to build four jewelry boxes as Christmas gifts. Ive tentatively picked out some scraps, and Ive drawn up some dimensions. Most of it is in my head, and thats a scary thought. Theres some oak, cypress and walnut in there.

Jewelry boxes? Are all the people getting gifts women?


Don't listen to her. Us men would enjoy a nice box to put our EDC in. Knife, wallet, watch, flashlight and maybe car keys. Something masculine. Lined with red or green velvet as nice as a new pool table. Nickel plated brass or polished brass for the hardware.

All girls. Oak sides cut and a few passes on the jointer. Its dado time for the finger joints. Thinking 1/4 inch.

That's a good start. Can you posting progress pictures?

Thanks

Yes please on the posting and steps. It would take me that long to make one much less four. You have selected some good wood choices and am looking forward to how each one looks when finished.

Also you never said what she offered.

I love wooden boxes. I have made a few, I have never figured out finger joints. I would really like to learn dovetail joints. Maybe someday


MO

This is really cool-
They will treasure that gift you made instead of purchased-

I'll post as I go. I've got a couple of ideas in my head about how to do the lid and the base, which I need to nail down before I dado the ends for finger joints. I'm thinking to dado for the base to where it sits above the bottom of the sides. That way if I decide to do some sort of legs, the glue joints will be hidden by the sides. The lid I was thinking to double dado so that it is inset in the top. However, I'm not sure how that will work with the finger joints. What I may do is have the lid front and back exposed and the sides of the lid covered with the sides of the box. That means the lid sides would be hidden and the back and front exposed. That way you would be able to open it without hardware and I could use dowels for the hinges. Plus I think it would look better than just the lid sitting on top of the box.

Jig and test run on pine before I ruin the oak.

Where is the cat?

Trans leak soaker upper.

And the oak.
I've already made several noob mistakes. I'm sure there will be more. Oh well. Rome wasn't built in a day. And box joints. Theyre box joints.
So next I'll cut the base and place it in the grooves I cut on the inside. Then its clamp and glue time. Then the top and feet. Sand and poly. Almost done.
[quote][/quote]

We be gluing. I plan to glue these two pieces together for the top. Walnut in the middle or the outside. Im leaning the middle. And the reason all my shiis looks wore out is because it is. Wife wont let me have any good stuff.

Gluing up the the base and lid. Cypress and walnut waiting in the wings for box 2 and 3. Ill probably do butt joints on the next one.

Making progress. Clamping the inside tray.

that's cool. I couldn't do that if you gave me 10 years to make one. I can barely use a hammer

Number 1 is done except for poly and felt on the trays(wifes job). What I believed to be walnut is (I think) purplewood. Ive started number2. It will be purplewood with an oak strip in the lid.

That is really nice work there.

I really like it. What dimensions did you use?

My targeted dimensions without the lid were 10 X 6 X 4. I cut heavy to allow for the planer and jointer. The actual dimensions ended up thusly:
Finished without the lid:
OD L9 15/16 X 6 X H3 7/16
ID L8 3/16 X W4 7/16 x D2 3/4

The next one will measure differently. It's not somehting I plan. It's working with the wood I have available. I don't have quite enough of the purplewood to do a complete lid, so I'll incorporate a small center strip of oak. So far the dimensions for this second one are:
without the lid
OD9 1/4 X 7 3/8 X 3 5/8h this height dimension will go up when I add the feet)
ID 8 3/8 x 4 7/16 x 3 5/8D (this depth dimension will go down when I add the inside base.

Whew: That's a lot of number typing.
Thanks for the kind words from all. Started the poly on number one and wife picked up black felt. Hopefully finished with one tomorrow. Hoping to also have the sides cut for three and four tomorrow and maybe the lid for two jointed and in glue up.

One is done.

Whoever is getting that, it's going to one best gifts they'll ever get.


Excellent work, Mr Malibu!

Thank you sir. Only three more to go.

Going to be a copy cat next week. Thank you and my stepdaughter will thank you when she gets it for Christmas.

Look great. What kind of finish did you use on it?

How is the second one going? Following so I can steal some ideals.

You will need some sort of lid support system. I made this one out of stainless wire leader and s couple of small eye screws.

Really nice work. More creative than I could ever attempt.

One of my clients makes these: www.boscobox.com if you're looking for a little additional inspiration.

His wife got tired of the ugly metal gun box sitting on the nightstand so he went to his wood shop and prettied it up and now does these as a side business as he was pretty $$$ off to start.

Heres a before and after of some oak. Ill use the “before” part for the lid of one.
I have the sides for the next three cut and planed. Time to close the garage and start gluing.

Going for tge lapjoint look on this one.

When only the weight of a small vise will do. Whatever it takes lol.

I have a lot respect for what you do. A life event left me terrified of a table saw. Not afraid to admit it either.

I would love to have the tools to do that kind of thing. I'm not sure sure I do the quality of your work, but would like to!

Lots of respect for that table saw too. And the mitre and bandsaw. But I try to work safe and sometimes just don't do the operation and find a work around if I can. The one tool, though, that probably gives me the most pause at times is the drill press. Its danger in the shop is underrated I feel. I try to clamp stuff down on that thing but the base design doesn't lend itself well to using clamps.

Sure you could. I use lots of sandpaper. And a good ruler.

The three boxes and two of the lids are ready for sanding.
Ill make a third lid out of this hunk of oak tomorrow..

Nice work.

Thank you for the kind words.
Heres a before and after the planer with that last piece of oak.

Guess thanks to your pictures I need to get a small planer. Been using a belt sander to get to get rid of the aged wood but yours looks so much better. I really like the corners and the top edges that are rounded. Keep showing your steps and progress.

Planer also helps taking out some high spots. Thinner wood will flex though. Jointer helps in that case but it’s a fine touch sometimes. Well thats it for the day. Gotta hop on the bike and visit my mom. Heres a pic of yhe three new boxes in sanding/fine tuning stages with the finished one staring me
down saying, “you better hurry up”.

That purple heart looking wood is going to look sharp! I like that.

Any update?

If Mr Malibu wasn't under a deadline. I bet he could build the same thing but with more detail. French polish or some other hand rubbed finish. Inlays using piano keys.

Artists always keep the best stuff for themselves. Even having to slam them out, they're top notch.

Building trays and feet today. Hoping to get the first coat of varnish tomorrow. Heres a neat trick when cutting thin stuff on the table saw.

Heres where we are at today. Still have a bunch of sanding to do. The second pic is of a tray gluing up. Wife decided the three smaller units will go to the daughters and the larger to her sister.They both lost their mother when they were young and her sister’s husband was killed in Iraq. Perhaps she can use the box to keep some of those memories rather than as a jewelry box. As such, I will not need to build a tray for it.

Gluing the bases in. WIT lol.

Last tray glue up. No 45’s on this one. Less time and glue up is easier.

First coat of poly on two of the boxes. Setting the hinges and lid stop on the third.

All the gang’s here. Two coats on the two and a first coat on the third. Third coat will go on at 3 and 5.

And the stamp.

Thats one.

Well there they are. Four boxes ready for Christmas tomorrow. Merry Christmas to you and yours everybody.

Merry Christmas, Mr Malibu!


You did an excellent job. Best gifts a person can give. I hope the folks getting them will cherish them and remember you for lives to come.

Thank you sir. I have a new project in mind. A clamshell flybox. It will be like making a cutting board but each strip will be cut to make the hollow and then glued together. Thats whats in my head anyway. Brass hinges. Maybe stainless springloaded hinges. Questionmark on that part.

Wall gun rack in that purple you used. Two or three spots for rifles. Lots of figure work. Near polished hand rubbed. I've worked a cabinet shop. I made drawers. Until the table saw kicked back a ¼" drawer bottom. Threw it into my gut. Didn't get my fingers. This saw had a cast iron top. Ran three belts and had a motor the size of a five gallon bucket. There was no slowing it down. If I hadn't been wearing overalls, it would have gotten Me baaad. Never again.

After that, I haven't touched a table saw. Don't care if it's the job sight jobber. No way. I can float the wood to help. But I cannot use a table saw.

I can dreams of thing for you to do. Things I can't. Respect.

It would have to be for miniature rifles. This is all I have left lol.

Knife display stand. Or....wrist watch stand. Single watch or multiple.

Yes sir. And I have a custom knife that would work well for that. But, my duaghter took that piece and had me sign it. I said, "I don't want to sign something I didn't make." But I did. With love.

Fantastic woodwork and something they will cherish.
Vergil would be proud of you and your work.
Merry Christmas.

Sometimes I think he is still practicing his craft. Thank you for the compliment, but Ill never measure up. Impossible to do. Merry Christmas to you as well KB