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Shop Project #05 Boxes & Organizers Machine: CNC Router Beginner to Intermediate — Single-Setup 2.5D CNC Router Build

Carved Keepsake Box — Woodworking Plan & Build Guide

8" x 5" x 2-1/4" box hollowed from one block, with a lid whose plug fits the opening. Download the printable PDF plan, vector SVG, layered CAD/CAM DXF, and 3D carving files below—complete with step-by-step build instructions and our 100% plant-and-wax finishing protocol.

Finished Spec 8" x 5" x 2-1/4" box hollowed from one block, with a lid whose plug fits the opening.
Recommended Stock 8/4 hardwood planed to 1-3/4" for the body, 3/4" for the lid, each 8" x 5"
Est. Build Time 1 to 1.5 Hours (plus 15-min finish buff)
Recommended DuraGrain Finish DuraGrain Hardwax Oil (12 fl oz — 0.0 g/L VOC Tung, Walnut & T1 Carnauba)
Carved Keepsake Box Completed Build Finished with DuraGrain
Completed Shop Build • Finished with DuraGrain Hardwax Oil (12 fl oz — 0.0 g/L VOC Tung, Walnut & T1 Carnauba)

Plan & CAD Downloads

Production-ready CAD vectors nested in inches with layer names encoding operation type and exact cut depth.

⇩ Download Standalone Printable Plan PDF
⇩ Primary Cut DXF Layered CAD/CAM vectors ⇩ Blueprint SVG Dimensioned part layout ⇩ Complete Carved Keepsake Box Project Archive (.ZIP) Includes Plan PDF + All Multi-Sheet / Underside DXF & SVG Cut Files
Individual Sheet / Underside DXFs: carved-keepsake-box-0.750in.dxf • carved-keepsake-box-1.750in.dxf
Free to download, print, build (including items you sell), and share—just please do not edit or modify the files and redistribute them.
Section 01 • Cut List, Stock Selection & Tooling

Bill of Materials, Hardwood Species & Shop Tooling for Carved Keepsake Box

Accurate stock preparation is half the battle when building the Carved Keepsake Box. Verify your blank dimensions and thickness before adhering the template or zeroing your CNC/laser axis:

Part Name Qty Stock Thickness Part Bounding Box (W × H)
Body11-3/4"8" × 5"
Lid13/4"8" × 5"

Recommended Hardwood & Sheet Stock Selection

For laser-cut finger-joint boxes and desk organizers, use void-free Baltic Birch plywood (B/BB grade) or hardwood-core veneered MDF/plywood, and always measure actual sheet thickness with digital calipers before cutting. For CNC-routed keepsake boxes, valets, trivets, and wall racks, select kiln-dried American Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry, or White Ash planed dead-flat so pocket depths and through-tenon shoulders register with sub-thousandth accuracy.

Required Shop Tools, Blades & Bits

  • Two VCarve jobs: the body (1-3/4" file) and the lid (3/4" file).
  • CNC router. The body pocket is 1-1/2" deep, so use a 1/4" end mill with at least 1-5/8" of cutting length, or a 1/2" bit for roughing.
  • Lid: the pocket and the island on POCKET_0.250 make a rabbet around the edge, leaving a plug 1/64" smaller than the opening. Cut it on the face that becomes the lid's underside.
  • Inside corners are 3/8" radius, so any bit 3/4" or smaller reaches them.
  • Hold-down clamps, double-sided CNC tape, or brad nails on a leveled spoilboard
  • Flush-trim chisel or oscillating tab cutter + 120, 180, and 220-grit sandpaper
Section 02 • Step-by-Step Shop Workflow

How to Cut, Carve & Assemble the Carved Keepsake Box

Follow this numbered shop sequence to take your Carved Keepsake Box from rough lumber to a crisp, heirloom-grade piece ready for finishing:

Step 01

Measure Actual Stock Thickness & Verify Machine Setup

Before running your machine, measure your actual stock thickness with digital calipers (nominal stock: 8/4 hardwood planed to 1-3/4" for the body, 3/4" for the lid, each 8" x 5"). Import the production DXF into VCarve or Fusion 360 in inches with Z-zero set to the material surface, select all vectors, and run Fit Curves to Vectors (0.002″ tolerance) for silky G-code.

Step 02

Body

Body: pocket, then profile with tabs. A ball-nose finishing pass along the inside bottom edge gives a nicer corner (optional).

Step 03

Lid

Lid: run the rabbet pocket with both vectors selected, then profile with tabs.

Step 04

Machining & assembly stage 3

Test the fit; if the plug is tight, sand its edges rather than recutting.

Step 05

Machining & assembly stage 4

Round over the outside edges, sand, and finish with DuraGrain Hardwax Oil (12 fl oz) using the included #0000 white palm pad and buff dry after 15 minutes with the grey microfiber cloth. Flock or felt the inside if you like.

Step 06

Recommended VCarve / CAM Toolpath Sequence

Execute your CNC toolpaths in this exact order to maintain vacuum/tab hold-down rigidity until the final perimeter cut:

  • Pocket, layer POCKET_0.250: cut depth 0.250", 1/4" end mill. Select every vector on the layer together so islands are left standing.
  • Pocket, layer POCKET_1.500: cut depth 1.500", 1/4" end mill. Select every vector on the layer together so islands are left standing.
  • Profile, Outside, layer PROFILE_OUTSIDE_0.750: cut depth 0.750" (through), 1/4" end mill, with tabs.
  • Profile, Outside, layer PROFILE_OUTSIDE_1.750: cut depth 1.750" (through), 1/4" end mill, with tabs.

Section 03 • Master Woodworker Notes

Pro Shop Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Grain Orientation & Short-Grain Strength

Always orient the long grain of your board strictly parallel to the X-axis (left-to-right on the template). Diagonal grain runout across a narrow utensil neck, hook tenon, or featherboard finger creates short grain that can snap under everyday load.

2. Progressive Sanding (120 → 180 → 220 Grit)

Never skip grits or sand raw hardwood above 220 grit before applying natural polymerizing oils. Over-polishing raw wood to 400+ grit burnishes the wood cells shut and prevents DuraGrain Walnut Oil or Hardwax Oil from anchoring deep inside the fibers.

3. Water-Popping & Wiping Excess Oil Dry

For kitchen utensils and trivets, misting with warm water before your final 220-grit pass eliminates raised-grain fuzz permanently. When applying DuraGrain finishes, always wipe the surface 100% bone-dry after 15–20 minutes so the oil cures inside the wood rather than turns tacky on top.

0.0 g/L VOC Architectural Finish • Includes #0000 Pad & Microfiber Cloth

The DuraGrain Single-Coat Architectural Cure Protocol for Carved Keepsake Box

Whether you cut the Carved Keepsake Box on a CNC router or a CO2/diode laser, spray lacquer and wipe-on polyurethane pool inside finger joints, gum up kerf-cut living hinges, and leave a plastic film that peels or clouds over time. DuraGrain Hardwax Oil bonds molecularly inside the wood grain in a single wipe-on, buff-off application—with 0.0 g/L VOCs and zero toxic fumes in your shop:

Step 01 • Scrub In with #0000 White Pad

Apply Thinly with the Included 3"×4.5" #0000 Non-Abrasive Pad

Sand all surfaces to 180–220 grit (cleaning any laser char from finger tabs if applicable) and vacuum away dust. Pour a small ribbon of DuraGrain Hardwax Oil (12 fl oz) and work it evenly into the wood using the included 3"×4.5" #0000 white non-abrasive palm pad. The pad shears the Pure Chinawood Tung Oil, Refined Walnut Oil, and T1 Carnauba Wax deep into end-grain pockets, dados, and miters without runs or sags.

Step 02 • 15-Minute Buff-Off

Buff Bone-Dry with the Included Dark Charcoal Microfiber Cloth

Allow the oil-wax blend to penetrate for 15 minutes, then buff the entire piece completely dry using the included 12"×12" 300 GSM edgeless dark charcoal microfiber buffing cloth. Because our formula cures by oxidative cross-linking rather than solvent evaporation, it leaves a dead-flat, velvet-matte tactile finish that highlights natural walnut, maple, cherry, or Baltic birch figure and spot-repairs effortlessly.

DuraGrain Hardwax Oil 12 fl oz Kit with Pad and Microfiber Cloth
Complete Kit • Includes #0000 White Pad + Charcoal Microfiber Cloth

DuraGrain Hardwax Oil (12 fl oz)

0.0 g/L VOC Pure Tung Oil, Alkali-Refined Walnut Oil, T1 Brazilian Carnauba & USA Beeswax architectural finish. Formulated & poured in Pittsburgh, PA.

$34.99 Shop Hardwax Oil Kit →
DuraGrain 10-Pack #0000 Non-Abrasive White Applicator Pads
Shop Refill • 3"×4.5" Non-Woven Applicator Pads

10-Pack #0000 White Applicator Pads

Keep extra shop-grade #0000 non-abrasive white pads on your bench for CNC pockets, boxes, and furniture builds—zero steel-wool rust specks.

$9.99 Shop 10-Pack Pads →
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