Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 8

Hello Everyone!

The boxes are really taking shape now. I will continue with the glue-up and separate the lid from the bottom in this part.

As soon as each corner is glued and any waste cleaned up, I can insert the top inlaid panel and the bottom panel in the grooves.

Now all I have to do is spread some glue on the remaining corner joints and bring the two halves together. Notice how I have the glue blocks already taped in place so I'm not scrambling around later to find some. Organization is truly important in any glue-up

The box snugly in clamps and just waiting for a cure :)

After the glue has dried and the sides cleaned up, I cut the lid apart from the body of the box. I make sure not to cut all the way through to prevent the parts from binding and causing a safety hazard. I just leave a sliver of wood between the lid and the body and use a hand saw to complete the separation.

At the bench using a sanding base to flatten the top edges of the box and lid.

Well that's all for now folks! Please stay tuned for part 9!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 4

Hello,

Welcome back for part 4 of the duo of boxes! In this part I will be veneering the bottom piece of the make-up box and I will also cut some stopped grooves and through grooves on all box sides using only a single blade in the table saw.

Before I cut the grooves to house the bottom panel of the box, I first veneer the bottom panel to determine the width of the groove to ensure a nice snug fit. Here I use a fairly straight grained walnut veneer sheet to be glued to a baltic birch substrate. I use baltic birch because it is a high grade plywood product that is flat and stable. I wouldn't for instance use a highly figured piece of fir ply since the grain will telescope through the thin veneer sheet.

To ensure a full veneer to substrate contact I employ quite a few clamps, some thick cauls as well as beefy glue bases. I do prefer to use white glue because it has a thin glue line and it also offers a longer working time.

After the bottom piece is removed from the clamps, I simply use a sharp utility knife to cut away the excess veneer along all sides. I then measure the thickness of the piece to determine the width of the grooves to be cut on the table saw.

I make sure to cut stopped grooves on the tail boards and through grooves on the pin boards. Stopped grooves are essential to prevent unsightly holes on the outside of the box.

One negative aspect of stopped grooves is that you have to square the ends to ensure a perfect fit of the bottom panels. This is easily done with a few sharp chisels and wooden mallet.

Well that is it for part 4! Please join me next time when I will show you how to shape the bottom of the box sides to add some flair!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Heather's Netbook Cherry wood box-Part 2

Hi All,

In this part of the project I will focus on the assembly of the box. I will discuss cutting the grooves into the box sides and the method I use to glue up the box. So please join me for part 2!

After the miters were cut on all side pieces of the box, I returned the blade to a 90 degree angle. I then set up the blade to the exact width and depth of the grooves to be cut into the top and bottom edges of the sides. These grooves will house the top and bottom panels of the box. I always make sure to make test cuts into an extra piece first, to fine tune the fit of the panels into the grooves. After I found the perfect fit, I then went ahead and cut the grooves into the finished pieces.

Before any glue-up I dry fit all the pieces to see if everything is fitting as it should. The easiest and most effective method I use for assembling miters is the clear packing tape method. First I lay all the sides with the miters facing down on a flat surface. I then butt all the corresponding miters end to end. With the pieces of packing tape already cut to length I then place a piece of tape firmly over each joint also making sure the top edges are lined up. Then I flip the assembly so that the miters are now facing up. I spread glue onto all the miters, but before I closed the joints, I inserted the panels.

I then proceed to wrap each miter onto the next to close all the miters around the panels as seen in the above photo. You might ask yourself, but what about accessing the inside of the box? Well, I have a great trick to seperate the top from the bottom at a later stage.

For extra clamping pressure, I use a band clamp. I then set the assembly aside to cure for about 30 minutes.

In the next part, I will concerntrate on the corners of the box, so stay tuned for part 3!

Thanks for joining me!

Roshaan

Cherry Blossom Sideboard Part 3

Hello All,

Since I completed the side assemblies in part 2, I was now ready to cut some stopped dadoes ( grooves going across the grain) to hold the bottom and the middle shelves... and rabbets ( a long notch at the top edge of the side assembly) to hold the sub-top.

For this operation I used a hand held plunge router. Since accuracy is very important I had to come up with a way so that these dadoes and rabbets will line up precisely in both pieces. I simply ganged and clamped both sides together, so that I can set up a fence across the whole assembly to rout out perfectly alligned dadoes and rabbets (as seen in top photo).

With a little fine tuning the shelves and sub-top fit quite nicely. The last photo shows all the completed cuts in both corresponding sides. The next step will be to rout a rabbet along the back edges of the sides and top and bottom to receive the back. I will also cut some dadoes into the top and bottom pieces to receive the center gable or divider. Be sure to tune in next time for part 4!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

Cherry Blossom Sideboard Part 2

Hello Everyone,

Well, I am making some progress on this project. I just completed the side assemblies, which consists of the legs, the top and bottom rails and side panels. I used mortise and tenon joinery to attach the rails (the horizontal top and bottom parts) to the legs and I then went ahead and cut a 1/4" deep groove into the legs and rails to receive the side panels. Since the panels and the rails were both 3/4" thick I had to cut a rabbet (notch) along all the edges of the panels to fit into the 1/4" thick groove. This also adds a nice reveal on the outside of the assembly.

The series of photos shows the steps in the order that it was completed.

The top photo shows all the parts layed out exactly how it will eventually be

assembled and glued together. The second photo shows the detail of the joinery including the rabbet along the edges of the side panel. Below that we have a photo of the glue-up of all the parts. I use t-stands to elevate the assembly, for easy gluing and clamping. And voila!...we finally have the side assembly of the sideboard. I will eventually taper the legs after I have cut all the joinery on the inside face of the side assemblies.

It truly is a great feeling to see the outcome of a whole bunch of parts scattered on your bench! I am sure that most woodworkers will agree when I say that the glue-up is the most stressful part of any woodworking project.

But we all love the rush!

Roshaan