The first step involves acquiring the necessary materials and proper tools. It is best to get everything prepared before commencing because you are free to progress without unnecessary interruptions.

For this project you simply need to create two identical cubes. They can be of any size, but using anything smaller than 1 1/2" (38mm) on a side will make the number carving difficult. You can glue together as many layers of wood necessary to achieve the size that you are looking for. We used some 1" (25mm) thick mahogany and glued two pieces together to create a cube 2" on a side. If you are using rough lumber, you will need to surface a longer piece (remember to keep in mind the size limitations of your jointer and thickness planer - both have minimum length requirements). It is critical that all the surfaces are flat and square to the other faces.

Next cut the piece of wood into pieces. You can use the miter gauge on your table saw, or a chop saw. The length will be determined by the thickness. We are using two layers of 1" (25mm) thick wood, so we cut four pieces that were 1" x 2" x 2" (25 x 50 x 50mm). Next choose pieces that look well together, preferably so that the grain pattern matches. Then, glue up the pieces and clamp until completely dry.

Once the glue is dry, you can unclamp the cubes. Check to make sure that your disc sander is square to the table and sand the faces flat and make sure that all the surfaces are square to eachother and that you maintain equal dimensions on all sides.

Once you have created two identical cubes, you can start the numbers. The most critical thing is that you put the proper numbers on the cubes. The order and orientation is not functionally critical, but you might want to think about a pleasing orientation. On one cube include the following numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and on the other cube include these: 0, 1, 2, 6, 7, 8. Note that '6' will serve as both 6 and 9. We printed some large numbers with a computer printer (use a bold and sans-serif font) and using clear tape positioned them on the cubes. Clamp one cube in a vise and with a sharp hobby knife, you can transfer the pattern to the wood; cut around the perimeter of the number and remove the paper; the shallow grooves created by the hobby knife will serve as your carving line. Alternatively you can use carbon paper to transfer the pattern, but we prefer using a knife because the groove creates a perfect place to start your carving cuts.

Next with a chisel or carving knife, carve out the numbers by creating a angled channel. You can also use a curved or angled gouge and create the channel. Note that the grain direction changes depending on which side of the cube you are carving. The endgrain will be the most challenging, but as long as your tools are sharp, you should be successful. It's best to practice this step on some scrap wood before you put your cubes under the knife.

Once the numbers are complete, you are ready for the final step. Sand all the pieces using progressively finer grits of sandpaper (we used the grits in the following order: 100, 120, 150, 180, 240, 320, 400) and it's probably a good idea to sand off the sharp corners as well.

Once all of the pieces sanded, they are ready for a finish. You can use a stain and follow with a polyurethane. We used three coats of antique oil which is an oil/ varnish blend consisting of mineral spirits, oil, and a spar varnish. For more detailed information regarding finishing, consider Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner. Let the pieces completely dry before use.

Materials

You can use any material but we chose wood because it is easy to work with, looks great, and we had lots of scrap laying around. Harder woods are going to be harder to carve, the mahogany that we used worked very well. Other woods that are suitable for carving include basswood, butternut, and walnut.

Size

The size of the blocks is not critical but they should be the same size. If your cubes are too small, it will be difficult to carve the numbers accurately. Larger blocks will be easier to work with.

Other ideas

We like to display the blocks alone on a desk or shelf. You could create an open box to hold them and hide the numbers on the other faces to avoid confusion. You can also create blocks with the names of the months on them. Make three pieces of wood that are twice as long as the edges of the cube; make the thickness and width 1/3 the size of the cube. These three pieces will have 12 faces for you to write the names of the month.