Thread: WIP - Jewellry Boxes

photo 1: depth stops (masking tape) were used, one for the lid and a longer one for the body of the box.

photo 2: most of the waste taken out...

photo 3: I found the quickest way of cleaning out the waste in such a narrow mortice was to use the drill as a mill - carefully and in small nibbles. Didn't break one.

photo 4&5: Shows the amount the stay is housed in the box body, and the amount left to be housed in the lid.

photo 1: hinge finished.

The only problem with hinges now would be slight adjustment in hinge placement to adjust for lid fit. Thin spacers to adjust height, and adjustments in hinge position (>0.5mm) by gluing hard toothpicks into screw holes, and redoing screw holes in their new position. I had to do a bit of fiddling with these because of variation between hinges - they are only cheap pressed metal hinges from Bunnings. Better hinges weren't available in this size and style.

Trays. The trays were made from Huon pine and/or King Billy pine.

photo 1: Trying to make best use of the bits I had. All trays are the same height, but of varying length and depth, to suit the various size boxes.

photo 2: Using the Gifkin's jig to cut the dovetails.

photo 3: Any chipout is dealt with straight away so I have a good chance to find the offending piece to glue it back in. The bit that came out is a perfect match for the gap, much easier than trying to make a new piece later.
A bit of greaseproof paper and a small clamp make it easy.

photo 1: After cutting the grooves for the base, a vertical groove to match the divider is cut as in this picture, with...

photo 2: stop and moving fence a measured 90deg.

photo 3: the stack is growing, but test fits are mandatory for me as my own stupidity knows no bounds.

Lining. This would have to be the easiest step provided you are very carefull with your measurements and clean in your cutting and assembly. This is the final step on the inside, so what you do here is what people see.

After seeing various posts on suede tarnishing jewelry, I stuck with a suede look material, or adhesive backed green felt. I had a request for a "Blokes Box" and he prefered felt. The adhesive backed felt is even easier to do than the material.

photo 1: trying to find the best colour material for the colour of the box.

photo 2: cut stiff art cardboard to match the bases of the box and the tray. If you are using material you need to allow a gap for folding the material under the cardboard, and for felt - a snug fit, since it is not folded under.

photo 3: for the material I used, about 0.5mm or slightly more was OK. If the fit with the material is too tight, the insert will buckle slightly, and will never sit flat. Felt inserts can be trimmed slightly, cloth ones can't.

photo 4: Cloth covered inserts have very little give in them, so to make it feel more like suede, I included some thin craft sponge sheet (green stuff in the pic.) under the material. spray one side of each sheet with craft contact glue and...

photo 5: press both together and...

photo 1: trim to the size of the cardboard.

photo 2: spray foam sheet and the underside of the material

photo 3: bond so that there is a cardboard sheet on the bottom, then a foam sheet in the middle, and a layer of material on the top. Trim so there is about 1.5-2cm excess of material. Spray the cardboard along the edges for approx 2cm where the material will be folded.

photo 4: trim the corners at 45deg. with about 1mm excess at the corner. When you fold the material, this will cover the corners of the cardboard.

photo 5: the material can be folded over where the glue is along the edge of the cardboard, as the material already has glue on it, particular attention is paid to the folding at the corners, and any overlap is trimmed so there is only 1 layer of material anywhere.

photo 1: the insert can be dropped in, but I put a good smear of glue stick glue on the base of the box or tray, especially in the middle to keep the cardboard insert in place if it is slightly loose, and to hold the middle down if it starts to bow upwards. You don't have to cover all of the base with glue, just strategic spots.

If you need to get the inserts out again, use a sharp point (needle, nail etc) that you can put a small hook in, so you can carefully ease it in at the side and lift from there.

more soon. (Sorry if this is old hat, I haven't had much time to finish this post - nearly done now)

Glad to see this thread continue.

The extra 1 mm on the felt mitres are a good tip. I've been stung by cutting the felt exactly to the corners.

Have the boxes already got a solid bottom before insterting the felt panels?

Zenwood,

The extra is for the material lining as it is folded over and you don't want cardboard corners showing, the felt lining I cut to the corners exactly as it is not folded under (too thick), but then my cardboard insert was the exact size needed.
I used adhesive backed (peel and stick) felt which I think is a little more flexible that straight felt, and it would "spread" ever so slightly, so if you were worried there would be a slight gap, trimming the felt 0.5mm bigger that the cardboard is OK, and there would be a slight give in the felt fibres to hide minute gaps.
The trick appears to be to get the cardboard the exact size you need first.

Yes the box is complete at this stage, so it goes on the wood panel at the bottom of the box or the tray.

Hope that is clear.

Chris

Finishing.

I have been using Danish Oil with 25% gloss polyurethane added for finishing, with a coating of UBeaut wax to top it off. With open pored wood like this Aust. Red Cedar, the grain is far from filled, which is the look I was after. I wanted it glossy enough to see the figure and changes in light from the wood, but I wanted it to look natural.
The problem with this is when you use a white wax.

pic 1: If you look at the lid, you can see that the pores have a white look, since the wax is white, and as sufficient wax is visible in the deeper pores, you see it as it is in the jar.

pic 2: my solution (and the solution of many before me) is to colour the wax with a few drops of solvent based stain. For matching the red cedar I used a mixture of walnut and cedar, and it literally is a few drops in the small jar. Worked beautifully, and the wax finish buffed with a swansdown mop is shmick mate.

Chris, this is a great project and you have done a very good job. Congratulations.

Colouring the wax is another great tip. I've learned heaps from this thread, so thanks for a superb WIP.

Whenever I've tried buffing with a swansdown mop, I sometimes find that the mop fibres get caught in the grain. I've assumed this is because I've not sanded finely enough, or perhaps it's that the mop is too new. (This is after the trick of using a hacksaw blade to get rid of the brand-new mop's fine fibres.) I'm wondering if you had any similar problems?

Zenwood,

Yes I get the occasional fibre, but being white against wood, it's fairly obvious. Did the hacksaw blade trick, but even so, you would think it had snowed on the workbench after the first couple of boxes. Much less now.
I sanded to a worn 400grit, then 3-4 coats of oil/polyu mix, with sanding between coats if needed (not very often), so it's fairly smooth before waxing. Edges still catch fibres though. Still better that buffing by hand

Chris

Brilliant thread Chris, the boxes look great.

I've learn't so much from this post, thankyou.

Cheers,

Evan