introduction

A BOX, A BOX FOR MY KINGDOM OR MAYBE A BOX FOR ALL SEASONS. There are plenty of box ideas in this book. After all, most things are basically boxes. Your house, your car, your room, your computer, your cup, your pencil holder, your purse, King Tut's tomb and of course the most famous box of all, television.

“I want to learn woodworking, so what's the first thing I should make?” I've been asked this question many times, and my answer is always the same — build a box.

That's what this book is about. Building boxes. Each project is graded according to your individual woodworking abilities. If you are a beginning woodworker, start with the first project. After you've built that one, build the second one. And so on. While building each project, you will learn one or more woodworking techniques that will enable you to build the next box. Rest assured, there are projects for any level of woodworker from beginner to advanced.

I know what you're thinking — golly Jim, how many boxes can one person build? Won't you run out of ideas or get bored and beg to watch Leave it to Beaver re-runs? No, you won't run out of ideas. I'v just scratched the surface for box ideas in this book. It's up to you to put on your Tom Terrific thinking cap and extricate, expand and extrapolate your own box concepts.

As usual, I've stolen most of the designs contained in this book and tried to make them my own, so I expect nothing less from you, my fellow woodworkers. It's all been done before anyway — just not by you — so go for it. And finally, keep makin' sawdust.