Thread: Merbau & Camphor Laurel Jewellery Box - WIP

G'Day Steve,
I've dropped in to see how it's done..
Cheers, crowie

Originally Posted by crowie

G'Day Steve,
I've dropped in to see how it's done..
Cheers, crowie

Hello Pete. If you find out, let me know.

I got the mitres cut without incident. That was the nervous bit, but they look OK.
Also made a pair of tray supports and resawed some more CL then edge-joined it for the tray base.

I'll put the tray supports on the inside of the front and rear, before assembly.

e. Cutting the mitres.jpg f. Mitres done, tray supports & base.jpg

When I made the last box, I put the finish on the inside before assembly as well. I figured it was easier than afterwards, and it made it much easier to remove the squeeze-out after glue-up. I put a thin smear of wax over the poly on surfaces adjoining the ones to be joined and the glue literally fell off when I cleaned up after separating the lid. A quick wipe with white spirits and the wax residue was gone. I masked all of the surfaces that were to be glued with masking tape while applying the finish.

Is this a good idea, or is there a good reason why it shouldn't be done that way? It sure beats trying to sand and apply finish to the inside of the box after assembly. I'm planning to attach the tray supports first.

Applying finish before assembly is sometimes the only way to go especially when padding on stuff like French polish.
Regards

Originally Posted by A Duke

Applying finish before assembly is sometimes the only way to go especially when padding on stuff like French polish.
Regards

Good one. Thanks mate. I didn't fancy the idea of working around the tray supports after assembly. This Merbau is really thirsty and needs heaps of sanding sealer and sanding - several coats before the pores even start to fill.

Progress has been slow, but I'm getting there.

Five coats of sanding sealer later, the inside of the sides is sealed and ready for a final sand then a couple of coats of WOP. The Wattyl sanding sealer takes a full day to dry well enough to sand for the next coat, so the 5 coats took 5 days.
The sanding sealer really brings out the chocolate & honey colour that I like so much.

g. Sides - 5 coats SS.jpg


The top and bottom panels are prepared to fit nicely in their slots and ready for SS too. Bleaching the veneer for the top panel was taking way too long, so I used a different piece for the feature. Not as nice, but it'll have to do.
For the feature panels on my next boxes, hopefully I can bring home some nice timber from the Canberra show next week. My first wood show - can't wait. GlenRob was kind enough to offer me a ride and is going way out of his way to pick me up - Goulburn to Nowra to Canberra. Thanks Bob, much appreciated.

h. Top & bottom ready.jpg

I have a few more days working on the interior finish, then I can finally assemble the carcass. I must be the slowest box-maker on the forums.

After a few days off to do other stuff, I was all prepared to glue and clamp the carcass today. I did a dry clamp-up to see how everything fits and found that there's too big a gap around the top CL panel.

i. Bad lid fit 1.jpg j. Bad lid fit 2.jpg

I wanted to make sure there was a gap, for expansion, but obviously I overdid it.
I'm not sure which way I'll go yet. I'll ponder it this afternoon. If only I'd done a 'raised panel' type edge. I wouldn't have this problem.

I guess the options are:

a. Glue a narrow strip around the top edge of the sides before assembly, leaving just enough room for lid panel expansion. Pale CL to match the mitre keys and lid lift might look good.

b. Trim the 4 sides and edges of the lid and base to match the top.

c. Make a new top. This appeals, because I don't like the piece of CL. Sanding removed the nice book-match that I started with. I've bleached most of the grey from the CL that I originally planned to use, so it's good to go now, and I've got another right-sized piece of Merbau for the substrate. Also have a new 'Ovolo' bit that looks like it could make a neat mini raised panel edge. I'll use a bowl & tray bit to make a mini raised panel edge. (Was thinking backwards.)

d. (Not keen on this one.) Go ahead and assemble the box, then, when the panel is nicely centred, pour casting resin into the gap all the way around.
I saw a box done this way at the Canberra Wood Show, but I would think that it defeats the purpose of making a floating panel in the first place - no provision for expansion.

A bit of a pain, but I won't let it bother me too much, it's all part of the learning process. I'll bet I'm more careful next time.

Looks great as always Steve. Is that the one that was in pieces on your table when I was there last week?
I wish I had the time to do some more small jobs for a while, but I'm stuck with this router table task that I've set myself. At least that's seeing some progress tho. Got one of the Melamine tops on today and considering the way I've been feeling lately, that's quite an accomplishment.
BTW, just got my Incra Mitre 3000SE this arvo. I'm up to my armpits in Incra.

Cheers,
bob

Originally Posted by Glenrob

Looks great as always Steve. Is that the one that was in pieces on your table when I was there last week?

Yep. I've been a bit slow with it, been busy playing with the VW model and looking at lathes. I'm buying a little 10" x 18" from Pop's Shed, with a 2" scroll chuck and 4 sets of jaws. Just the right size.

I wish I had the time to do some more small jobs for a while, but I'm stuck with this router table task that I've set myself. At least that's seeing some progress tho. Got one of the Melamine tops on today and considering the way I've been feeling lately, that's quite an accomplishment.
BTW, just got my Incra Mitre 3000SE this arvo. I'm up to my armpits in Incra.

Cheers,
bob

I'm looking forward to seeing how the router table project turns out. Looking good so far.
It's great getting new toys, isn't it? That Mitre 3000 would be fantastic. I've been meaning to get the small Incra mitre gauge, but been slack. Gotta stock up on stuff to go with the lathe right now - chisels, face shield and yes, a grinder. (Should have remembered to put the one that you gave me into the car, shouldn't I? ) Not to worry, I'll pick one up locally fairly cheap.

At this point, I'm leaning toward a new top panel for the box, with the edges shaped using the 'Ovolo' 'Bowl and Tray' bit, rather than stepped. (Not used to thinking router bits and was thinking backwards.)

Edit: All this does raise a question, though. I'm leaving about 1mm gap all around the tongue of the lid, inside the slot, but (with the stepped edge) 1mm is too wide for the expansion gap for the top. What is a good gap around the top panel?