My First Box WIP

**sheperd80** · 11th February 2013, 10:55 AM

As some of you know im planning a jewelry armoire for my girlfriend but because ive never really done anything one might consider "furniture quality", i thought id start with an easy project first. So im building a jewelry/trinket box for my 7 year old daughter.

Im not equipped for dovetailing so i thought i would try my hand at finger joints. As far as i know finger joints are more common on drawers and less visible locations, but for my box i decided to go with very obvious joints and a round over for a unique look, and for the sake of learning.

The timber is a very unique looking piece of poplar with alot of purple in it. Though poplar is usually painted, i thought the wild look of this piece would make a neat box.

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At first i was going to use the other side which has a marble like mixture of green and purple, but then decided to take advantage of the high contrast side.

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So this ^ side may be used for the lid and base... Im not sure yet.

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Here it is cut to size with a nice grain match all the way around. Even the last corner or 'bastard corner' as we say didnt come out bad.

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Heres my budget DIY table and jig in action.

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Joints cut and fitted. I plan to take some off the bottom so that when i trim it out im left with one full finger showing on the face for symmetry with the top.

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And now i have a design question for you folks. Im debating cutting off the top fingers of the side pieces and fitting in some mitered blonde pieces because the dark end grains interrupt the "flow" of blonde around the top. Is it worth the risk or do you think that adds character to the joint?

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And here is a sample piece done with a 1/4" round over which i really like.

More to come! This is my first so opinions, comments and criticisms are welcomed. Thanks for looking.

**kcam** · 11th February 2013, 12:04 PM

(quote)
"And now i have a design question for you folks. Im debating cutting off the top fingers of the side pieces and fitting in some mitered blonde pieces because the dark end grains interrupt the "flow" of blonde around the top. Is it worth the risk or do you think that adds character to the joint?"

Looking good so far shep....to answer your question: I would be looking at a pleasing proportion dimension wise. Your box appears a bit high against the length & breadth so probably would suit a reduction in height. I like the look of the colour variation so if you decide to reduce the height the decision for you is either from the bottom or top. Cheers Kerry

**Sir Stinkalot** · 11th February 2013, 12:11 PM

That is one good looking bit of timber that you have there. It has a similar appearance to sassafras and it would be a real shame if it was just allowed to be painted.

I like the finger joints and think they look a little more contemporary than the traditional dovetail (plus they are easier to do

). The sides are perhaps a little too thick for my liking, however I would be interested to see the final product as I have a feeling that it will all come together.

Good job.

Stinky

**AlexS** · 11th February 2013, 12:37 PM

Looking good. Nothing wrong with finger joints, they look good. Nice piece of poplar, my experience of it is that it is really bland, your piece obviously isn't.

**sheperd80** · 11th February 2013, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by kcam

(quote)
"And now i have a design question for you folks. Im debating cutting off the top fingers of the side pieces and fitting in some mitered blonde pieces because the dark end grains interrupt the "flow" of blonde around the top. Is it worth the risk or do you think that adds character to the joint?"

Looking good so far shep....to answer your question: I would be looking at a pleasing proportion dimension wise. Your box appears a bit high against the length & breadth so probably would suit a reduction in height. I like the look of the colour variation so if you decide to reduce the height the decision for you is either from the bottom or top. Cheers Kerry

Yes the height is getting reduced. It will look much better when its not so boxy. I dont have a table saw at home so i thought id assemble first then pass it through my saw at work.

Theres a blond stripe at the bottom in the back and a partial finger at all bottom joints so im going to take it from the bottom. Probably about an inch so i get on an even layout with the fingers. I also want to keep as much of the blonde top band as possible.

Thanks for the feedback folks.

**sheperd80** · 11th February 2013, 01:27 PM

My girlfriend is really pushing me to stain it up in girly colors and while i wouldnt mind doing it, the poplar just doesnt stain well. Its splotchy, irregular and just obvious.

This is called cabernet

Heres some cabernet on top of a coat of conditioner...looks interesting but im just not sold.

**sheperd80** · 11th February 2013, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by AlexS

Looking good. Nothing wrong with finger joints, they look good. Nice piece of poplar, my experience of it is that it is really bland, your piece obviously isn't.

Yeah i work with poplar alot at work for paint-grade shelf facings in closets, baseboard caps, etc. Every now and then i get a piece with some purple on it and always thought there had to be some full pieces out there somewhere. Then recently i found out a friend had this board stowed away so he gave it to me. Hopefully i make good use of it! Oddly enough the side i ended up using doesnt have much purple in it.

**sheperd80** · 12th February 2013, 02:58 PM

Round over done on the finger joints, height reduced, still needs a little sanding on the corners.

Im in a major quandry over finish. None of the stains ive tried look good. Polyurethane looks kinda hokey, natural turns it too green, and anything with color looks odd.

**wood hacker** · 12th February 2013, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by sheperd80

Round over done on the finger joints, height reduced, still needs a little sanding on the corners.

Im in a major quandry over finish. None of the stains ive tried look good. Polyurethane looks kinda hokey, natural turns it too green, and anything with color looks odd.

Perhaps blonde shellac. Should give a good finish without affecting the colour too much.

cheers
WH

**artme** · 12th February 2013, 05:02 PM

That is great slab of timber and is making for a really good looking box!!

**AlexS** · 12th February 2013, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by wood hacker

Perhaps blonde shellac. Should give a good finish without affecting the colour too much.

cheers
WH

Even orange shellac could do the job - sometimes it just adds the bit of warmth that's needed. I tend to use shellac under most finishes as a sanding sealer. You could either use shellac as your finish, or put oil over it.

**Christos** · 12th February 2013, 09:27 PM

**sheperd80** · 13th February 2013, 01:05 AM

Thanks for the tips. I have no spray equipment so it would have to be bruch on shellac. Ill see what i can find.

**AlexS** · 13th February 2013, 07:49 AM

You can either brush shellac on or apply it with a rubber - a pad of cotton wool wrapped in lint-free cotton.

**kcam** · 13th February 2013, 08:06 AM

My choice of finish is sanding sealer, brushed on, rubbed in then buffed before a few coats od Danish oil applied as per directions with a final buff. If any "furring" occurs with the sanding sealer i use a 1200 wet &dry paper before the oil and I normally apply the the last coat of oil rubbed in with the 1200 paper.

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