A STURDY WOODBOX FOR SERIOUS WOODBURNERS

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You can cut siding boards at a straight up-and-down 90° and make crude butt-joints. It isn't much harder to cut them at 45° so they meet in a more finished, knife-edge mitered joint. Put the planing blade on your circular saw and set the cutting angle to 45°.

At this, its most extreme cutting angle, a circular saw is off balance and tends to wobble in the kerf (kerf is wood-butcher's talk for a saw cut). Plus, you are sawing at an awkward angle through almost 2" of wood. Have the work to your left so the blade angles off to your left and most of the saw's baseplate will rest on a firm surface. Hold the tool firmly with both hands, keep the edge of the baseplate snug against the straight-edge/saw guide, and move it forward, slowly and carefully. When ends of all the 3' siding boards have been trimmed to 45°, move the stop block and straightedge forward and trim one end of all 2' siding boards.

Measuring on the tops of the boards you just cut—from the outer (sharp) edge of the 45° end—mark the other end of the 2' boards so they will come out the outside depth you want your box to be (in my case, 23"). Reset and clamp your stop blocks and straight edge; slide the 2' boards forward, and cut them to length with the saw set at 45°. Then mark the three-footers to the box's precise outside width, reset blocks again, and cut those boards to length.

John Vivian fastens redwood trim to the woodbox prior to
attaching the feet and taking it inside for final fastening.

Cut and Attach Horizontal Frame-Boards

Set two long and two short siding boards up on their long edges and trial-assemble them into the rectangular shape of the woodbox. Use a right angle to make corners square. Tap joints to align the edges knife-sharp. Tape the boards together if need be. Carefully measure the inside of the long boards and trim the four, 3'-long, square-stock frame boards to this length. You could angle-cut the frame boards, but they won't show and it is easier just to cut the ends square.

Set two of these newly-cut, frame members snug against the bottoms of the long siding-boards inside the trial-assembly, and measure the distance between their ends. Trim the four short frame-boards to this length and check accuracy by setting two of them in place along the bottoms of the short siding-boards inside the trial assembly. All frame boards should butt together snugly, but not so tight they open the joints between siding boards.

Now, make another trial assembly of two more long and two short siding and frame boards. Use the hot-glue gun to tack frame to siding boards. Lay boards flat, drill pilot holes through frame boards and into siding, two inches from ends and at approximate 6" intervals between, and fasten with drywall screws.

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