This is Part Three of the Four-part series of instructions for making a box with a hinged lid. Once three sides of the box base are wrapped, you can cover and attach the lid.
Tools: pencil; metal ruler; bone folder; knife and cutting mat; scissors; three scrap boards for measuring; PVA; brush for gluing; magazines for scrap paper; long strip of scrap paper for measuring
Materials: book cloth; partially wrapped
box base
Take a strip of scrap paper and measure just over the edge of the box base to just over the edge of the lid, leaving a gap between the two.
Cut a piece of bookcloth that is the height of the paper strip and 1 - 1 1/2" (2.4 - 3.6 cm) wider than the lid. Apply glue to the back of the bookcloth and press the lid into place (if it has a recess cut into it, place it recess side down). The lid should have an equal margin of bookcloth on three sides and a long tail (this is not a technical term, but this is what I'm going to call it).
F
lip the wrapped lid over and use a bone folder to press a groove into the recess.
Trim the top two corners at least 1 1/2 board thicknesses from the corner to the cut.
Place the wrapped lid on the work surface, face down. Place the box base (unwrapped side, not bottom, down) on the extra tail of bookcloth. Use three boards to measure the distance between the lid and the box base. Remove the box base and draw a line where it will go.
Place the ruler against the box lid and draw a straight line out to the edge of the tail. Repeat for opposite side of the tail.
Cut along the straight line, stopping at 1 1/2 board thicknesses from the corner of the lid.
Place the lid, rightside down, on a piece of scrap paper. Apply glue to the longest flap.
Press into place and tuck in the both corners. Apply glue to each of the shorter flaps and press them into place.
Apply glue to the tail.
Press the box base into place along the line, leaving the three board thicknesses in between it and the lid. Make sure it is centered and that the lid will close.
Press into place along the underside of the box base.
Use the bone folder to crease the hinge on the outside of the box.
Next up: Part Four, Finishing (covering the inside lid and base, the underside of the base, and adding an image for the cover recess)
Comments
Not quite clear why you need 3 board thicknesses at the lid/box-side join. Is it one for each of the lid and side, plus one for the hinge-space?
I would have left only two, so maybe my lid wouldn't close properly...
It's very helpful to have someone tell you the little details that you don't think of yourself!