The idea behind Manna cards is to make it easy to grab a Bible verse on the go — read it, put it back, or carry it with you through the day or week. There are similar cards with quotes for non-religious needs as well, and I would highly recommend getting a set and using them. Being intellectually stimulated is, I think, of utmost importance in this day and age, where AI seems to seep further and further into our daily lives — and, in the process, critical-thinking skills appear to recede. People use AI to write for them, to argue for them online — and that level of misuse of an otherwise wonderful technology threatens our ability to form coherent thought.

Going about your day with a Bible verse or a quote that provokes reflection cannot be a bad thing. Try this one for starters:

“The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing.”
— Socrates (5th century BC)

But a pile of cards tossed about does nobody any good, so we needed a box.

I grabbed a board of cherry I had left over from my big and butt chisel tray projects and cut a small piece.

Note: you can click on the images to enlarge them. Just click again to close them down.

I planed one edge square to the faces so I had a reliable reference surface. Using a wheel marking gauge, I scribed lines on the faces to plane down to. I also needed to square the ends, so I made a knife wall to aid sawing off the waste. The knife wall also helps when shooting the end dead square on the shooting board. By severing the wood fibres at the edge, it prevents tear-out, and it also provides a clear visual reference to plane to.

In this picture from another box making project, a piece of teak is being planed to width. You can spot the lighter-colored lines on both sides, indicating that I am one shaving away from my target – a perfect example of the accuracy hand tools give you.

I shot the end dead square on the shooting board, and made another knife wall to cut the piece to length. I then marked the center for resawing.

Of course I could have used the band saw, but the Veritas rip tenon saw has a MUCH thinner kerf, and leaves a vastly better surface finish. And it did not take much longer to do anyway. Cherry cuts like butter!

A few swipes with my Record No. 4 smoother, and the minute saw marks were gone. A perfect example of waste management, so to speak. In other words, I lost very little thickness in the process.

After cutting the pieces to length, I taped the parts to form a square box. This helps a LOT during the glueup process; the parts don’t slide around (as much) and you have a sense of control.

I cut a small piece to act as a reinforcement and a spacer inside the box so that I could clamp the living daylight out of the thing.

A thin film of Titebond III on all glue surfaces, seven clamps – and job’s a good’un.

I left the thing clamped up over night – and we’ll continue the story on the next page.