Thread: Jarrah and black walnut veneer jewellery box

Lovely piece of work Graeme. Well done.

That's a very nice box

I really like the colour of the jarrah.
How did you do the inlay and what finish did you use?

Andy

That is a beautiful box and the inlay is really nice along with the 3mm inset on the lid.
Well done

Thanks for the kind comments!

Originally Posted by groeneaj

That's a very nice box
How did you do the inlay and what finish did you use?

Andy

I set up templates for the inlay on the sides, creating the correct size opening with 4 pieces of MDF glued together for one side and another for one end. I screwed sizing blocks to the templates to ensure the workpieces didn't move in routing and then routed them above the table using a template guide in the router.

I used the templates in case I stuffed up somewhere and needed to make another side or end. I cleaned the corners with a chisel. The top's grooves were routed above the table prior to gluing. I used a hand pumped vacuum bag from carbatec to hold the inlay as the glue dried.

The finish was danish oil.

Exquisite I really love the edge-banding, it set the box off.


Cheers

Steve

Graeme that is eye poppingly gorgeous. The attention to detail is brilliant!!!

I would add my compliements as well, lovely bit of work.

(what is Dingo doing these days?)

Cheers guys.

I have no idea about Dingo. Last I read on the forum, he was up in Broome and about to start up a wood based stall in the local markets with his son Josh. I hope it is working out for him.

Gaeme

Well done, a gift which will be treasured for generations to come!

A terrific box Graeme. I'm interested in your solution to the hinge stay problem - by letting the overhang at the back of the box come to rest against the back of the box. I've done a couple like that and worried about whether the leverage of the lid would rip the screws out - no reports yet of that happening. I suppose it depends on how careful people are when they throw the lid back. I'm not happy with chains either, and recently I bought some cheap quadrant hinges from the Adelaide Working with Wood show, but I haven't tried to fit them yet. You have obviously made a lot of boxes and have experience with hinges, which are the bane of my box-making pleasures.

The veneered panel is light and 3 hinges hopefully will see the box through if it isnt dropped. However, any box that has been dropped ...

The solution to the hinge/ stay problem that Andrew Crawford suggested at the WA Woodshow was to use hinges like this:
Brass Hinge Fine Stay 6mm x 35mm - 5160B

You do need to leave a little space for a rebate in the lid as well as the box sides, but these hinges are not as awkward to install as full quadrant hinges.

He prefers them to the Brusso hinges with the built in stop at 95 degrees as he feels the Brusso ones are quite chunky. I agree with him.

I dislike many of the available hinge and stay/ chain combinations for different reasons so in future, I'm going to give Andrew Crawford's advice a go. It certainly adds to the cost of making a box though but if I want to make something nice ...

The problems of stays and keeping the lid open.
This is my recent solution. I have replaced the phillips head steel screw for a round headed slot brass one since this photo was taken. Getting screws that are fit for purpose is a problem though. Because the stay rotates on the screw I have to grind the thread off the screw for about 5mm under the head. Still not ideal but a different solution to the problem. A little more rustic maybe?

Maxine

Hi Maxine , thats a lovely box, nice work. Hope you solved your router dilemas i remember from a previous thread.With your swinging stay, is the fixed end that rotates on the screw in the lid and does the free end slot into a notch?It looks similar to the arm i put in this mobile filing cabinet made for a engineer to take on the road, very on the rustic side , regards, Ross

Hi Ross,
Good looking cabinet, bet the engineer was pleased! Your stay seems to be hinged to the lid. Mine is screwed into a small base attached to the underside of the lid. So the fixed section is glued to the lid.
Router problems remain unsolved. Would give much to find a routing course here in Scotland or even the Uk somewhere.I keep looking thinking I have to tackle this sometime, but not, alas, yet. If anyone reading knows of routing courses in the Uk do please pm me.
Apologies to Graeme for the hijack and many compliments for a truly stunning box.