Preparing to Attach the Divider Panel
It looks like the clear autumn weather will continue for the next few days. Today was sunny from the morning, with low humidity. Today, I worked on finishing the 3-sun 7-steps puzzle boxes, which I could not do yesterday. I also prepared for my next project. The next boxes will be 5-sun size, so I prepared the long side panels and did the usual work to get them ready. I plan to make about 36 boxes this time, including those for wholesale orders. The photo shows the long side panels for these 5-sun boxes. This time, I have cut an extra groove in addition to the usual groove for the Aruki sliding panel.
Since this is a 10-steps puzzle box, there is one groove near the top for the top panel. I also cut another groove 24 mm from the bottom of the box. I attach a divider panel here to create the space for the drawer below it. The drawer itself is 23 mm high, so this position gives it a space 24 mm high. That extra 1 mm allows the drawer to slide in and out smoothly. If the space is too large, the drawer will move around too much inside the box. But wood can warp or shrink, so about 1 mm of clearance is needed. I also leave about 1 mm of clearance across the width. The inside of the box is 79 mm wide, while the drawer is 78 mm wide.
Recently, I have been using MDF for the divider panel attached at this 24 mm position. The MDF is 2.5 mm thick, so I cut the groove slightly wider, about 3 mm, to let the panel fit easily. The fit should not be too tight. A tight fit makes the frame harder to assemble and can cause problems with the box’s structure. The width of the box, especially the inside width, must be very precise. If this width varies, attaching the Aruki panels becomes much harder. The divider panel must not get in the way of keeping this width consistent. If it fits too tightly in the grooves, or is too wide and presses against the bottoms of the grooves, it can affect the inside width of the box. The axis panels have a fixed width, so I need to make sure the assembled frame matches that measurement accurately. For this reason, the divider panel fits a little loosely in the grooves. I apply enough glue to hold it firmly in place so it will not rattle or move after it is attached. The divider panel fits into the grooves in both long side panels, so I need to fit both sides at the same time when assembling the frame. If the fit is too tight, this becomes difficult and takes more time. A little extra room makes the work easier. The divider panel is about 108 mm long, and it can sometimes be slightly warped. For this reason too, making the grooves a little wider is important for easy assembly.
Have a good weekend!
Since this is a 10-steps puzzle box, there is one groove near the top for the top panel. I also cut another groove 24 mm from the bottom of the box. I attach a divider panel here to create the space for the drawer below it. The drawer itself is 23 mm high, so this position gives it a space 24 mm high. That extra 1 mm allows the drawer to slide in and out smoothly. If the space is too large, the drawer will move around too much inside the box. But wood can warp or shrink, so about 1 mm of clearance is needed. I also leave about 1 mm of clearance across the width. The inside of the box is 79 mm wide, while the drawer is 78 mm wide.
Recently, I have been using MDF for the divider panel attached at this 24 mm position. The MDF is 2.5 mm thick, so I cut the groove slightly wider, about 3 mm, to let the panel fit easily. The fit should not be too tight. A tight fit makes the frame harder to assemble and can cause problems with the box’s structure. The width of the box, especially the inside width, must be very precise. If this width varies, attaching the Aruki panels becomes much harder. The divider panel must not get in the way of keeping this width consistent. If it fits too tightly in the grooves, or is too wide and presses against the bottoms of the grooves, it can affect the inside width of the box. The axis panels have a fixed width, so I need to make sure the assembled frame matches that measurement accurately. For this reason, the divider panel fits a little loosely in the grooves. I apply enough glue to hold it firmly in place so it will not rattle or move after it is attached. The divider panel fits into the grooves in both long side panels, so I need to fit both sides at the same time when assembling the frame. If the fit is too tight, this becomes difficult and takes more time. A little extra room makes the work easier. The divider panel is about 108 mm long, and it can sometimes be slightly warped. For this reason too, making the grooves a little wider is important for easy assembly.
Have a good weekend!