsaw then use the lathe to true it up.

[Jim S.]

Hello and welcome to the forum rhodge.
Looks like you got some sound advice here.
Jim

[Riverman]

Hi and welcome to the group!
Bob

[gtech]

Use a small screw to hold your block of wood and that will serve as a pivot on another flat piece of wood held fixed on the band saw table, and then rotate the block of wood to cut it in a circle.

Gillkes

[AlArchie]

Truing up on a lathe is an ecellent suggestion....IF you have a lathe.


For cutting circular pieces on my bandsaw, I made a jig from a flat piece of 1/2" plywood and attached a 3/4" x 3/8" wood strip on the bottom to ride in the miter slot.

I then ran this throug the bandsaw so one edge was flush with the blade. Then I marked a 90 degree line across the piece, centered on the blade side of the jig.
Along this line I drilled a seriess of small holes 1/2" apart. These holes were the same size as a small nail I cut off to drop into one of the holes with the point sticking up about 1/8".

Now drill a small hole neat the center of the piece you want to make your circular object from (about 1/8" deep or less) puut the hole over the nail you have placed at the radius of the piece you want to cut, slide the jig with the work piece attached so the line on the base meets the cutting edge of the saw blade. Once it is there, simply hold the base steady and rotate the workpiece into the blade as it pivots on the nail point. This will cut a near perfect circle using any diameter you want by simply placing the guide nail in an appropriate hole.

Hope that's not too confusing... I can post a pic if necessary.

Al

[pallin]

You didn't tell us the dimensions of the boxes you're trying to make. The bandsaw jigs others have suggested will work if the boxes are not too deep. If more than 2" thick, or if the tooth set of the bandsaw blade is worn, it may drift off the desired line.
I prefer to do mine on a lathe. I bought one for about $100 at Harbor Freight. Yes, it's a piece of junk, but it will handle a pretty big piece of wood on a faceplate, allowing me to make it round. Finish sanding can be done on the lathe. I have used this approach on a number of things that I then carved.