Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 10

Hello,

It's all about making the top trays in the next two parts. I will be cutting stopped grooves on my little Dremel router table and half-lap joints on the table saw. So, here we go!





I love my Dremel tool! It is so versatile and can do pretty much everything bigger machinery can do, but on a much smaller scale. It is perfect for model makers, home owners and for woodworkers like me. Here I have attached my Dremel tool to a router table attachment to cut the 1/8" wide stopped grooves, which will join the cross members of the tray dividers.

Here are all the tray sides layed out to better visualize how the tray and dividers will come together. This tray is meant for the jewelry box and it will have 9 equal sections for rings and things.



Here I am cutting the half lap joints on all the dividers. It is best done on the table saw with a single saw blade instead of a stacked dado set. This method will yield greater accuracy when fitting parts together.

A half-lap is basically two notches going halfway through the corresponding parts and in opposite directions.

I glue up the dividers first before I glue them to the stopped grooves in the tray sides. Now is the perfect opportunity to clean up any glue squeeze-out.

That's it for now! Please come back soon for the continuation of the tray construction.

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

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

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 7

Hi All,

Well, I am quite pleased with how my first attempt at marquetry turned out. I think I will be doing quite a few more in the future :)



After I successfully completed the raven inlay, I cut a substrate made out of a good quality Baltic birch plywood. I like to use this material for a substrate, because it is very flat, without prominent grain (which could potentially telescope through the thin veneer) and very stable. I elevate the whole assembly by using shop-made t-stands underneath. These come in very handy for panel glue-ups or any glue-up for that matter. The elevation just allows for easier clamping.


After the veneered panel has cured, I use a sharp utility knife to trim the excess flush.

Now it is just a matter of cutting the panel to size using my shop-made crosscut sled on my table saw. This sled gives you very accurate results.

I'm sure everyone has seen me use this method of gluing difficult joinery. It is because there are many gluing surfaces to these dovetails and since the wood glue dries very quickly, it makes for a tricky glue-up when 4 corners are involved. Therefore, I prefer to glue the box in stages.

After each corner has cured, I use a block plane to trim the waste flush.

Please join me next time to see how the boxes come together!

We're almost there!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan

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

Raven inlay Jewelry and Make-up Boxes-Part 5

Hi Everyone!



Well, the duo of boxes are really starting to take shape. Speaking of which, in this part I will shape the bottom of the boxes to add a touch of flair to the plain sides.



I start by laying out some lines and curves, first using my nifty ruler stop to mark a consistant line from the bottom edges. I then use a combination square to mark a layout line from the ends of the boards.




With an appropriate sized washer I draw on the shape of the curve. I could have made up a template, but since I only have a few pieces to work with, it was not feasible for me to spend the time. If for instance I had quite a bit to do a template would have been the better way to go.

To save time, I stack two sides together with some double sided tape, making sure that everything lines up. A great allignment tool is a simple shopmade right angle jig to make sure that everything lines up.

A scroll saw is a great tool to cut away the waste. I do make sure that I stay about 1/32" away from the layout lines. I will flush everything up later with a router.

I install a 3/8" diameter straight router bit in my router table to flush up and remove the rest of the waste. I allign the fence an appropriate distance away from the router bit to get the desired curve.

Thank you for joining me for part 5! Please make sure to stay tuned for part 6.

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