Making a Box for Coffee Grinder

Learn how to make a simple box for the PKGRIND3 coffee grinder kit.

Link to the Coffee Grinder Kit

Some type of Hardwood around 3/8 thick at least 25 inches long and 5 inches wide

1/8 thick piece of contrasting hardwood for splines

Contrasting wood for the lid and the drawer front

Hardwood for drawer

For this first step I used white oak. I got enough wood prepped to make 4 sides that are 5 inches long and 4 3/4 tall. I then found a piece of 1/8 inch plywood to use for the bottom. I used the table saw to miter the corners of the sides at 45 degrees. I cut a rabbit in the bottoms of all the side pieces that would fit the bottom piece thickness wise. After cutting the rabbit for the bottom in all four pieces I taped 3 of the pieces together so I could measure the size needed for the bottom, and then cutting the plywood to fit.

Its very important not to glue the side pieces together yet, you are going to want to cut out the area for the drawer. I started by drawing a 3 1/2 X 1 inch box 1/2 inch above the bottom of the box, this was 1/4 inch above where the bottom of the box would be in but I would suggest making it the same level as the bottom of the box or you will have to do like I did and add a piece of scrap to the bottom for the little drawer to sit on. Using a drill and a scroll saw cut out the opening for the drawer, if needed make the sides as straight as possible using a file. After you get the hole cut you should go ahead and glue up your box. Add glue to the miters and a little bit inside the rabbits for the bottom, I usually leave 2 sides glue free to allow for wood movement, if I am using hardwood. Since this was plywood and therefore very stable glued all 4 sides for added strength. I used a 1,2,3 block to ensure the sides were at 90 degree. I used blue painters tape for clamping the sides together and then for a little extra pressure I found some rubber bands.

So you have now made the basic box but glue joints on the end grain are not the strongest. You have a little extra strength with the bottom being glued in but you need something near the top to reinforce the glue joints there. Splines are one of my favorite ways to do that. It not only adds strength but it also looks great if you use a contrasting wood, like I did with walnut. There are several ways to cut the spines but I used a box making jig I made several years ago that works on your table saw to cut the slots for a spline. Since this box was so thin you need to be careful not to cut to far into your box. After you have your splines cut in its time to glue your pieces in. Add a bit of glue and firmly place the splines in, I used a rubber band to make sure the pieces stayed in while I was working on the top.

For the top I found a piece of walnut and cut it to 5 1/2 X 5 3/4. I then put a small chamfer on all the sides. I also found the center of the board so that I could cut the circle in it for the grinder mechanism. This was super easy to do by taking a straight edge and going corner to corner at a diagonal and where they cross is the center. I used a forstner bit to drill a 2 inch hole in the center of the top. Then I sanded the entire thing to 220. That's when I realized I needed to add some stops inside the top to keep it from moving around while I'm grinding my coffee. I found the inside dimensions of my box and cut it out of cardboard. then I placed my cut out in the middle of the top, traced the edges, and glued a few pieces of scrap walnut just on the inside of the traced marks. I tested the tightness of the fit while the glue was drying so that it wasn't to loose or tight.

The drawer was made very simply. I cut 2 pieces at 4 3/4 inches long and just under 1 inch tall, and then 2 pieces at 2 7/8 and slightly smaller than 1 inch. I also cut a small dado on the bottom that was the same thickness as the plywood I would be using for the bottom. I then glued it all together. This piece would slide in a completely with a little bit extra space inside. I then glued a piece of walnut onto the front piece that was slightly larger in all dimensions, I also marked where the middle would be. I then grabbed a scrap piece of white oak and put it on the lathe to make the drawer pull. This was super simple and should be made to fit what looks right to you, I made mine fairly small and delicate appearing. I then drilled a hole in the drawer face that was a tight fit for my drawer pull and glued it in.

I started the finishing process by putting the grinder mechanism centered on the hole that was previously drilled in the earlier step. I then marked where the bolt holes were and drilled out the holes. I made sure everything would go together before applying any finish. I then took everything back apart and sanded everything down and wiped it all down with mineral spirits.

Since this will come in contact with food I used a food safe finish of a mix of shellac and linseed oil but find a finish you like that is food safe and use that. After it was fully dry I buffed on some wax and buffed it off just because I like the way it feels and smells. Now its time for you to go grind some beans and drink a nice hot cup of Joe.