Kumiko-panel Tea Box

Keep your tea lover’s favored flavors in easy reach without creating counter clutter in this tea box, with its kumiko-panel lid (see page 62) and clean, elegant lines. It’s a great project that teaches the fundamentals of kumiko and some smart boxmaking techniques.

Start with the kumiko

1 The finished size of the kumiko panel dictates the box-part lengths, so make the panel first. Then mill a 5⁄16×4" blank long enough to cut the box ends and sides from it. I used cherry.

2 The top and bottom panels fit into rabbets in the box sides and ends, so cut the rabbets before cutting these parts to length [Exploded View]. Next, crosscut the box parts to length [Photos A, B] and miter them [Photo C].

I always use a fourcorner grain match on boxes. Learn how to create them at woodmagazine.com/ 4corner.

Get a free crosscut sled plan. woodmagazine.com/ crosscutsled

Lay out the sides and ends in order, outside 3 faces up, with the mitered ends aligned and touching. Apply painter’s tape across the three joints. Carefully flip the assembly. Miter joints soak up glue, so apply glue to the miters and let them sit for a few minutes. Then, complete the assembly [Photo D]. Let the box sit for 10–15 minutes, and then remove the squeeze-out.

Veneer and install the panels

While the glue dries, make the box bottom and lid panel. The 1⁄4" plywood bottom has fabric on the top face, and 3⁄32"-thick shopsawn veneer on the bottom, lifting the box slightly from the surface. The 1⁄8" plywood top panel has fabric on both faces.

1 Cut the bottom panel 1⁄4" longer and wider than the distance between the rabbets. Glue the veneer to the bottom [Photo E]. 2 After the glue dries, trim the bottom for a snug fit. Next, glue the fabric to the inside face, trim it flush [Photo F], and glue the bottom into the box, fabric facing up [Photo G]. Let the glue dry for an hour or so. 3 Cut the lid panel to fit into the rabbet, glue fabric to one face, and trim it flush. Repeat on the other face. I do not glue this panel into the box, because it’s really too thin to get a good glue bond. If it fits properly, and the kumiko panel also fits snug, there is no need for glue.

Cut the lid from the box

1 I’ve found that separating the lid from the box at the tablesaw leaves little steps at the corners that require sanding or planing, and the lid never quite sits right on the

Tip! When picking fabric, choose one with a color that complements the wood. Greens and blues work well with the cherry I used.

box after that. So, I cut the lid free at the bandsaw [Exploded View, Photo H]. There are no steps at the corners, and the blade marks clean up quickly with sandpaper [Photo I].

Create divisions

1 I use basswood for the internal liners and dividers that create cubbies for tea packets. Mill the liners to thickness and cut them wide enough to protrude 1⁄8" above the box side [Exploded View].

2 To fit the liners inside the box, first cut them square, with the blade at 90°. Then cut the dadoes that accept the dividers, creating three same-size compartments [Photo J]. I cut these with a standard-kerf rip blade, because it leaves a flat-bottom kerf. 3 Next, miter the liners and slide them into the box [Photo K]. Mill the dividers to fit the dadoes. I get the thickness close with my planer and then refine the fit with a smoothing plane. Crosscut the dividers to length, dialing in the length with a shooting board and plane, or using a microadjust stop and crosscut sled. Press the dividers into place. With snug-fitting liners and dividers, there is no need to glue anything into the box.

4 I finish only the exterior of my boxes by wiping on two coats of a 1-pound cut of shellac, then wet-sanding with 800-grit sandpaper, and adding a third coat. Buff the last coat with ultrafine steel wool, wipe away the residue, then polish with wax. A box this size takes about 15 minutes to finish from raw wood to wax, because the shellac dries so quickly.

After completing the finish, press the 5

kumiko panel into the lid [Photo L], load the box up with your favorite teas, and enjoy a nice cuppa!

A Measure the rabbet’s lip and double the dimension. Add that to the kumiko panel’s length and width to determine the lengths of the box sides and ends.

B Crosscut the sides and ends to finished length. Use a stopblock to ensure opposing sides end up the same length. Bevel-cut edge C To miter the pieces, bevel-cut the left side of your sled, cutting away a corner of the fence. Align the top corner of a side or end with the angled end of the fence and clamp a stopblock at the opposite end. Miter-cut both ends of the piece.

F Start with an oversize piece of fabric and glue it to the plywood with spray adhesive. Cut it flush to the plywood with a rotary cutter or crafts knife. D Spread additional glue on the miters, and roll the box up, taping across the final joint. Check the box for square by measuring the diagonals. Waxed-paper Caul Bottom panel with veneer E wrap Spread glue on the bottom panel, making sure it reaches the edges. Apply the veneer, wrap waxed paper around the assembly, then clamp between thick cauls. G Spread glue in the rabbet and press in the bottom. Use a caul on top and bottom and apply clamps. Too much pressure can break apart the joints, so go easy.

H Run the lid against the saw’s fence. A 3–4 tpi variable-tooth resaw blade provides a clean cut. The fence must sit parallel to the blade’s cut. Any drift when making this cut will ruin the box. K Insert the long liners, then add the end liners. These simply friction-fit in the box—no glue needed. I Glue two pieces of sandpaper to a flat surface, such as a piece of MDF, and sand the box in a circular motion. Work from 220 up to 400 grit. Do the same for the lid. Liner J A pair of stopblocks help locate all four dadoes the same distance from the liner’s ends, guaranteeing that the dividers sit square. L Use light pressure and work your way around the panel, working it in a bit at a time. Do not press in one end and then the other, which could break the panel.