Loupe box

John Kairys

Member
Messages
31
Location
Southern NJ
Well, I needed a new box for my surgical operating loupes. I recently got a fiber-optic headlight, and the whole contraption just would not fit into the small box that originally came with the loupes. Plus, after more than 16 years, the old box was looking pretty beat up.

My initial plan was to just make a simple wooden box which matched the original, only larger. Well, one thing led to another... I figured that I would dress it up and make it out of mahogany. Then came the hand-cut dovetails. Then I figured that I would make the raised top panel so that it wouldn't look quite so plain. I decided to re-use the old latch hardware and nameplate to serve as a reference to its predecessor. Hopefully, doing so will also keep it from looking too much like a jewelry box and will prevent it from "walking".

Milling the lumber, cutting the dovetails, raising the panel, cutting the top free, and mortising for the hinges were all done by hand. The inside of the lid and the bottom of the interior have a layer of high density foam under the felt to just cradle the loupes and to keep things from moving around. The finish is 4 coats of a wipe on poly. It's not my favorite finish, but the box will be living in the OR storage room and will take a beating. I figure that in a few years, it will develop as much character as its predecessor.
 

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John,
Beautiful work, your dovetails are excellent. I am making some similar for shaper heads. Not as good workmanship as yours however.

Brian
 
Very nice looking box John. I really like the raised panel top. Does the new fiber optic headlight help you see those intricate dovetails?:D

Thanks for sharing
 
Does the new fiber optic headlight help you see those intricate dovetails?:D

Thanks to all for the kind comments.

Interesting that you asked about using the loupes to help cut the dt's. When I brought them home to figure out the proportions for the new box, I actually tried cutting some dt's with the loupes on. Problem is, even though you can see the line with great detail, you lose all of the other positional "clues" as you cut. I find that I do much better being able to reference the entire piece as well as my hand and arm.

Actually, practice and more practice was the key for me. (I guess that concept was deeply engrained in me from my surgical training.) I basically followed Franz Klaus' advice, took a board and cut to a line I don't know how many times. After I learned to accurately control the saw I made multiple practice dt's. I don't really know what to do with all the samples that I've made, although I've found that they do make good stop blocks...

John
 
John, the box looks great. The dovetails are perfect. You did a great job on them. A marked improvement from the old home. Nice job all the way around.
 
Nice Box

John,

The box looks great. Hand cut dovetails are the best. I would use that as discussion piece with your paitents to show how detailed your work really is. I don't that I would trust a woodworking surgeon that could not cut dovetails by hand:)

Anyway the box is fine piece of work

Dan
 
Very nice work, John.:)

Maybe you could mitigate the "walking" by putting a note in the box saying that the last time someone took one of your boxes, he died on the operating table.:eek: Your coworkers do have a sense of humor don't they?:eek:
 
We are a very superstitious lot and we never joke about stuff like that. I am hoping that the nameplate and simple hardware will keep it reasonably safe. Plus, as it gets banged up a bit, I figure it will rapidly lose its desirability. Thus, it's "aging" will be a good thing.

John
 
Very nice box, John. The dovetails look like they were done with surgical precision. Oh wait...I guess they were.

One question: The latch seems to be oriented upside-down compared to how I typically see that type of latch. (Usually the hasp swings up, but yours looks like it swings down.) Was this simply echoing the original box, or was it done for a particular purpose?

Excellent job, indeed. Thanks for the post.
 
LOL. Thanks, Vaughn. Re: the latch, I simply followed the original design. The manufacturer's name imprinted on the latch indicates that it was intended to be mounted that way. Maybe it was done so that the lid of the box didn't have to be very tall/thick? Who knows...
 
We are a very superstitious lot and we never joke about stuff like that. I am hoping that the nameplate and simple hardware will keep it reasonably safe. Plus, as it gets banged up a bit, I figure it will rapidly lose its desirability. Thus, it's "aging" will be a good thing.

John

Oops, I am quite sure that your work is very serious and full of stress. It doesn't pay to joke if a colleague might accidentally take you seriously.

Some day I will have to have an Epiretnal membrane removed, and want the most serious surgeon around.

I do think you did a very good job on the box. I suspect wood working is good stress relief therapy.
 
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