"Art Box" Tutorial #6: Whats your style?

Now that we have our lid fitted to the box,we are ready to move onto the medallion.

DO NOT CUT THE LID TO SIZE UNTIL YOU ARE SURE OF THE STYLE OF BOX YOU WANT TO MAKE!

This is where you can get creative.I wet the surface of the box with mineral spirits to get a feel for what it will look like when finished and then start laying my selections across the top.
Contrast is what you are after,either in grain or color or both.

Example On Page # 1 of this series you will find a picture of Rachels Box.It is my most popular box so far.The body is just a plain straight grained Maple and the medallion is plain straight grained Bloodwood.But the combination is very appealing.And notice what the shaping has done to that simple graining.The lines sway in and out like an exotic wood.So,keep that in mind when making your selection.The shaping adds a lot to the overall effect.You dont want too many things going on.Simple is often the better choice.

Feel free to vary the size of your cutout to fit the piece of wood you have selected.A little larger or smaller will work just fine.
Dont worry about having a perfect piece of wood for the medallion,the top of it is going to be ground away by about 1/4’’ to 3/8’’ when we do our shaping.

Just dont cut the medallion to size yet!

First.We need to make a jig to route out a recess in the lid to recieve the medallion.

I will show you how I do it.Feel free to use a method you are comfortable with,or have the tools for.

Make sure your bit is very sharp.Just like we talked about when doing the lid,any tearout along the edge of this cut will show.But….
If you do get some chip out,keep in mind that when you do your shaping, you may be able to grind most of it away.This will become more clear as we progress.

Lets get started:

I typically leave a border of about 1 1/4’’ or so.
Vary this to fit the wood you have for the medallion.Too small will lool lost in the top,and too large will just make it look as if it is the top,not the center piece.

Here I have cut two overlapping layers of 1/2’’ melamine strips 4’’ wide and butted them to the the lid on all four sides,and countersunk screws to attach them to a pice of 3/4’’ ply.This will keep the lid firmly in place.

After marking the position of the medallion,I cut a spacer block exactly that size,and screw that into positionon the lid,exactly where the medallion will be located.Make sure your screws dont go more than 1/2’’ into the lid.Double check your spacing on all four sides.

Now we need to cut some rips to make our jig.I prefer using melamine or mdf because of its consistant thickness,but a good ply will work.
Just make sure the edge the bearing will ride against is smooth and free of any blemishes.Any uneveness in thses edges will of course transfer onto the edge of our recess.
How wide and how thick? That will depend on what cutter you are using.The length of the shaft and where the bearing rides is what will determine the thickness.

FYI: I am using a 3/8’’ pattern bit that has a 1’’ cutter.I am using 2 layers of 1/2’’ Melamine for the jig, and a 1’’ thick piece for the top layer.The thicker top layer allows the bearing a wider face to ride against,thus giving me some height adjustment.It is all attached to a piece of 3/4 plywood.

Spacer is removed,and we are ready to rout.

Routing is completed to a depth of 3/8’’ +/-

Tip To make it easier on your router,take the lid to your drill press and cut away most of the waste using a Forstner bit.

If all goes well,then your spacer should fit into the recess nice and snug.If not,then just smooth the sides up and cut your medallion to fit,using the same process as described for the lid.

Here is the ziggurat,the lid projecting above the body and the medallion above the lid.

Next tutorial will cover cutting pockets for the lid to pivot into.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon