Project Timespan
December 2020
Inspiration
I have written previously (knot-tying project and coasters project) about Apex for Youth, an organization dedicated to serving and empowering Asian-American youth. I had the privilege of serving as a youth mentor for several years, mentoring a 6th grader all the way until his high school graduation and subsequent matriculation at university in 2025!
Several years ago, I had a spare weekend and some extra wood scraps, so I figured I would take the time to make a fun project, as follows!
Project Overview
I came across the design featuring the Apex logo with the constituent triangles and rhombus forming a square that would fit snugly within a wooden box. While the logo is abstract, and I haven’t had formal confirmation as to its intention, I’ve always thought of it as representative of an apple (education) or heart (charity). The Apex logo itself is also engraved (presumably with a laser cutter) on the front face of the puzzle box. My goal was to recreate this box sans laser cutter.
Materials
~1/4″ maple wood
~1/8″ bubinga wood
~5/8″ red heart wood
CNC Router
Wood glue, sanding materials, finish
CNC Design
There wasn’t too much in terms of design; I opted to go for a box joint for the puzzle box itself. For the lid, I maintained the four corners but kept a pair of overhands on the left/right as well as the top. The challenging aspect was to engrave the Apex logo into the face with a small end nose bit to later infill it with bubinga.
I used the CNC to cut all the joints out to obtain a snug fit – a goal that was only moderately successful, ahem.
The inner puzzle pieces were measured and scaled to fit within the box, and subsequently cut out using the CNC router.
Finishing Touches
Wood glue was used to glue the inlaid pieces into the front of the frame, and the box was also glued together. All surfaces were sanded, and a finish of tung oil was applied.
Lessons Learned & Improvements
I am less than enthused when it comes to the end result of this project. While there is a superb contrast in the natural wood color of bubinga in maple, the positives end there. To sum it up, this was a project made much harder than it needed to be. Using a CNC router to cut out the box joints wasn’t a terrible idea, but my execution was lacking. Whether through imprecise measuring of the tool diameters or wood thickness, or simple tolerances in running the CNC machine itself, the joinery was much too loose for my liking. Furthermore, the pieces within have too much play within the box, sliding around without a care in the world. Looking closely, there are small gaps within the inlay bubinga given the inaccessibility of milling out the inner corners.
If I were to tackle this project again, I would use the CNC machine only for the inlay and minimally and the inlay pieces before gluing, lest the corners lose their sharpness. I would triple-check the dimensions of the inner puzzle pieces and use hand/power tools to construct the box itself. Box joints are fine, though an overhang top lid (as seen in the reference project) presents a tempting option as well.
Reflection
Apex For Youth is an amazing organization, and I would recommend them to those with the time and means to give back as a youth mentor. Mentorship is a two-way street, and you’ll find yourself surprised at the knowledge gleaned and perception gained from working with a mentee. I sure did!