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8K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  MNedman 
#1 ·
The Prototype

I posted a few days ago the prototype design I came up with for a men's valet station. These were to be prizes to be presented at an upcoming golf tournament in November. I asked you all for input and comments on the design and of course I can always count on you guys just for that. The feedback and suggestions were great and have allowed me to modify the design to make it even better.

For those of you who have not seen my submission here is the prototype that I had you all comment on.

I have never done a blog on this site, so I though my journey in developing this valet station would be a great place to start. I plan on doing a series showing the progress from design to prototype to the actual construction of the finished products. I hope you all enjoy this series and perhaps I can do more in the future.

This was the original Build from pine as a prototype. The actual valets will be built from walnut, maple and cherry.



Next the new design, followed by the construction of the design.
 
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#3 ·
The Construction of the first Box

So I started working on the first box tonight. I am working with 1/2" walnut that I ordered from WoodCraft. I had decided to take 1" off the front of the prototype and add 1" in width instead. Now the inside compartment can comfortably hold an iPhone or Droid.

First I ripped the board to 2" wide then proceeded to cut it to 4 pieces each 6" long.



Next I routed out a 1/2" dado for the dividing wall slot.



After routing a dado for the box bottom, I mitered the end at 45 Degrees.



Dry Fitted all the joints.



Next using a Carboard Template I traced on the curve for the front comparment of the box.



Using the scroll saw the curves were cut out.



Instead of using a fabric for the bottom of the box, I decided to use some Burl Veneers to make the boxes 100% wood and add a touch of elegance. Here I am cutting the veneer to size and then clamping it between another piece as it drys.




To assemble the box, I placed pieces of tape between each miter cut so that after I place the veneer plywood in the slot I could fold each piece around it and then hold it together by taping the last two miter together and waiting for it to dry.



Here is the box waiting to dry.


Next will be the continuation of building the box, stay tuned!
 
#6 ·
if you are using photobucket to post the pics, you have to scale them FIRST on photobucket…then copy the link to put them on the blog! (on photo bucket, do not do the quick format, go into "more options" and do it that way)
 
#10 ·
Not Satisfied

Well I finished working on the box, but I am not entirely satisfied with the outcome. I will post the final pictures when I get home later for you all to see.

My prototype box was built from 3/8" pine, the new box is built from 1/2" walnut, I thought the 3/8" width was pretty wide already but now with the 1/2" it just looks real blocky (if thats an actual term).

If I intend to make boxes using the 1/2" thick lumber my boxes are going to need to be much larger, as of right now I cannot use this box as my gift idea because if I am not satisfied with my product, I can never sell or give it as a gift.

I think I will opt for a larger box, that is enclosed, like a more traditional box, without the open compartment in the front. The 1/2" thick divider is too chunky.

Back to the drawing board!! And I also have some clocks in mind.

I will post the rest of the box pictures later.
 
#11 ·
Last steps of construction

As promised the final steps to making the box.

First thing I did is cut the lid by measuring the sides and lengths of the box compartment.
Once I had this cut out I ran two passes through the router to make my grooves for the inlay wood.





Next while the router was still warmed up I ran the box through the router table at a 45 Degree angle to make the splines in the miters. I dont have a dedicated jig built yet so excuse the poor man's feeder.



Once this was done I glued small pieces of Red Oak into the cut splines, let them dry then cut and sanded the excess material.



Now to make the wooden hinge, first I routed a round over on one side of the lid, then I measured 1/2" (thickness of wood) in from the end and left two tails on the lid itself. This was cut out using the scroll saw.



After rounding over all the parts, I taped the lid back in place to drill the holes for the round dowel to go in. For this I used some bamboo kabob sticks from the kitchen.



After some sanding and finishing with some lemon oil, the final product!





 
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