Childrens Music Box

[mattfc]

I have the pleasure of going to be a godfather, to an Italian child.. who else , so I wanted to make a nice gift for the Christening, something that would be nice to play with now but serve its use for the years to come, so I made a little music chest

I made the box out of walnut and cherry wood. I made a custom ply by resawing the woood and making laminated panels, to lid is made using copered joins cut using an 8 degree dovetail bit. The edges are joined using a standard dovetail joint, finished with a round over bit. For the project I used the following tools:-

-Hammer N4400 bandsaw for the resawing
-KAPEX
-RO150 (final polish with 1000 grit soft pad), RO90 using 220 and 400
-OF1400 is CMS for router table work
-OF1010 for dovetail work
-VAC-SYS, very useful for holding while sanding
-Veritas hand planes
-Metabo portable thicknesser

The finish was just hand wiped tung oil

 

[Theshipstore]

Real Nice job, the finish is awesome , It will be a cherished gift for sur6.er      Congragulations Godfather  

 

[Chris Hughes]

Beautiful!

 

[CDM]

Wow.  This is one of those projects where after reading about it and looking at the pictures I want a bandsaw and a re-sawing blade, even though I don't have a work space that tolerates non-portable tools.  For fun I will have to put it on my wish list and quickly take it off again.

 

[Frank Pellow]

That's very nice.  In particular, I like the top.  [thumbs up]

I have made several music boxes out of walnut and cherry (see the thread: http://festoolownersgroup.com/member-projects/musicjewellery-box-made-from-cherry-and-walnut/) and am planning to make more in the future.  I would like to give your design a try and would appreciate any more construction details and photos.

 

[mattfc]

I would like to give your design a try and would appreciate any more construction details and photos.

Hi Frank,

I didn't create any construction photos as it was a bit of a rush job, only had a week and a half between coming back from Egypt and going to Italy.. but will try and outline what I did:
1) For the sides I made the ply by resawing on a bandsaw, then through the thicknesser to get each layer to 5mm, then glued up using Plano glue press. I then cut the pieces roughly to size and planed to exact size using a shooting board and Veritas No 4 1/2 plane
2) For the finger hole on the front I used the exceptional Festool forstner drill bits
3) I then used a Leigh D4R jig for the dovetails
4) The I cut the 4 side pieces to form the lid top half, I used a Veritas carcass saw (20 TPI) which has a very fine kerf
5) For the lid I cut a series of strips then ran them through the router table with a dovetail bit to get the angle, glued them using masking tape to hold together. Then its a case of planing off the ridges and sanding smooth
6) This was thwe hardest bit, I used the kapex to cut the curved portiol of the lid to fit the sides exactly
7) Glued it all up
8) Used a template bit to shape the ends to follow the curve of the lid

I have a work deadline now but if you want I will sketch the sequence of how I did it?

 

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for describing the way that you built this Matt.  I believe that I understand what you did.  I wouldn't be able to build a box exactly that way, because you employed a whole lot of tools that I don't own, but I might be able to build something along the lines of your beautiful box.

 

[mattfc]

Thanks for describing the way that you built this Matt.  I believe that I understand what you did.  I wouldn't be able to build a box exactly that way, because you employed a whole lot of tools that I don't own, but I might be able to build something along the lines of your beautiful box.

I had a fun 15 mins in my lunch break.. here are the step by step biro drawings

 

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for the great drawings Matt. [thumbs up]

I see that you are using my kind of Sketchup.   [big grin]  [embarassed] (but your drawing is much better than mine is)

 

[Eli]

Great project and fantastic drawings. Love them.

 

[jonny round boy]

Love the box, and the drawings! [thumbs up]

 

[PaulMarcel]

Excellent music box; love the choice of wood and the design.

I wish you'd start a woodworking magazine... I only look at the pictures and read the captions anyway; if the articles were like your drawings, though, I'd read it all!  Just needs more comic special effects in it

 

[Wim]

Nice box and a very good explanation of how you did it.
As far as I know the music is supposed to start playing when the box is opened. I don't see any means to start the music. How do you trigger it? Or am I missing something?

 

[Frank Pellow]

Nice box and a very good explanation of how you did it.
As far as I know the music is supposed to start playing when the box is opened. I don't see any means to start the music. How do you trigger it? Or am I missing something?

I am not certain about Matt's music box, but with the mechanisms that I purchased for the music boxes I have made, there is a wire which you attach to that springs up when you lift the lid.  The other end of the wire than releases the arms on a flywheel and this permits the music to play.  Lowering the lid reverses the process and the wire catches the arm and stops the flywheel.  You can see some of what I am talking about in this picture:

[attachimg=#1]

 

[dltflt]

Love the music box.  Great choice of woods.

 

[Grey Heron]

Looks really stunning!!