I can tell you that it takes a total of 4.25 hours of "hands on" time to complete one box. This includes the actual time of designing, milling, sanding and finishing a box. It does not include tool or operation setup, only the time that the material is physically being worked.
If a box was to be built non stop from start to finish straight, it would take approximatly 20.5 hours. But remember that this includes not only the "hands on" time, but tool and operation setup between steps and a lot of "sitting" time to let glue and finish dry.
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Before you start you will need to gather everything list of materials and tools or determine a substitute if you do not have access to some of the necessary items. I will suggest substitutes if possible in each step. Click on the link in the sidebar for a list of materials, supplies and tools.
OK... lets get started.
First thing to do is determine the size and type of box that you want to create and what you want to make it out of. For the purposes of this "How To" section I have designed a box made from Purpleheart and Hard Maple for the box carcass with a Tiger Angore veneered lid. The choice for joinery is Through Dovetail. Hardware will include simple surface mounted hinges.
Next you need to visit you lumber stack or local lumber supplier to select your stock. Make sure that you select or purchase enough for at least two boxes. (In case you screw up you have enough matching replacement material. Not to mention, if all goes as planned you will have an extra box to gift or sell.) If you purchased the material, make sure to let the wood acclimate to your shop for a few days before you begin. We don't want a warped finished product!!
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Start construction by using a surface planer to bring your main stock to the appropriate thickness. In this case I am taking 1" thick Purpleheart and 3/4" thick Hard Maple down to just over 1/2" thick. You could resaw the boards before planeing, if you have a good handle on using a bandsaw, and reuse the waste stock for other projects. I prefer this method as it keeps $$ from becoming sawdust and also saves wear and tear on expensive plainer blades. The leftover thin stock is great for making trays for your boxes or for use in creating bandings and inlays.
Take the freshly planed stock to your table saw and rip it to the "Height" dimention of your box PLUS the width of your table saw blade and 1/16". This will account for the material lost to sanding and cutting the top from your box in a later step. Now take your cross cut sled or miter guage and cross cut the stock into the appropriate width and lengths of your front, back and sides of the box PLUS 1/16" to 1/8". The extra will account for what is removed when you need to flush your dovetail cuts with the case.
Now move to your Dovetail Jig and design your dovetail spacing. (Some jigs are adjustable like my Leigh D4 and others are fixed. Take this into consideration when figuring the size of your box). Use the jig to route your matching tails and pins for your joints making sure that both the tails and pins extend at least 1/32" from the joint in both directions. Dry fit the carcass and make any necessary adjustments.
If you don't have a planer you could ask a local cabinet shop to plane your stock to thickness. Usually requires a processing fee.
