HUG ME MOMMY I FEAR THE MOTH MAN ATE MY FRENULUM

A gable-roofed toolbox case in raw white ash, built to hold ten caskets of instruments for the Moth Doctor. The roof splits on the ridge and opens on stainless eave hinges. Walnut pins set out as a moth’s four eyespots hold every panel, and in one back corner a jail of laser-cut stainless bars keeps a small white monster on the case floor.

The case stands on a tall ash stand with a hidden tray beneath it, 59 1/2 in to the ridge. Laser-cut stainless is inlaid flush into every panel and both gables, screwed down with slotted flat heads.

Every instrument from the ten caskets laid out in a row, with the white moth monster standing in the middle

The stand

The case rides on a tall ash stand, just under 59 1/2 in to the ridge, two and a half times the height of the case. The stand is a tray: its lid is the floor the case sits on, and under it is a hidden well. Two ash T-keys lock the case down.

To the ridge: 59 7/16 in
To the handle: 61 5/16 in
Stand, floor to tray lid: 44 1/4 in
Case body, tray lid to eave: 11 in
Roof rise: 4 3/16 in at 40°
Footprint: 10 × 14 1/2 in
Legs: 1 3/4 in square, tapering to 1 in
Aprons: 3/4 × 2 1/2 in, set back 1/8 in
Tray bottom: 3/8 in ash, in a 3/8 in rabbet

The Body

The case itself is a gable-roofed box in raw white ash. The roof splits on the ridge and both halves swing back on stainless eave hinges, so the whole top folds open onto the ten caskets inside. Laser-cut stainless sits flush in every panel and both gables, walnut pins mark a moth’s four eyespots on each side, and the back corner holds the jail.

Before the inlay

The case in bare ash, before the stainless goes on

How it goes together

Exploded / raw white ash, stainless inlay, walnut pins

01Corner posts: twin flutes

Twin 1/4 in round-nose flutes run down each outer face, square at the foot, lancet tips at the top. Plain blocks otherwise, so the posts read as one piece with the rails.

02Rails: haunched mortise and tenon

Rails tenon into the posts, the haunch filling the panel groove. At the foot of each muntin a short round-nose flute in the rail carries the motif round the case.

03Raised panels, 1/8 in shadow groove

Every panel is raised: a 1/4 in tongue floats in the groove, the field stands 1/8 in shy of the frame, with a 1/8 in shadow groove all round. The same on the flanks, the back and the roof.

04Walnut pins set out as a moth

Walnut pins through the rail into the panel tongue: 3/32 in forewings, 1/16 in hindwings, a walnut wedge in a kerf across each end.

05Muntin: the same flutes

1 in wide, tenoned into the rails. Twin 1/4 in round-nose flutes, 1/8 in deep, square at the foot, lancet tips at the top.

06Flanks: five bays, four muntins

Four floating raised panels between 1/2 in muntins tenoned into the rails. The fifth bay, by the back-left post, holds the stainless jail plate instead of a panel.

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07Moth pins on the flank rails

The same four-pin moth in walnut, through the rail into each panel tongue.

08The jail: two bar plates on a corner

1/8 in stainless, laser cut, held in the panel grooves and pinned through the rails. One in the flank, one in the back, meeting at the corner.

09Lid frame: corner bridle joints

The gable-end rails run through to the eave and the ridge, each end slotted over a middle-third tenon on the stile.

10Gable: ash-veneered ply, V shadow groove

A plywood triangle veneered in ash, grain running level, glued under the lid frame. Ply because solid ash would leave short grain in the corners of the triangle that would break off. A 9/64 in V groove runs along the seam on both slopes.

11Eave hinges

Stainless butt hinges, barrel on the eave corner, leaves mortised flush into lid rail and top rail. Two per wing.

12Handle, split on the ridge

One half on each wing; the halves meet when the roof shuts. Bead-blasted 316L stainless, twisted grip, on loose vertical-grain tenons.

The stand, exploded

Four legs, tray aprons, keyed lid

01Legs: 1 3/4 in square, 44 1/4 in long

Solid ash, tapered on the two inside faces from the apron line down to 1 in square at the foot.

02Aprons: mortise and tenon

3/4 x 2 1/2 in aprons set back 1/8 in from the leg faces, 3/8 in tenons 7/8 in into the legs. The four aprons are the walls of the tray.

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03Lid rabbet and leg pockets

A 1/2 in rabbet along the top inside edge of every apron, with matching pockets in the legs, so the lid sits flush with the apron tops.

04Tray bottom, rabbeted in

A 3/8 in board in a 3/8 x 3/8 in rabbet along the bottom of the aprons, notched round the legs. The hidden well under the case.

Tray lid: the floor under the case. A frame-and-panel board that closes the tray and carries the case. Lift it and the well is open. T-keys. Two raw ash T-keys slide through slots in the lid into the case’s bottom rails. Draw them and the case comes off the stand.

Joinery

Sixteen joints, pulled apart / every part named

**01 Post and rails, bottom corner**The front and side bottom rails pulled out of the corner post: each rail ends in a haunched tenon that fits a mortise in the post.corner post · mortise · haunched tenon · bottom rail · side rail · panel groove

**02 Post and rails, top corner**The top rails drawn off the front right post, showing the haunch that fills the groove at the top of the post.corner post · mortise · haunch · haunched tenon · top rail · panel groove

**03 Floating panel in its groove**The raised panel lifted out of the bottom rail: its thin tongue floats in the groove so the panel can move with the seasons.raised panel · field · tongue · panel groove · bottom rail · corner post

**04 Front muntin tenon**The fluted centre muntin lifted off the bottom rail: a stub tenon into a mortise in the rail.muntin · stub tenon · mortise · flutes · bottom rail

**05 Roof ridge bridle**The gable-end rail pulled off the ridge stile at the peak: an open bridle joint, the rail end slotted over the stile's middle-third tenon.ridge stile · gable-end rail · bridle joint · slot · tenon · ridge

**06 Side panels between muntins**A side panel between two muntins, all lifted off the side rail: one raised panel per casket row.side rail · side muntin · raised panel · tongue · groove

**07 Moth pins drawn**The four walnut pins of one moth drawn out of the top rail: they pass through the rail and the panel tongue behind it.moth pins · forewing pins 3/32 in · hindwing pins 1/16 in · pin holes · top rail · panel tongue

**08 Pin and wedge**A pin with its raw ash wedge pulled out of the kerf: the wedge spreads the pin end tight in its hole.walnut pin · kerf · raw ash wedge · pin hole

**09 Jail bars in the back**The back bar plate with the rails around it pulled away: its margin sits in the panel grooves of the rails, the post and the muntin.bar plate (1/8 in stainless) · margin · bottom rail · jail mid rail · corner post · muntin · panel groove

**10 Jail bars in the side**The flank bar plate standing in its grooves, rail, muntin and post pulled back.bar plate · margin · side rail · side muntin · corner post · groove

**11 Roof corner bridle**The gable-end rail pulled off the eave stile: an open bridle joint, the stile's middle-third tenon in the rail's slot.eave stile · gable-end rail · bridle joint · slot · tenon

**12 Handle on loose tenons**The handle half lifted off the ridge stile: a loose tenon glued into the foot drops into a closed mortise in the stile.ridge stile · closed mortise · loose tenon · handle foot · D1 handle half

**13 Gable triangle**The gable triangle pulled forward from the roof frame it is glued under: ash-veneered plywood, so the sharp corners have no weak short grain; the V shadow groove runs along the seam.gable triangle (ash-veneered ply) · ply edge · V shadow groove · gable-end rail · eave stile · ridge stile

**14 Eave hinge**The eave hinge taken apart: one leaf mortised flush into the side rail, the other into the roof's eave stile, the pin through the barrel.hinge leaf · leaf mortise · barrel · hinge pin · side rail · eave stile

**15 Stand leg and aprons**The aprons drawn off the top of a stand leg: 3/8 in tenons into mortises in the leg, the tray rabbet along the aprons.leg · mortise · tenon · apron · rabbet

**16 T-key**The case lifted off the stand: a raw ash T-key glued under the side rail drops through a slot in the tray lid; slide the case back and it locks.T-key · side rail · tray lid stile · keyhole slot

How the jail works

In the back-left corner, one bay of the flank and one bay of the back hold no panel. In their place sit two plates of 1/8 in laser-cut stainless: upright bars, two lancet arches and a scroll that wraps the bars. They meet at the corner post and sit in the same grooves as the panels, pinned through the rails with ash pins. Behind them, on the cell floor, the moth monster lies on its cushion.

The jail on the corner — The two plates meet at the back-left post

The cell bars up close — Bars, arches and scroll, 1/8 in stainless

Looking into the cell — Inside, looking out through the bars

The moth monster

The plush in the cell, element by element / from above, lying on his back on the cell floor / white felt, white thread, red buttons, stainless

1Feathered antennae A comb of teeth each side of the stem, longer outboard, with the tips forked.
2Mismatched button eyes Two red buttons, one big and one small, each with the moth’s four holes and white thread crossed through. They are the only colour on him.
3No neck One flat silhouette: a rounded crown straight into squared shoulders.
4Fur ruff Long fur round the thorax, short fuzz everywhere else.
5Pocket and lancet A felt patch on his chest, open at the top, with his stainless lancet tucked in.
6Three-fingered mitts Forked mitts on arms held straight out from the shoulders.
7Sutured belly An incision cross-stitched shut with five stitches. What came out of it, he ate.
8V-notched wings The trailing edges are forked with notches: his own body mods.
9Long straight legs Three-toed feet at the ends.
10Blanket stitch White thread on white felt all round every piece, plus stitched wing veins and eyespots.
11Stainless clothespin Clipped to the near forewing the way a specimen label hangs from its pin.

Felt: white wool felt, body and wings cut flat and stuffed thin
Thread: white, every stitch
Eyes: two red four-hole buttons, mismatched
Steel: stainless lancet and clothespin
Size: about 3 in long, 2 3/4 in across the wings

Antennae

Button eyes

Pocket and suture

Mitt

Notches and clothespin

Legs and feet

Pin moths

Giant peacock moth, wings open / four ash pins on a side rail / the same four marks

Giant peacock moth with its four eyespots numbered — A **The moth.** Saturnia pyri at rest. Two large eyespots high on the forewings, two smaller ones lower on the hindwings and closer together. That is all the pattern there is.

Four pins on a side rail, numbered to match the eyespots — B **The pins.** Four pins through the rail into the panel tongue, wedged and pared flush: 3/32 in above for the forewings, 1/16 in below for the hindwings.

1 Left forewing eyespot: the big pin, top left.

2 Right forewing eyespot: the big pin, top right.

3 Left hindwing eyespot: the small pin, below and inboard.

4 Right hindwing eyespot: the small pin, below and inboard.

The moth is never drawn on the case. The pins are structural: they hold each floating panel centred in its groove, and they are set out as the moth’s four eyespots, so every pinned rail carries the same four marks. Up close it is joinery; from arm’s length it is a moth.

Four layouts, drawn full size

A Forewings

Wide pair above, narrow pair below: the guard’s outline.

B Swept back

Narrow pair above, wide pair below: a moth at rest, wings folded back.

C Two sizes

Forewings 3/32 in, hindwings 1/16 in. Reads as a moth from arm’s length.

D Diamond

Head, two wings and tail. The plainest; closest to an ordinary pin pattern.

Every layout stays inside the middle 3/8 in, so the pins never stop the panel moving, and inside the dashed band, the last 5/16 in of the rail where the tongue sits, so all four pins catch it.

Pins on the rail — Walnut moth pins on the rail

Pins drawn out of the rail — Drawn out: each pin wedged in a kerf that narrows to a point

Design iteration

How the case got its face / flat elevations, to scale, drawn in raw ash

01 Carved first

Eight ways to set fish scales against the tracery, and eight gables, before the carving gave way to inlay.

02 Inlay instead of carving

Then the routing went. Every line became a flush strip of laser-cut stainless set into raw white ash, and the scales gave way to three-strand braids drawn from the handle, gathering into square blocks at head and foot. This is the case as built.

Laser-cut mockup

The whole case at 1:1 / 1/8 in birch ply on the xTool

To check the proportions, the case was drawn for cutting full size from one 5 × 5 ft panel of 1/8 in Baltic birch and hot-glued together: box-jointed body, panels set one ply behind their windows, the split roof, the jail plates, and the cross-lap stand. The braids and lancets get their own sheet of 33 inlay pieces, so they can be cut from something thin and silver to stand in for the stainless.

Roof swoop options

Sixteen ways to swoop the gable / front view, red dashed: the left roof half opening 15° and 40° / red rings: where it goes wrong

C Gentle arc, 3/4 in

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
Clear swoop, still calm
Seam needs only ~1/16 in V relief
Rail keeps 1 in at centre
Seam bottom needs a small V bevel
Top rail mortises sit closer to the curve

A Straight parting line

rail 1 3/4 in at centre

No clearance problems
No clearance problems at all
Simplest joinery, rail stays full 1-3/4 in
No swoop: reads stiff and boxy at the gable

B Gentle arc, 1/2 in

dip 1/2 in · rail 1 1/4 in at centre · seam V 0 in a side

1seam rubs 1/32 in
Seam rub only ~1/32 in, a normal reveal covers it
Rail keeps 1-1/4 in
Easy to lay out with a bent batten
Subtle: may read as a mistake from across the room

D Deep arc, 1-1/2 in

dip 1 1/2 in · rail 1/4 in at centre · seam V 1/4 in a side

1seam rubs 1/4 in
2rail only 0.25 in
Dramatic, very visible from the front
Rail drops to 1/4 in: must be remade taller
Seam needs ~1/4 in V relief, visible
Lid gable gets heavy and fragile at the tip

E Elliptical (fuller) arc, 3/4 in

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
2short grain
Reads bolder than 03 at the same depth
Same small seam relief as 03
Turns steeply near the posts: short grain at the lid corners
Harder to cut cleanly than a fair arc

F Flat shoulders + arc

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
Hinge zone stays straight: hinges and posts untouched
Crisp, architectural look
Small kink where flat meets curve; needs careful fairing
Same ~1/16 in seam relief as 03

G Pointed (Gothic) dip

dip 7/8 in · rail 7/8 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
2rail only 0.85 in
3fragile point
Matches the Gothic jail and lancet details
The point lands exactly on the seam, so it reads as one shape
Point sits right on the seam: worst place for rub (~1/16 in+)
Sharp tip on each lid half is short grain and chips
Rail thin right at the point

H Ogee (S-curve)

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
Most graceful, classic furniture curve
Gentle at the posts, no short grain
Needs a template; harder to make both sides match
Same ~1/16 in seam relief as 03

I Swoop + bell drop

dip 1 1/8 in · rail 5/8 in at centre · seam V 1/8 in a side

1seam rubs 1/8 in
2rail only 0.60 in
3knockable drop
Strong focal point under the ridge
Bell can be a separate glued-on drop
Bell is split by the seam: ~3/16 in relief or the bell must belong to one half
Rail cut very thin under the bell
Delicate: the drop tip will get knocked

J Double swoop (one per half)

dip 5/8 in · rail 1 1/8 in at centre

No clearance problems
No seam rub at all: the halves meet at the eave line
Each lid half reads as its own wing
Busy: two curves plus the ridge line
Short rise at the centre is a weak little tooth on the rail

K Upward arch

rises 0.6 in · rail 2 3/8 in at centre

No clearance problems
No seam rub and no lid clearance issue
Body rail gets taller and stronger
Arch rises into the ply gable: smaller triangle
Reads like a doorway, not a swoop

L Trefoil drop

dip 13/16 in · rail 15/16 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
2rail only 0.94 in
3fragile point
Very Gothic, ties to the jail tracery
Cusp points are short grain: fragile
Centre cusp split by the seam needs ~1/16 in relief
Lots of hand fitting

M Inset segmental arc

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
Simple to lay out with a compass
Posts and corner joints untouched
Hard corners where the arc meets the straight
Same ~1/16 in seam relief as 03

N Carved or inlaid line only

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 3/4 in at centre

1line breaks when open
Zero clearance problems
Can echo the stainless jail bars
Easy to change later
The swoop crosses the joint, so the line breaks when the lid opens
Less sculptural than a cut edge

O Swoop on the body only

dip 3/4 in · rail 1 3/4 in at centre

1curved panel tops
No lid or seam issues at all
Swoop sits lower where the eye lands
Panels need curved tops: more work
Top rail must be cut from wider stock

P Bargeboard skirt

dip 7/8 in · rail 1 3/4 in at centre · seam V 1/16 in a side

1seam rubs 1/16 in
2covers panel tops
Body rail stays full width
Skirt sits in front of the body, so no body clearance issue
Very fairy-tale cottage
Skirt halves still meet at the ridge: ~1/16 in relief
Adds thickness to the front
Covers the top of the front panels

Details

Rail flutes — Muntin flutes and the short flute in the rail below

Raised panel with its 1/8 in shadow groove

Gable — The gable: ash-veneered ply, V groove along the seam

Bridle joints at the ridge — Bridle joints where the lid rails meet the ridge

Flank — The flank, five bays and four muntins

An eave hinge drawn apart — An eave hinge drawn out of its mortises

Handle foot — A handle foot on its loose tenon, with the fob

Hardware

Counts for the whole piece

Part	Material	Count
Front and back inlay sheets	0.03 in 304 stainless, 2B, laser cut	2
Side inlay sheets	the jail side leaves off the strip over the bars	2
Gable inlay sheets	0.03 in 304 stainless	4
Jail bar plates	1/8 in 304 stainless, laser cut, flank and back	2
Handle halves	316L stainless, bead blasted, linen whipping	2
T-keys	raw ash	2
Handle fob	black leather cord, three red leather pods	1
Handle loose tenons	raw ash, vertical grain	4
Eave hinges	stainless butt hinge, 1 1/2 in	4
Moth pins, 3/32 in	walnut, raw ash wedge	62
Moth pins, 1/16 in	walnut, raw ash wedge	62
Jail pins	raw ash pin and wedge	12
Flat-head screws	316 stainless, 82° head, slotted, 32 tpi	130
Clothespin	stainless	1
Lancet	stainless	1

Ten caskets, ten tools

Each casket door carries the mark of the tool inside

Ten families of instruments for the Moth Doctor, three of each. Every family has a mark. It is cut through the casket door as a pull standing 1/8 in proud, and inlaid in the door’s upper panel.