Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 6

Hello Everyone!

I think this part is quite exciting since I have not done any inlay or more specifically marquetry before. I have not used one power tool or woodworking machine to do this operation! The only tool that was mechanical was my pencil :) It is strictly done by hand using only a very sharp utility knife, some carbon paper and of course my pencil. Let's begin!




I make sure I have a clean copy of the design...in this case the raven design. I first make sure to make small registration marks to easily align the drawing at each stage. I start by transferring the outline of the raven onto some nicely figured cherry veneer by placing carbon paper under the drawing. I carefully cut out the outline of the raven making sure to keep the knife perpendicular to the surface of the veneer sheet. I then take some nice contrasting walnut veneer and place it behind the cutout shape. After I am happy with the placement, I tape the walnut veneer in place with a couple strips of masking tape. I carefully trace the outline by making a light scoring cut with my knife making sure not to go all the way through in one pass. I then remove the walnut veneer to complete the cut.

After I am happy with the fit of the shape I then use white glue to glue the shape in place. I use a few strips of masking tape on the back of the piece to keep everything in place. I reposition the drawing by using my registration marks to transfer details of the body into place.

Now it is just a matter of cutting out a window by following the lines and replacing the cutout with a contrasting piece using the method used earlier.

After the body is complete, I again use the registration marks to position the drawing to transfer the reeds into place. I chose a contrasting maple veneer to add some depth and interest to the piece. One trick I learned was to reinforce the back of the veneer with masking or veneer tape whenever you are dealing with fragile parts, such as the points of the tops of the reeds.

It's really starting to take shape! Just a few more reeds to go!

I think my first attempt at marquetry was a great success. I had so much fun with it, I think I might sneak in an inlay or two in all my projects from now on ;)

Please stop by next time for part 7!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - The Reveal

Hello,

Well here it is! The Alberta Rose Recipe Box! This box was delivered to the client and I am happy to say that she is very satisfied :)

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 4

Hi All,

In this part of the project I will focus on scrolling out the rose design. I will be using the drill press equipped with a 1/16" diameter drill bit to drill the blade entry holes. I will also cut a walnut backer piece to insert into the recess that was routed out in part 3. So let's get started!

As you will soon see, all interior cuts in a particular pattern or design requires a hole for the scroll saw blade to be threaded through. This rose design is no different. I do recommend that you use a drill press instead of a hand held drill to perform this task. A drill press will give you much better accuracy and ensures that the hole is drilled at a perfect right angle to the work piece. This accuracy is very important with a delicate design such as this. I always use a scrap backer piece to prevent awful tearout at the back of the piece.

For this design I used a # 2/0 blade since the cuts are so fine. I always like to start with the most delicate cuts first, if at all possible. It's always a good idea to leave larger surface interior cuts for the very last.

Voila! Here we have the finished rose cut-out! Not too shabby huh?

Now to the back of the cut-out. Remember the recess I cut in an earlier part? Well now would be a good time to fill it. I cut a nice piece of contrasting walnut to the exact dimensions of the opening on the tablesaw.

However, before I was ready to glue it in place I had to clean up the back of the cut-out. I simply got rid of any burrs by giving the back a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper.

Well that's about it for this part. Please return for part 5 of the Alberta Rose Recipe Box, when I will be ready for the big glue up!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - Part 3

Hi Everyone,

I am making great progress on the recipe box. In this part I will share how to rabbet the top and the bottom parts. Also how to create a routing template to rout out a recess on the inside face of the front part of the box. And finally how to transfer the rose pattern onto the front.

Since we have cut grooves on the inside faces of all sides in part 2, we will be cutting rabbets onto the top and bottom parts to slip into those grooves. The rabbets are simply cut on the table saw using a dado stack and an auxillary wooden fence. I use a wooden fence so that I can bury the dado blade under the fence to get a clean and accurate rabbet.

Since I wanted the rose cut-out to pop, I had to figure out how to introduce a contrasting backer piece to the front. I could have simply applied a full piece of contrasting wood to the inside, but then you will be able to see the contrast on the top edge of the box when it is opened. I wanted a clean and crisp look to all the edges of the box. The best solution was to rout a recess on the inside face of the front where the rose design will be cut. This is easily done by using a routing template, a router, a straight bit and a template guide and bushing set. First I made a simple template out of 1/4" thick mdf. The method pictured above is the most accurate way to create a perfectly square recess.

I then used double stick tape to attach the template to the front piece of the box. I made sure to attach the template to the inside face of the front. I proceeded to rout the recess moving the router in a clockwise direction. I also made sure to make a couple shallow passes, instead on one deep one, which will cause the router and the bit to work extra hard and be a more dangerous operation.

After I made sure that all the routed edges of the recess was nice and smooth without any bumps, I carefully removed the template. I squared up the rounded corners of the recess with a chisel.

I then transfered the edges of the recess with a pencil and square to the outside face of the front. This gave me a reference point for careful placement of the rose pattern. I then used carbon paper to transfer the pattern onto the front. I also had to keep in mind the placement of the latch when I transfered the pattern.

Well that's it for part 3! Please join me next time for part 4!

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- the reveal

Well, here is the finished netbook cherry wood box!

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-Part 4

Hi Everyone!

The project is really coming together! In this part I will be finishing the top and bottom of the box.

The above photo shows the box basically cut right in half. Notice the little lip that was left during the cut. I got rid of the lip by using a block plane to flush up the edges. I then further cleaned up the edges by sanding it with various grits of sandpaper. Rather than bringing sandpaper to the piece I brought the piece to the sandpaper. I made a sanding base by using a true and flat surface and a full sheet of sandpaper which I attached to the base using temporary spray adhesive.

Remember the panels for the top and bottom I was working on in the first part of this project? Well, since then I cleaned up the panels with various grits of sandpaper and cut it to size using my invaluable shopmade miter sled. Every woodworking shop needs one of these. If made properly, this one tool can yield great accuracy.

After the panels were cut to size, I cut a slight bevel on the edges of the panels. This will give an all around nice reveal as well as prevent the edges from snagging on anything causing aweful chip out.

I then used a couple of spacers to hold the panels in place while the glue sets up. Notice the nice reveal created by the cutting the panel about 1/4" smaller than the inside surface to the top and the bevel further enhances the reveal. I used a maple substrate to create the nice contrasting reveal. This reveal will also complement the contrasting maple splines on the corners of the box.

Bring on the clamps!!! You can never have too many clamps!

In the next part I will focus on installing all of the box hardware. We are almost there! So, join me next time for part 5!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 3

Hi Everyone!

In this part I will be focusing on strengthening the mitered corners of the box. I favour using contrasting splines on the corners, not only for strength but for aesthetics as well. I will also illustrate the method I use for separating the lid from the bottom of the box.

To safely cut the spline slots on the box corners I used a shop made carrier that cradles the box securely while it slides agaist the table saw fence and over the saw blade. I simply used the thickness of the saw blade or kerf of the blade, which is usually about an 1/8" thickness.

Since the spline slot is an 1/8" thick, I also made my contrasting maple splines the same thickness. There are variables in play when you are dealing with multiple cuts such as these. Sometimes the vibration of the blade or maybe the movement of the box in the carrier could make the slot wider or smaller. Therefore I always individually fit each spline to each slot and I glue the splines into the slots one at a time.

After the glue dried, I used a flush trim saw to trim the splines, just proud of the box surface. I then flushed up the splines with a chisel using a paring cut. I then sanded the box sides with various grits of sandpaper to a smooth finish.

After I cleaned up the sides of the box, I separated the lid from the bottom using the table saw. This is a great method, when the box lid is flush to the box bottom. There is no way the lid will line up to the bottom when you attemp to build each assembly separately. Since the lid and bottom of the box was the same height, I simply found the center of the sides and split the line in half on the saw blade. To prevent the parts from binding as it comes apart, I did not cut the sides all the way through. I left a little bit of a lip to help keep the box together.


After all the sides were cut in half, I carefully split the box using a hand saw. I took extra care on this step, since I did not want to cut and ruin the edges.

Wow, this project is going by fast! Please stay tuned for part 4!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan