I’ve built lots of larger things, but small delicate pieces have always eluded me. Therefore, it is with great pride that I show off my latest project, a box for holding 35mm slides.

The box is constructed of poplar planks, each about 5mm wide. I don’t have 5mm stock laying around, so I resawed it all from a single 3/4″ poplar board left over from the dining room table I built in 2015.

The stock 3/4″ board

Resawn for the box sides.

The widest resawn board, for the box lid.

In order to allow the sides to accept the sliding lid, I cut some grooves with a couple passes of the radial arm saw.  (This project could also have been titled “Radial Arm Saw Calibration: Do It Before You Start Your Project, Not Halfway Through.”)

The bottom of the box also got a groove to hold the center divider in place.

I used tape to hold the box together during the dry fit; here’s the exploded view.

The box top slides in from the front. Due to the friction, it was difficult to get the lid to slide back out, so I added a small fingerhold at the front. I did this by centering the radial arm saw blade in place over the center of the lid, locking the carriage, and slowing lowering it while it was running until it was cutting a very shallow groove. Then, I slid the lid from side-to-side.

Here’s a shot of the glue-up.

The finished product. I decided to leave the wood unfinished this time. The newly-sawn poplar has a green tint, but it will turn brown as it ages.

I have a couple hundred slides that don’t have any permanent storage, so I’ll make more boxes when I have time. I’m thinking about doing each one in a different wood species, so stay tuned for exciting updates!