Jewelry Box

[nclemmons]

My son and I recently completed a jewelry box.  Here are a few step-by-step photos.  Sorry we don't have more photos but you realize after you complete the project that you missed taking a number of photos.

it was a fun project working with him while he was home from school.  In all, making the box took about 30 hours and finishing took about two weeks with the humidity for the finish to dry with five coats of finish. 

A few details:
- Wood used was mahogany and birdseye maple. 
- Interior was lined with maroon felt from Woodcraft. 
- Hinges are saw-blade kerf hinges also available from Woodcraft. 
- Finish was one coat of tung oil followed by four coats of wipe on satin varnish.

Here's a drawing of the box in Sketchup.

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Tools used included a Kapex, Festool Sanders, router table, table saw, scrapers, oscillating spindle sander, drillpress, and bandsaw.

This was the first project we tried with the Kapex and it was excellent for the miter cuts as well as the box dividers.  We debated creating the interior coin scoop with the Kapex but in the end decided to bandsaw and sand on the oscillating sander.  I was very impressed with the accuracy for the dividers in terms of the dado depth stop.  It worked great and gave us flexibility in cutting and notching without having to reset the Kapex.  One side note on the Kapex is that you really need a sacrificial fence if you are cutting small parts to keep the saw from grabbing them.

We started by selecting wood.  We found a great piece of mahogany with a nice grain pattern.  This let us cut the wood to match the grain around the box.

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mahogany ready to miter

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miters laid out

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nice continuous grain pattern

Miters were cut and the pieces were finish sanded.  Not shown was that we actually cut the pieces to create tops and bottoms before the glue up.  In the past we had made boxes by assembling and then cutting the top from the bottom after glue-up.  But we decided this time to cut the pieces first, tape them together, and then do the glue up.  It worked much better with virtually no glue squeeze out and an excellent alignment with nice sharp finished edges.

More...

 

[nclemmons]

Once we had the miters cut, we finish sanded all the pieces including the edges...

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finish sanding with 150/3

We routed dados for the top and bottom. Corners were cut on the bandsaw for the legs to inset.  Finally, we bandsawed and drum sanded a slight arch at the bottom of each of the four sides.

The raised panel top was made on the router table.

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routing the raised panel

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raised panel completed

Once the pieces were cut, we taped the individual side top and bottoms together.  We actually lined the joints with tape to prevent squeeze out internally and externally while the box was gluing.  No clamps were used in the glueup.  We had accurate miters, straight wood, and plenty of painters tape to hold the joints tight while the glue was drying.

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box glued and taped

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box after sanding

Once the box dried, a cut with a putty knife separated the top and bottom.  Joints were tight and the box was square!

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[nclemmons]

2 1/2 inch tapered legs were made and taper sanded.  These were glued to box once it had dried. 

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box with legs attached

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closeup of leg

Hinges were cut using a hinge saw and insert hinges from Woodcraft.  The back of the base and lid have a chamfer that supports the lid when it is open.  This is the first time we have used this type of hinge and we were very pleased with the result - small, unobtrusive, and strong.

The handle was made from a small piece of birdseye maple and sanded to match the profile on the base.  The handle is attached with two thru-dowels that let it sit proud of the front of the box.  Spacing of the handle from the box was done by using two rulers under the handle when pressing it into place - giving a 3/16" reveal from the box front

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handle detail

We cut a 1/8" piece of insert ply and attached maroon felt to it.  The ring holder was made from two pieces of weatherstrip foam wrapped with the felt.  The dividers were made from the birdseye and the notches were cut on the Kapex.   We cut the notches at the ends as well so there is a lot of flexibility on reconfiguring the inserts to accomodate different jewelry.

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birdseye dividers

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divders are reconfigurable

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top detail

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completed box

This was a fun project with a lot of new challenges.  Overall we're pleased with the result.  All those hours in the shop pay off with projects like this.

Feedback or questions are welcome -

neil

 

[Bill Wyko]

WOW now thats one beautiful jewelry box. Some lucky lady is going to be VEERRRYYYY Happy. From one box builder to another, Fantastic job.

 

[Neill]

Neil -

Excellent use of contrasting woods.  The finish really made the grain "pop".  You and your son deserve kudos for a job beautifully done.

I hope the recipient does not expect you to fill it too soon.

Neill

 

[10digit]

Neil,

That is sweet!! I too love the contrasting woods and the leg detail sets this apart from other jewelry boxes I have seen.  It is also nice to hear that you involved your son in your hobby.  This is a great past time to share and pass on to your children.  Kudos on a job very well executed!

 

[nclemmons]

Bill, Neill, and 10Digit -

Thanks for the nice compliments.  Bill - I've seen some of your boxes and you've set a HIGH standard.

This was one of the best projects we have executed in terms of fit and finish.  You can learn a lot from hanging out with talented people like we have on FOG

My son could barely afford the wood.  Not sure he can afford much to put in the box, except some scrap birdseye!

neil