Measuring Guide
Measuring Guide
your exhaustive resource for miniature Lane Cedar Boxes
How the Boxes are Constructed
Joinery & Bottoms
Display and discussion of joinery used to make the boxes as well as images of the bottoms of boxes
Dado & Rabbet Joint - Lane boxes
This joint is found on ALL Tall Hasp with Feet (THF), Tall Hasp with Bun Feet (THBF) and Large Hasp with Feet (LHF) (shown in photo inset) boxes. It is theorized these three box variations were NOT made in the Lane factory. Rather, they were made by other "outfits in Ohio and Chicago that could make the miniatures" according to Lane Marketing executive, J. Arthur Krauss. This is vital information in piecing together the history of the boxes in the Girl Graduate Plan. See Box Variations for more details.
Dado & Rabbet Joint - Peterson Brothers boxes
This is a photo of the joinery on a Peterson Brothers box. This is the exact same joint found in early Lane boxes. Not much is known about the Peterson Brothers company. However, we do know they made boxes in Chicago. The boxes are very similar to the early Lane boxes with hasps. This information leads to the theory that the Chicago outfit (as described by J. Arthur Krauss) was, in fact, Peterson Brothers. A Peterson Brothers box is shown in the inset photo. See Box Variations and Bottom Labels for more details.
Dado & Rabbet Joint - Pilliod boxes
This is a photo of the joinery on a Pilliod box. The exact same joint found in early Lane boxes. Pilliod was a box manufacturer in Swanton, Ohio. The boxes made by Pilliod are very similar to the early Lane boxes with hasps. This information leads to the theory that the Ohio outfit (as described by J. Arthur Krauss) was, in fact, Pilliod. A Pilliod box is shown in the inset photo. See Box Variations and Bottom Labels for more details.
Dado & Rabbet joint
This is the front corner of a Tall Fluted with Feet (TFF) box. However, as the inset photo shows, the lid and back corner joints are Locking Rabbet joints as seen below. The TFF was likely the first box actually manufactured in the Lane factory's miniatures division. See Box Variations for more details.
Locking Rabbet joint
Locking Rabbet joints are found on all Non-hasp Tall box variations (except the front corner of TFF, see above) as well as all Short variations. It is the Joint of choice in building Lane miniatures in the Lane factory. This is a very stable and secure joint that has held up for decades.
Box Bottoms Below - Get it?
Box Bottom Discussion:
Boxes without feet are found either with or without an inset felt pads. The first photo to the right shows a box with a small, shallow hole drilled to accept a small round felt pad applied to protect whatever surface the was sitting on.
However, as we find often with the miniature boxes, Lane was constantly looking for ways to make the boxes faster and less expensively. The inset felt was eliminated due to these reasons. Cutting the little hole took an extra step and, therefore, time. And of course those little felt pads add up!
During the era of the Short boxes, Lane left the bottoms of the boxes untouched and we end with what is seen in the second photo to the right - smooth and clean. Again, all boxes without feet had inset felt pads except some of the latest (newest) Short boxes. As discussed in the Bottom Labels area, the labels were omitted too for the same reasons (cost and time) on all Short variations.
