Thread: Aussie cedar & American cherry jewellery box

Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing different stages of the build.

Brian

I marked out all the pins for the dovetailed corners using a sharp awl, then cut them by hand. After cutting the sides of the pins I hogged out the space between them using a router, then cleaned them out and pared them back to the cut line using chisels. One down, three to go, then they'll be pared to exact size before marking and cutting out the tails.

Dovetail pins ready to pare.jpg

Dovetail pins hogged out.jpg

Dovetail pins cut.jpg

I marked out the tails from the pins, cut and pared them, then did a dry fit.

20200929-Dry carcass fit up-1.jpg

I then cut the pieces of cherry for the lid panel, machine sanded them to slightly over final thickness, bookmatched them and glued them up.

20200929-Lid panel glue up-2.jpg20200929-Lid panel glue up-1.jpg

I have never had any success doing pins first. I'll be keenly watching!

Originally Posted by woodPixel

I have never had any success doing pins first. I'll be keenly watching!

I do the pins first because I like doing thin London pins, and would have trouble marking them If I cut the tails first.
Like most things in woodwork, there's more than one 'right' way. I suspect that whatever the way you were first taught is probably the way you'll stick with.

Today I fine sanded all the components, then cut the lid and bottom panels to size.
Slots cut all sanded (1 of 1).jpg

The lid and bottom panels fit in 1/8" slots in the sides, allowing them to expand and contract with humidity changes.
Side slots (1 of 1).jpgLid slot detail (1 of 1).jpg

The last step is a dry fit-up
Dry fit up 2 (1 of 1).jpgDry fit up (1 of 1).jpg

Lovely as always Alex!
I have been tempted many times to bookmatch a box top in that direction but could never convince myself to try it thinking it might look odd - but it obviously doesn't so now I'll give it a shot with some of the figured pieces I have wanted to use that way.

The lid panel went to the engravers, Kopycut Trophies & Performance Plaques, yesterday, so while I was waiting for it I gave the box insides a first coat of oil, then dressed the tray components to size. The tray won't be made until after the carcass is assembled.

Tray components.jpg Engraving.jpg

The client & I discussed whether the lid panel needed a design on it, and we decided on the one shown.

Lid panel pattern 2.jpg

I also put the suede lining on the bottom panel. First, I glue 2mm craft foam to the panel using contact adhesive. Then, I give the foam and the suede a coat of Titebond II, which is allowed to dry completely. The suede's then attached by re-activating the glue using a hot clothes iron.

Gluing suede lining (1 of 1).jpg Bottom lined.jpg

The last job of the day was to give the box insides and the underside of the bottom panel another coat of oil.

Insides oiled.jpg

I like that lid.

I like that understated engraving on the lid panel. Really sets it off.
That's an interesting process with the Titebond 11. How do you actually apply the iron to the glue to reactivate?

Originally Posted by Treecycle

I like that understated engraving on the lid panel. Really sets it off.
That's an interesting process with the Titebond 11. How do you actually apply the iron to the glue to reactivate?

Just put the glue on both surfaces and let it dry - at least 1 hour but longer is fine. Put the suede in place, then cover it with a sheet of brown paper and iron it. Doesn't damage the suede or the craft foam. You can use the same method with other fabrics, but you may have to watch the temperature.

When routing for the stringing on the lid panel, I had a slip that couldn't be recovered. Fortunately, I had enough wood to make another panel.
New Lid.jpg

After sanding & shellacking the panel, I put wax on the exterior corners to prevent any excess glue sticking. The insides have been oiled, so the glue shouldn't stick to it. I wrapped the bottom panel, with its lining, in cling-wrap, and waxed the corners of the lid panel.

I tinted Techniglue epoxy to match the cedar (umber + venetian red) and glued up the box. This is always slightly stressful, and having upstuffed once before, I always take special care to put the lid and bottom panels the right way around.

Before clamping everything I wrapped it in cling wrap to constrain the glue. This stuff gets everywhere and sticks like merde to une couverture.
Glue up 2.jpg

After four hours, the glue has set but is not yet brittle, so there is a window of time in which it is relatively easy to remove the excess glue.
The next step will be to pare away the ends of the pins, then separate the lid from the base of the box.
After glue up 1.jpg

After glue up 2.jpg

May I ask why epoxy?

Is it because you can tint it? Or second guess because it has gap filling properties?

regards,

Brian