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!

Alberta Rose Recipe Box - Part 5

Hi Everyone!



Well it's glue-up time! A time when you really see what your joints are made of...or maybe how well your joints are made. In this part I will demonstrate a stress-free way to glue the box joints of the recipe box...well maybe a LESS stressful way to glue-up box joints.

Since there are so many glue surface points when using box joints, it can get a little bit stressful when you have to apply glue to so many surfaces in such a short amount of time. And when you have to bring 4 sides together it can get downright ugly! That's the reason why I do my glue-up in stages. Sure it takes a bit longer, but trust me you'll have your sanity still in tact at the end of it all! And a sane woodworker is a happy woodworker :)

I first made some clamping aides or blocks and it is basically a mitered block fastened to a piece of scrap board as seen above. These aides allows me to bring clamping pressure to the corners where it is most needed.

The photo above shows both sub-assemblies glued and cured.

Now the beauty of this method of glue-up is that I only have 2 corners to worry about instead of 4! The final assembly came together in a snap! Just the way I like it!

After the final assembly is taken out of the clamps I flush the excess material of the box joints using a sharp chisel.

After the box joints have been flushed and the all the box sides have been cleaned up with various grits of sandpaper, I then cut the top away using the tablesaw. Just as I have done in an earlier project, I leave just a sliver of wood to be cut away later with a handsaw.

Well we are almost there! Please come back for part 6!

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