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These will be Christmas presents for my female friends and family members this year. Overall dimensions are 2-3/4"x 5-1/2"x 7-1/2". Materials used were 4/4 cherry and poplar, 1/4" cherry plywood, 1" stop hinges, and black felt for the box bottoms. The finish is 4 coats of lacquer 3 of which were gloss followed by 1 final coat of satin.

In the picture below shows how I put together the lid. I used bridal joints for the frame. The cherry and poplar checkerboard panels are an overlay panel that fits into interlocking grooves in the frame members. I routed the grooves in the frame members and overlay panel about 1/16" deeper to allow for expansion and contraction. The panels are spot glued on the ends only and so they are still able to expand and contract across their widths.
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In the picture below shows the step involving cutting the alternating cherry and poplar glue up into 1" wide strips. Once these strips were cut, then they were glued into the 5 panels. To make the checkerboard effect, every other strip was turned end for end.
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In the picture below shows the boxes getting slots cut for the poplar splines. I divided the box into thirds and cut 2 equally spaced slots.
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The picture below shows the boxes during the finishing stage. In the forefront are the box dividers. The dividers are made from poplar strips that are cut with half laps and glued together as a unit. Each section of the divider is 2" x 2". My thinking here was to make them with simple joinery and make them so they are easily removable. Since these are relatively small boxes the dividers may or may not be practical for the intended user.
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I like the contrast of the poplar and cherry. The checkerboard panels aren't something you would commonly see in a small decorative box and so this added to the fun I had in making them. Thanks for looking!

Gallery

Comments

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Thank you for sharing, very nice…...
 

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Thank you for sharing, very nice…...

- EPJ
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I appreciate your post and compliment…...thank you !
 

· Registered
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Great boxes. The cherry and poplar go well together. Hey, if they were a little bigger we could play chess on them. ha ha
Well done.
 

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Great boxes. The cherry and poplar go well together. Hey, if they were a little bigger we could play chess on them. ha ha
Well done.

- doubleDD
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Now that's funny !.....Thanks for the compliment Dave…
 

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I appreciate the photos, especially the jig you made to cut the slots for the miter splines.

You're going to make some ladies very happy.
 

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Thanks to those that commented and favorited this project. And thanks LJ's for the Daily Top 3…..
 

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I appreciate the photos, especially the jig you made to cut the slots for the miter splines.

You re going to make some ladies very happy.

- bannerpond1
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Thanks Dale for the kind words !....
 

· In Loving Memory
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8,391 Posts
Very nice boxes, I'm sure they will be well received. I like the way you did the lids too.
 

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Very nice boxes, I m sure they will be well received. I like the way you did the lids too.

- stefang
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Thanks for the compliment Mike !
 

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Really nice gifts. Well done on the "how-to". I do like that spline sled you have there as well. Didn't you do a blog on the spline jig??
 

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Very nice, thanks for posting. I really like the checkerboard idea.
 

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Really nice gifts. Well done on the "how-to". I do like that spline sled you have there as well

- Roger
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Appreciate the compliment Roger, thanks !
 

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Very nice, thanks for posting. I really like the checkerboard idea.

- jeffswildwood
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Thanks Jeff….the kind words are appreciated !
 

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those are really nice looking boxes..will make great gifts!!

- turnkey47
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I hope so !.....Thanks for the compliment !
 

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Very nice boxes. I am curious what stops the lid-top in the open position?
 

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Excellent workmanship, thanks for sharing.
 

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Very nice boxes. I am curious what stops the lid-top in the open position?

- 49er
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It's the hinges themselves. They are called stop hinges. By design have a built in stop and these hinges open to a max of 105 degrees. Thanks for the compliment !
 
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