Hello Matt,

Richard Raffan's book on making boxes will likely answer all of your questions
about making small lidded boxes with tight fitting lids. However, I'll outline
the steps briefly here.

1. Turn the piece between centers as you did.

2. Turn a tenon on each end. Make this tenon a size your chuck jaws if you have
a chuck.

3. Measure the space between the tenons, leave 2/3 of this distance for the
bottom of the box and 1/3 for the top.

4. Part in about to the depth of your wall thickness. Make this a wide part at
least twice the width of your parting tool.

5. Finish parting through the center of this wider part, leaving some of the
wood on each piece.

6. If you have a chuck, mount the lid in the chuck with the tenon you turned on
the top. (If you don't have a chuck, mount a waste block onto your faceplate and
turn a recess in it to fit the tenon on the box top. Then glue it into the hole.
This should make the top of the box run true so that you can hollow it.

7. Hollow the top at least 1/4" deep using the little bit of wood from the
parting as a guide for the diameter of the hollow. Make sure the walls of the
hollow are parallel (i.e., straight up and down. Part off the top.

8. Mount the bottom part of the box into your chuck or into a waste block. It
should run fairly true.

9. Cut a tenon on the top of the box that fits very snuggly into the top. A good
press fit is the best.

10. Hollow your box. You can do this with a drill in the tailstock, but better
to do it with a gouge or scraper.

11. Put the lid onto the box. If it is now a bit loose, wet the wood so that it
will swell slightly to hold the lid firmly in place. You may use the tailstock
with a tiny piece of wood between the point and the box top to help keep the box
top in place.

12. Final turn and sand the outside of the box and lid.

13. Part off the box from the chuck or waste block.

14. Cut a recess in the waste block to accept the tenon that fits into the lid.

15. Presss the box into the recess in the waste block and final turn and sand
the bottom of the box.

16. Apply finish to the box if you have not already done so after finish
sanding.

With a bit of practice, you can have boxes that the lid fits well and the walls
are even all around.

Good luck,

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com/

In article KzIJb.51101$xX.283649@attbi_s02, Madmatter says...

Does anyone have any hints on turning boxes where the lids have a nice fit
and remain centered?

I'm new to the subject, but I here's what I did.

I turned a spindle, identifying the portion I wanted to be the "lid".
Turned a plug between the lid and body and separated it from the base,
leaving the "plug" attached to the lid.

However after drilling out the base the top fit well but wasn't quite
centered on the base, requiring it to be turned "just right" to make it all
look straight. Oh well, that's why they call if a first try, but it seems
that I might be missing something.

Maybe the answer is more practice with the drill press, but I thought
someone here might have a hint or two on how to better identify that center
of the base after its separated.

Thanks. Matt.