Sliding Dovetail Gift Box

The easiest method for creating sliding lids is to simply cut grooves in the sides of the box, like I did for this wine box. A more elegant method is to fit the lid using a sliding dovetail which allows the top and sides to be flush. But don’t let the “d word” scare you: dovetail lids are easy to make with a router table and a dovetail bit.

This box can be scaled to any size. The fun part is customizing the inside to fit whatever contents you want to put in it. Probably the best use would be for jewelry. In my case, it snugly holds a pair of stainless steel Korean chopsticks and chopsticks rest. A Christmas gift for Wyatt.

I cut a block of wood a bit larger than the finished box size, then cut off a thin slice for the bottom of the box and another thin slice for the lid.

I used a paper cutting template to help me cut out the triangular shape for the inside of my box. You really don’t need to do this. You can just as easily draw cutting lines on the wood. Especially if you just want the compartment to be rectangular. I cut out the compartment using my jigsaw.

After plenty of sanding on the inside surfaces, I glued the bottom on. Once it was dry, I cut the box down to its final size.

Making the dovetail

With a dovetail bit in my router, I adjusted its height to match the thickness of the lid and I plowed out the opening in a few passes.

Without changing the bit, I cut routed the lid down to size. This requires patience, trimming micro amounts at a time until it fits the box opening. I did thin until I got it to fit well, but a little tight. Then I sanded the sides down to fine tune the fit.

For the inside of the box, I cut shapes that would hold the chopsticks and chopsticks rest perfectly and glued them into place.