Stacking Container

Kerry Burton

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1,163
Location
Orem, Utah
Well, my wife came up with another idea. She'd like a set of stacking containers for keeping pills and supplements in, to replace the little clear plastic cups that she's currently using. I guess she organizes the stuff she takes into 3 or 4 "doses" per day. :dunno: Plus, she wants to protect the "goodies" from exposure to light.

I'm almost 2/5 of the way through the project:

A590_082_ThreeFifthsToGo.jpg



So far I have made two significant goofs - one each on the lid and the top cup.

While trying to get the lid to fit into the top cup, I got a little too aggressive and started making the inside of the lip a bit too thin. I stopped myself, but now I don't dare sand the ring out. Grrrr! :doh:

A590_083_LidAndInsideOfTopCup.jpg



As for the lid, I should have made a tenon on each end, parted it off, reverse-chucked it for hollowing, and THEN shaped it. But no ... I did the shaping first. :( Any ideas on how to chuck the lid back up and hollow it out a bit? I don't want to leave it solid, because it will be heavier than the cups. Whether I hollow the lid out much or not, I still need to finish-turn the bottom of it.

A590_084_LidAndBottomOfTopCup.jpg



Reverse-chucking the cups shouldn't be a problem, but the lid.... I'm thinking that I'll need a jam chuck with a hole just deep enough so the cap will rest against the bottom, and just wide enough to fit the outer diameter of the lid. But I'm worried about getting (and keeping) the lid lined up in the chuck. Hmmmm.... :huh:

PS - Noticed all the tearout, did ya? Yes, I probably need to sharpen my tools. But this "dunno wood" is also fairly soft. Sigh....
 
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Doggonit Kerry!! Your setting a new "Fun and Useful" standard ;) I like that idea and if you get the bug worked out, lemme know:huh: Nice work there young man :thumb:
 
I know next to nothing about turning boxes, but lacking a vacuum chuck, I think a jam chuck is likely your best bet for finishing the top. If you have a nice tight fit for the knob and upper part of the lid, perhaps you can keep things in place with a dab of hot melt glue. :dunno:
 
Kerry that is a great looking piece. I made one that has 5 stacked. The LOML keeps her earrings and rings for the week in them. I use a jam chuck on my lids and containers.
 
Thanks guys. Yep, a jam chuck is what I had in mind. Something like this:

Drawing_JamChuckForLid.gif


QUESTION for Bernie: Do you ever use any kind of padding at contact points A or B or D? I was wondering if it would make sense to try some of that rubbery shelf liner or something. As I mentioned the wood is kinda soft, so I don't want to trade a good grip for a marred surface.

Also, would you extend the "B" line out to point C ... and maybe try to shape a more fitting curve between points C and D? If nothing else, maybe I could use several pieces of tape to keep the perimeter of the lid tight against the chuck. :dunno: :huh: :dunno:
 
Ole 'kiss' principal guy here. ;)
Chuck up the knob then turn it down some later to get rid of the marks. That would also make the lid lighter in weight which is one of your objectives. As it is, it looks a bit disportionately large, IMHO.
Neat idea. But, I would probably pull the whole deal apart getting to my pills and spill them on the floor.
 
Kerry, that will work, but your critical diameter is the large one, the smaller one, "A" is not critical, get the larger diameter right and it will hold a lot better, also, if you go just a bit too much and it ends up loose, you can wet the wood, just a bit and it will tighten up. One more thing, remember, you have to be able to get the lid back out of the jamb chuck, don't be surprised if end up turning away the jamb chuck to remove the lid........... DAMHIKT :rolleyes: :doh:
 
If you make D a little longer and line it with foam as suggested or even newspaper then it should be a tight puush fit.

Hmmm. I originally drew the D line longer, but cut it back when I thought about the tape idea, and about having some way to pull the lid back out. Still, that idea isn't ruled out yet.


Make sure that your tools are really sharp as well.

Will do! :thumb:


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Ole 'kiss' principal guy here. ;)
Chuck up the knob then turn it down some later to get rid of the marks. That would also make the lid lighter in weight which is one of your objectives. As it is, it looks a bit disportionately large, IMHO.

Good thinking! I may resort to this method if all else fails. I asked my wife about the proportions, and she likes it as-is ... but she'd probably say that no matter what I handed her, right? ;)

Neat idea. But, I would probably pull the whole deal apart getting to my pills and spill them on the floor.
Well, I plan to make the top of each cup so the lid will have the same, fairly loose fit ... and the bottom of each cup to have the same fit as the lid. Getting to any part of the container should be a one-handed operation. But - I know what you mean! :doh:


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Kerry, that will work, but your critical diameter is the large one, the smaller one, "A" is not critical, get the larger diameter right and it will hold a lot better
My thought on the A (or B?) diameter was not so much to have a tight (gripping) fit, but to provide "positive registration". I really don't want the lip of the lid to have any "wobble"....

One more thing, remember, you have to be able to get the lid back out of the jamb chuck, don't be surprised if end up turning away the jamb chuck to remove the lid........... DAMHIKT :rolleyes: :doh:
Yep - been there, done that! :) With the current chuck design I could do a parting cut just about anywhere between B and D, and then the lid should come out fairly easily.


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Really a great idea! Can't wait to see the final product!
Thanks Royall! I hope to get back to the lathe sometime on Monday or Tuesday. I'll try to take pictures of whatever chucking method I end up using, as well as the final result - whether it's good or bad. We're here to learn from each other, right?


While we're on the topic, thanks for your feedback, folks! :thumb::thumb:
 
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