Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part Final

Hello,

Well, this is it! The final installment of the duo of boxes. In this part I will be applying a finish and putting on the final touches.

The finish I'm applying is a tough wearing tung oil. It also gives the walnut a warm finish and makes the grain really come alive.

After the finish has cured for a couple of days, it is now safe to handle without getting finger smudges on the fresh finish. I apply a rich brown felt to the bottom of the jewelry box and the upper tray. The make up box will simply have a nicely finished wooden interior. I also reattach all the brass hardware to finish everything off.

I really enjoyed this project and I hope you did too!

Please stay tuned for the reveal.

Thanks for looking!

Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 9

Hi Everyone,



It's hardware time! This is a true sign that we are getting very close to the finish line. In this part I will be installing the hinges, the chains etc. and I will also start construction of the upper trays.



I usually cut the shallow mortises for the hinges using a hand held router and then square the lines with a sharp chisel. This time I'm trying something new. I'm using a router table with stop blocks on either side of the router bit, to control the length of the cut, which precisely fits the hinge leaves.






Notice that the router bit leaves a round corner? I simply use a chisel to square the corners to fit the hinge better.

I also went ahead and installed the chain to keep the lid from flopping backward. Since the box will have an upper tray, I also attached some wooden risers on the interior of the box. Notice the rabbet cut on the riser on the chain side of the box? This rabbet will act as a stop, which will prevent the tray from sliding side to side and hitting the chain.

The trays will have simple mitered corners with splines for reinforcement. At the table saw with the blade tilted at 45 degrees to cut the miters.

A closeup of the grooves I cut to house the bottom panel of the tray.

Please join me next time for part 10 when I will be constructing the dividers of the trays.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - Part 7 final

Hi Everyone!

Well, this is it! Finishing time!

I have treated the inside of the box a little bit differently than the outside. I applied several coats of a water based brush on finish on the inside and on the outside of the box I applied 5 coats of a penetrating oil finish. I do this solely because the oil finish have a tendency to maintain a lingering unpleasant odour when it is applied to an enclosed space, such as the insides of boxes, drawers and cabinets.

I choose to treat the outside of the box with a penetrating oil finish, because it brings out the natural grain and color of the wood and leaves the surface with a nice hand-rubbed finish.

After I waited for the box to cure for about a week, I replaced all the hardware and attached some clear pads on the bottom of the box to finish it off.

That is it for this project! I think it turned out great. Please come back next time for the reveal.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - Part 6

Hello,

In this part I will concerntrate on finishing off the box, by doing some final sanding, attaching hardware such as the brass stop hinge, the latch and also attaching the solid brass handle.

In the last part I cut away the lid from the box bottom. Since I left that little sliver I had to complete the seperation by using a handsaw. The picture above shows the seperated parts, with the rough edge left behind.

The way I clean the rough edge left by the handsaw, is by roughly flushing the egde with a chisel or block plane and then cleaning the edges further with sandpaper. My trick for getting a perfectly flat edge is the take the piece to sandpaper instead of taking sandpaper to the piece. I simply attach a full piece of sandpaper to a perfectly flat surface by using temporary bond spray adhesive. You could use a flat board of mdf or better yet a piece of thick glass.

After all the edges of the lid and box bottom were sanded flat, I then routed a shallow recess to house the stop hinge. I mark the outline of the hinge on the edge by using a sharp marking knife. I then free hand the recess using a palm router with a straight bit, staying well away from the layout lines. Finally I square the recess with a chisel.

After the hinge is attached I then find the center of the front of the box. This will help me position the latch right on the center line. The nice thing about this type of latch is, it has points which lined up nicely on the center line.

Finally I positioned the handle on the lid and drilled holes for the screws. I made sure I clamped a scrap block of wood on the inside of the lid, to prevent the drill bit from causing awful tearout as the bit exits the other side.

Hang in there! We're almost there!

In the 7th and final part of this project I will be applying a finish to the box, so please return!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - Part 1

Hi Everyone!

The next project I will be working on is a sweet recipe box which will hold standard 4" x 6" cards. It all started with a request to upgrade a current recipe box and to personalize it with a monogram J surrounded by an Alberta rose. The Alberta rose is a wild rose and it is the official foral emblem of the Province of Alberta in Canada, where my client resides.



I presented a couple of sketches to my client and she chose the one pictured above. I think it will add a great focal point to the front of the box. The box will be made out of cherry wood, which will age beautifully. The box corners will be joined with finger/box joints and I will show you how that is done using the miter gauge and a simple jig on the table saw. The box will be topped with a solid brass flip handle and a fancy brass latch on the front of the box will secure everything inside.

With every project I "sticker" the project lumber and allow it to acclimatize to the workshop for at least 3 days. Sticker is just a fancy word for the sticks in between each layer of wood. This just allows air to reach both the top and bottom of the boards.

In the next part I will cut the parts to length and start with the joinery, so please stop by for part 2.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part Final

Hi Everyone!

Well I am finally done with the netbook cherry wood box! The last week I spent oiling the box with a Danish oil finish. I also finished the box off with a rich plush felt liner to cushion the netbook while it is stored and especially during travel.

I applied about 5 coats of the oil finish over about a week's time. Notice the difference between the unfinished cherry to the left and the cherry with one coat of oil applied to the piece on the right. I love using an oil finish to bring out the natural beauty and richness of the wood's color and grain. Although the cherry is still a bit light in color, over time it will age to a nice reddish tone making the contrast of the maple splines pop even more.

The inside of the box received a felt liner to cushion the netbook. The felt was a breeze to apply because it already had a peel and stick backing. All I had to do was cut the felt parts to the exact dimensions of the inside of the box. I first applied the bottom and then proceeded to apply the sides.

After the felt was applied, I re-attached the stop hinge and the latches. I did however had to clear the dried oil from the screw holes with a drill bit.

I am happy with how the box turned out and I hope my client will be as well.

Thanks for joining me!

Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 5

Hi Everyone,

Well, we are almost there! It is starting to look like a great little box.

In this part of the project I focused on installing all the hardware, like the stop hinge and the latches. I prefer to install all hardware before I apply a finish in case I run into any issues. It is easier to deal with an issue while the box is still unfinished.

I had to cut a mortise on the back edges of the box parts to receive the stop hinge. This is a great little hinge if you want to keep the lid from flopping backwards. It will automatically stop the lid at about 100 degrees. I could have also used a lid stay with regular hinges, but it was not feasible in this application, since the box is meant for storing sensitive computer equipment.

I cut the mortise using a palm router equipped with a 1/4" straight router bit. I marked out the exact measurements of the hinge onto the box and just free-handed the mortise with the router. I stayed well away from the layout lines and just went in afterward to clean up the mortise with a bench chisel.

I then placed the hinge into the mortise to mark the screw holes. To accurately drill these holes I used a drill press instead of a hand held drill.

When all the holes were drilled I screwed the hinge in place to check the fit of the lid on the bottom part of the box. A great tip for driving in fragile brass screws is to lubricate the hinge with some beeswax. The screw will drive into the hole much smoother and it also will prevent the screw from snapping off into the hole. Believe me I have done it quite a few times and it is not a pleasant sight or an easy fix!

After I was happy with the fit of the box parts, I then attached the two brass latches. I think these latches adds a great finishing touch on a beautiful cherry wood box and it functions well.

In the final part I will be focusing on applying a finish and lining the box with a plush felt.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry Wood Box

Hi Everyone,

Well, the sideboard is done and delivered and now I am on to the next custom order.


With the rapid advance of technology, nowadays you can take your computer with you everywhere...on a boat, a plain, a train, the rest room...well you get the picture. But with that ability comes a concern of how to safely carry it from place to place, without damaging sensitive parts. I have been asked to make a custom cherry wood box with a latch to safely store and carry a newly acquired netbook. It always amazes me how they get a ton of technology into such a tiny space! This netbook measures a whopping 1 1/2" high, by 6 1/2" deep, by 9" long! Wow, what will they think of next...a computer screen that operates with a simple touch :)


The box itself will be constructed using a simple mitered joint, which will then be reinforced with nice contrasting maple splines. It will have two locking latches in the front to keep the netbook securely tucked away in the box. It will also have brass stop hinges, so when the box is opened the lid will stay in place at about a 100 degree angle. To cushion the netbook, I will use a plush rich chocolate brown felt to line the inside of the box.


Boxes are deceptively difficult to construct. Because of it's small size every aspect of the box will be scrutinized and any flaw will be magnetized. So I have to make sure that my joints are nice and tight and that my finish is flawless. This is of course the end result I strive for in all the pieces I make...big or small.


The construction of the box has already begun, so I will be posting in progress pictures very soon. Please come back for part 1 of the netbook box construction.


Thanks for looking!


Roshaan

One-on-one workshop with Lesley

Hello Everyone,

I had a great opportunity to teach a one-on-one woodworking workshop from my modest yet organized garage shop. This workshop was to be a birthday gift for the sister of a great friend of mine. Btw...what a great birthday gift idea! Please take note for future reference :)

Lesley was an ideal student since she had a great passion for anything handmade and she was willing to learn in a very short amount of time. I have to give her credit for sticking with me to the very end of a fun but exhausting 8 hour day. At the end of the day she went home with a great token of her hard work...a lovely keepsake box made out of hard maple with a cherry wood scroll sawn top.

I gave Lesley a few scroll saw patterns to choose from, and she immediately gravited to the elegant, yet intricate dragonfly design. The design was a bit ambitious for a beginner, but I told her she had to be happy with the design since she was planning to keep the box for a very long time. The box sides was mitered which was then further enhanced with cherry splines. Splines not only add strenth to the joint but also dresses up a simple mitered box. There are no visible hinges, because the lid opens with the aid of 1/8" diameter brass pivot pins which is glued with epoxy into drilled holes in the sides of the box.

At the end of the day Lesley was extremely pleased with what she accomplished in such a short amount of time and so was I. I hope she will enjoy the keepsake box for a very long time and will keep it in the family for many more years to come.


Roshaan