Thread: Madrone burr jewellery box - work in progress

Can’t wait or the rest of the “series”! Perfect and informative as usual Brian.


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Thanks, Jacques! What are you working on just now?

Best regards,

Brian

Started on a rolling top fountain pen storage box. I started a WIP thread on it a few days ago.

It will be standing still for a while though as we’re off to get some sun your way. The kids has been begging to get away to the Gold Coast since Covid started.

Do you know if there are there any must visit vintage tool shops or similar over there?

Thanks for the tutorial Brian, I shall be eagerly following. I had never hear of a shooting sander until now and your design of the shooting board makes perfect sense to spread the load out instead of clogging a straight line on the paper.

Part 2 - Preparing the top and bottom panels (continued)


When the veneer edges are perfectly straight the two pieces are laid side by side as if mirror images, aligned carefully, taped with veneer tape, glue applied (to the substrate only) and the veneer laid carefully onto the glued surface.

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Remember to balance the panel by applying veneer to the other side of the substrate or the panel will bend like a banana as the glue/veneer on the front dries.

Once this is done, the panel is pressed flat. I mostly use a cast iron antique book press but pressing between thick sheets of MDF with LOTS of clamps works fine too. Or a vacuum bag if you have it.


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Glue. For this box I used Titebond 2, but I’ve also used TB3, Aquadhere, Cascamite (urea formaldehyde) and West 2-part resin. Hide glue is another alternative. Whatever works for you. If you use epoxy resin it’s best to add filler/thickener to the mix to reduce the likelihood of bleed-through. With unthickened epoxy bleed through is a nightmare.

I’ve used each of these glues to make boxes:


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Making the Carcass


While the top and bottom panels are in glue-up work begins on the box sides. The red colour of the Loas Rosewood blends well with the red of Madrone. Here I’m using 12mm timber.


Before cutting the sides the inside face of the timber is sanded and given a couple of coats of nitrocellulose sanding sealer. In this case it is Mohawk NC sanding sealer in an aerosol.


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This has two benefits - first it avoids the awkward sanding inside the box once it’s glued up. Second any glue squeeze out inside the box is more easily removed.

For this box I'm using mitre joints. There's not much point in anything fancy like dovetails as the carcass will be veneered.

The sides are rough cut to length and 45 degree angle using a mitre sled on the table saw then finished off on my 300mm disc sander using a 45 degree jig made of MDF. This arrangement can make perfect mitres up to 100 mm tall - more if the sander’s table is replaced with a lower one.

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A quick check to make sure the mitres fit tight and square:


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The top and bottom panels will fit into the body of the box like this:
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so we need to cut the groove for the bottom panel and the rebate for the top panel before we glue up the carcass. These cuts could be made on the table saw but in this case I used the router table.


The groove for the bottom panel is 4mm deep, 5.5mm wide (to allow for the 4mm ply plus 0.6mm veneer either side) and 3mm from the bottom edge.

The rebate for the top panel is 9mm wide leaving a 3-4mm wide lip around the edge. Depth of the rebate is the thickness of the top panel. I make the rebate fractionally deeper then trim back to level after the top is glued in.

Finally, the bottom panel is cut to size to slot into the groove made earlier.


OK - carcass glue-up tomorrow I hope.

Regards,

Brian

Part 4: Carcass Glue-up and Mitre Keys


We’re now ready for the first part of the glue-up. This is the four sides and the base only. The top is not glued in yet as we’ll need access to the interior sides for clamping when we fit the veneer.

First the mitres are wiped with acetone. Rosewood is a relatively oily wood so the acetone helps remove the oils from the joint areas to give the glue a better surface to grip.


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Once the glue has been applied to the mitres and to the bottom groove the box is taped up and put into my box-clamping jig. This jig forces the box to be square - although I always check! Cork-faced clamping cauls prevent any damage from the clamps.

Four parallel clamps are enough - two across and two lengthwise (yes, there’s only one shown in the pic!).

The parallel clamps slide down into slots on the sides of the jig to ensure the clamps are square to the box. In this pic it's a new version of the jig and I have not yet cut those slots.

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Once the glue is dry mitre keys/slip feathers are added to give strength to the joints. I aim for one key in the lid and two in the body of the box.


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A small ‘story board’ is made from a scrap of ply showing where the keys will be placed relative to the top and bottom of the box and where the lid will be separated from the body.


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How deep you make the top, i.e. where you make the cut to separate the lid is entirely a matter of choice. For a box of this size I aim for around 25mm. This gives enough depth in the top to accept the screws for the hinges and allows the box’s tray to sit partly above the separation line for ease of access. It also maximises the space underneath the tray.

Important: Once the box has been veneered the mitre keys will be hidden so keep the ‘story board’ safe to show where the lid separation cut is made and avoid any chance of cutting through where the mitre keys are.

Using the ‘story board’ markings the first cut is lined up on the spline jig. Here I’m using a commercially made jig but one made from MDF scraps works just as well.


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I’m using a 4mm router bit. No reason for this size other than I had a piece of 4mm walnut on the bench to make the mitre keys from.

Cutting the mitre keys was a quick job using a small mitre box and a Japanese pull saw:

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Next the mitre keys are glued in. I use a medical syringe to get the glue into the cuts without it going everywhere but a thin scrap of timber (like a spare sliver of veneer) will do the job fine.

Once the glue dries the excess is sawn off using a Japanese saw.

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and brought flush with the box using a finely set block plane. It’s critical to make sure the keys are planed or sanded flush as we’ll be veneering the sides and any imperfections will telegraph through the veneer:

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Right - the basic carcass is done. Next up will be veneering the sides, where things become a bit more interesting. Thanks for reading!

Regards,

Brian

Informative tutorial but i'm not understanding the rough cut mitres on the table saw sled?, i would have thought that if you are making a sled it should be precise enough so you don't have to spend time cleaning up the cuts and risking further misalignment.

Absolutely. If you have an accurate sled, why not? I started using my approach when I was showing newcomers how to cut the rough mitres by hand or with a bandsaw jig. I found the results were so accurate it’s now second nature.

Regards,

Brian

​Part 5. Veneering the sides and fitting the lid.


Now we have the basic glue-up complete we can start adding veneer to the sides. The choice is whether to veneer the sides first then cut the top off or to cut the top off first then veneer the sides as two separate pieces (lid and body). The argument for cutting the top off first is that there is no loss continuity of the veneer, i.e. you don’t lose the width of the saw blade.


With some veneers this would be noticeable, but I think it will be OK here. I’m also planning to saw the lid off using a thin kerf blade on the table saw so the kerf will be quite narrow.


The first job is to cut the veneer to size for each panel - front, back and two sides (remember we've already veneered the top and bottom panels). I do this using the box as a template - just trace round and cut with a razor knife or veneer saw.

If the veneer is buckled as it often is - especially with burr - it needs to be sprayed with veneer softener then flattened between paper towel and two cauls clamped together tightly. You can make your own veneer softener but I just buy it in a spray bottle from Carbatec.


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The sides are veneered first, allowed to dry then trimmed before moving on to the front and back. This way the front and back veneers cover the edges of the veneer on the sides. If you are simply veneering the box this approach will look better than having the side veneers overlap the front and back. If you intend to use some type of edge banding - as we will with this box - the order of veneering the sides is not important as we'll be cutting rebates into the edges anyway.

Even so, I prefer to have one routine and stick to it.



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Here I’m using MDF cauls with cork (tile) facings to spread the pressure. Waxed paper stops any bleed through from sticking the veneer to the cork. Lots of clamps to make sure there are no air bubbles behind the veneer.


When it’s dry and the clamps come off:


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the end veneers are carefully trimmed back level with the carcass. I use a scalpel and a small sanding block. Then repeat the whole veneering process for the front and back panels:

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5. Gluing in the top


Once all sides are veneered and any overhang trimmed back the top panel can be trimmed to size and glued to the carcass. I use painters tape along the upper inner surfaces to reduce problems with glue squeeze-out.

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With the lid glued in the top edges of the box will be slightly proud of the flat surface of the top. These edges are now trimmed back flush with the top. I use a small block plane very finely, but this could be done with a flush trim bit in the router, a chisel, scraper, scalpel or by (very) careful sanding.

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So far this build has been all work and not much reward, but this is where a bit of the magic starts to happen.


At this point I give the box a gentle sand all over with 240g then add a coat of sanding sealer to protect the veneer. What a difference it makes!

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I estimate we're around 40% of the way through the build The next steps are cutting the rebates and fitting the 32 pieces of banding then lid separation, hinges, lock, making the escutcheon, fitting feet, finishing, lining, making the tray and finally fitting the maker's mark.


More soon.


Regards,


Brian

Part 6. Cutting rebates for edges and inlays

Next up we’ll tackle the decisions about which stringing and inlays to use then cut the channels.

This is where accuracy really starts to become important. The box will have 3.4mm square edge banding all around - partly for decoration but partly to give extra protection to the edges. Since I'm making three boxes, one will have edging in black dyed tulip wood and the other two will be done with a lighter colour.

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A note on stringing and inlay banding. I think high quality inlays are important on any project but especially small items like boxes. It pays to be fussy and I buy most of my inlays from Graeme Brown Antiques in Melbourne or from the UK. I’ve tried a number of other Australian suppliers but the quality has been poor - gaps, inconsistent widths, muddy overprinting and more. Minor rant over (grin).

The design will be square edging on all sides of the box with a tulipwood cross-banding alongside that.

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To make the cuts for the 3.4x3.4mm edge banding I have a simple jig for the table saw that allows me to make cuts very close to the secondary fence:

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Setting the saw to cut these small rebates is tricky so I always make a test cut on a piece of scrap, gradually sneaking up on the correct dimension


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In fact I make the cut a little smaller than the size of the stringing so there is a little to be trimmed back level with the veneer afterwards. I aim for the stringing to be around 10-15 thou. proud:

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So - with the saw dialled in the cuts are made on 12 edges, first with the box flat to the table then with the box on its side:

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If we’ve got it right we’ll have uniform recesses on all edges:

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The plan calls for second lines of inlay inside the corner edging. This is 6mm wide tulipwood cross banding.

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The channels for the cross banding (orange colour above) are routed. If these are cut now before we fit the corner edging it will be easier as we can make cuts the full length of the box without worrying about damaging the edging.

Since the inlay banding is around 1mm thick and 6mm wide we must cut the channels EXACTLY 6mm wide measured from where the inner edge of the corner edging will meet the tulipwood banding, i.e. the orange areas in the diagram above. The width is critical. Too wide and there will be an ugly gap along the side of the banding, too narrow and the banding will not fit. Shaving a bit off the side of the banding is not feasible as it ruins the symmetry of the inlay.

I cut these channels on the router table using a very sharp spiral downcut router. To ensure the cut is spot on I first score cut a line where the inner side of the banding will sit. This prevents tear out of the very thin 0.6mm veneer. The cut line can be made with a straight edge and a scalpel but I prefer to use my Veritas inlay tool - like a marking gauge with a sharp blade - because I only have to set the distance once then work around all sides of the box.

With the router I cut a channel almost to the line then do a second pass to shave off the tiny amount remaining.

Again, line up the cut and practice on scrap. You really don’t want a mistake at this point!

After the cuts for both the edging and the inlay banding have been made the box will look like this - a bit of a mess - but the box now has the correct rebates for both the inlay banding and the edging.

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Now we’re ready to start the fiddly bit fitting 12 pieces of edging and 20 pieces of inlay banding! But that's a job for tomorrow.......

Regards,


Brian

Part 7. Fitting the banding.



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First the square edge pieces are fitted. This provides a defined edge either side of the rebate for the cross banding to slot into. If we do this right the inlay banding fits tightly and doesn’t need any clamping when the time comes.


A word about fitting inlays and edge banding. Accurate fitting is a must. Even the smallest misalignment at the corners stands out horribly. Better to recut the mitre on the banding or use another piece.


New box makers often cut banding for all four sides at once. Somehow this always seems to lead to a poor fit somewhere - for me, anyway!


I find Andrew Crawford’s method better; it gets spot-on results and there is no measuring - see diagram below. Two offcuts of the banding to be used (A and B) are mitred at one end only, and the first ‘real’ piece (C) is also mitred at one end. Starting at one corner piece C and one of the offcuts (A or B) are matched up together to form a perfectly positioned join. The offcut is then taped in place. Flipping piece C over so the mitre is at the other end, the second offcut is positioned for a perfect match at that end, then the offcut is taped in place.




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We now know exactly how long piece C should be. Since one end of C is already mitred all that is needed is to offer up C to the gap, fit snugly at one end then mark the other end where the second mitre needs to be cut. No measuring required. Just cut the second mitre fractionally long then creep up on the cut for a perfect fit.

Once the fit is perfect, glue C in place before moving on. The edge pieces are held in place until they dry by stretching blue tape across the top and side.

Gluing up as you go locks each piece in its correct place and provides the positioning for subsequent pieces.

Which order you work in is purely preference, but at this point I remove A and B, flip them up so the mitres are pointing upwards - towards the long side opposite C - then repeat the process as above. Once this side is glued the two short sides are set up to be cut to length and glued in.

I do the long sides first simply because if I stuff up cutting the final length I can always re-use the piece for one of the shorter sides.

A medical syringe is used to apply the glue neatly and blue tape to hold the banding in place tightly until the glue sets:


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As mentioned earlier, accuracy in cutting the banding makes the end result look professional. I’ve never been able to do this well using a knife, so I use a 45 degree jig on my small disc sander. This gives spot-on results every time.


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The aim is to create clean mitres like this:


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When all the edge banding is glued in, leave it to dry overnight:


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Next, repeat this process to fit the cross banding inside the edge banding:




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Once the glue is dry, the banding can be scraped back level with the top and sides of the box. A card scraper produces a beautifully smooth finish.

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The scraper should be making clean shavings like a miniature plane. If it's producing dust it needs a sharpen.





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We’re almost at the end of this part of the job. A final look over to make sure all surfaces are flat, then another coat of sanding sealer




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That's all for tonight, folks. Thanks for coming along on this journey - I hope I've described things adequately. It's always easier to do than to write about

Next steps will be cutting off the lid and fitting hinges.

Regards,

Brian

Looking magnificent so far and your description makes perfect sense.

Theses remind me of one of Andrew Crawfords boxes .

Great job Homey/Brian ...

Dallas- thanks for the kind comments - there’s still plenty of opportunity to stuff it up

Woodtec - thanks! Yes, I’ve had more than one stint of tuition at Andrew’s workshop. He’s a great teacher as well as a superb boxmaker!

We’re now moving towards more scary bits - cutting the lid off and fitting the hinges - probably on the weekend.

Thanks again, guys.

Regards,


Brian