Maple and Purpleheart Valet…improved photography.

This is really beautiful valet. You did great work Douglas.
Really, you and your wife, your valet and your wife’s table runner are perfect match..and I like both!

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Love the dovetail design!

-- Ellen on Cape Cod

good job … dovetails look great

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Beautiful box and details, Douglas. Thanks for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Doug your joinery is excellent.
It makeas a clever design outstanding.

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Outstanding!
Great workmanship Douglas and the contrasting colors really grab your eye.
I like the Soss hinges too.

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

Stunning, Doug! Beautiful, yet masculine at the same time. Now if you had just built in a secret compartment, I think you’d have a contest winner. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Sweet. Nice and crisp. You have really nailed the finishing part of projects, and it shows.

Those barrel hinges seem to be the ticket.

Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

That’s pretty impressive, Douglas. The whole design, the color and the joinery combine to become greater than the sum of the components. Of course, that’s what you intended it to do. Excellent.

-- Thos. Angle

Thanks gentlemen (and lady – welcome to LJs Ellen!).

Charlie: Made for a woman, but strong enough for a man! There’s a little knot in one of the transverse maple elements of the lid. Don’t think I’ll enter the contests this time around. I was knee deep in three separate projects when the announcement rolled out. There’s a Doug Stowe FWW mitered box and another Incra double of another pattern to finish up.

Thanks also to Thos., whose design eye I trust and value as much as I do our friendship.

I also want to single out Andy for his kind comments. Your organic shapes and inset lid boxes are favorites of mine that are beyond my skill to emulate, so it’s especially nice to garner praise from your corner.

I so have to make a lightbox…

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Great looking box Douglas!

I like the choice of woods!

-- I never started a project I couldn't screw up.

WOW, Douglas you have been busy. Beautiful Box!!! I really like your Incra dovetails. The differerent wood combination is beautiful.

-- Dennis Zongker

Looking good Doug!

Thats really nice Douglas! Excellent work as always.

-- When my wife ask's what I have to show for my wood working hobby, I just show her the splinters.

That’s really a nice piece, Douglas! I enjoyed looking at it!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Puts me in a box making mood Doug. Fit and finish are exquisit. Any clues on installing those Barrel hinges?

-- DocK, WV

Gorgeous Douglas, you are the man when it comes to small wooden boxes. I have box envy. Er, you know what I mean. That and your wife’s beautiful artwork are a match made in heaven. GB. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Douglas, that is sweeeet! Nice job. I love the wood combination and design.

And what a treat to live in the same city as Dennis.

Thanks for posting it.

-- Martin, Kansas

Douglas. The box has some sweet lines. The dovetails set off the ends and then panels do to the top.

A great job.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Hey Douglas;

Great job!!!

That’s a beautiful box.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Thanks fellas!

Doc- These are the non-Soss barrels, commonly seen on pen boxes. I just strike a center line on both box and lid, then a line in about a quarter in from the edge. I then used a compass to swing a like distance from center on both pieces. This one I just used the compass point to punch a hole for my brad point to register in. The top of the hinge is set to be less deep than the bottom. I make an effort to avoid sinking that brad point through the lid, setting depth stops on the drill press. If it’s a really thin lid, I have been known to start the hole with a brad point and finish with a twist drill. You gave to chamfer both edges to make the bearing surfaces that stop the lid at 90-95°. Typically you need to chamfer in to the about a third of the diameter of the holes for this to work correctly. Then it’s just press fit with a scant drop of CA or slow set epoxy in the holes, open and shut the lid a few times to make sure everything is functional – and as quick as you can say “Bob’s your uncle”, you’re done.

Next time I get to use my Veritas optical centerpunch

/Norden Bombsight device to set the holes.

Have I mentioned recently how much I love tools?

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Hey Douglas, How much doe’s the Veritas optical centerpunch cost? Looks very cool, looks like something maybe a scientist would use. lol

-- Dennis Zongker

Douglas you did a wonderful job on your box. It is very beautiful and I love the selection of ribbon Mahogany and the accents in Purpleheart….

Love the box great work, my wife is even warming up to Purpleheart wood….

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Dennis – it’s $39.40. But you certainly are welcome to borrow it if you need it.

Thanks Patti – I appreciate your kind words all the more considering the fact that you spend your day surrounded by Zongker pieces in the office and on the shop floor.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

this box is cool. im making a box now my dad talk me into it. He is really into boxes now, because of lumberjocks.

A very nice piece indeed my friend. well done.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Finally broke down and put together a rudimentary light box, which will need some tweaking, but right out of the chute…

Thanks Eric – I think you’ll like box-making and there is someone you can make a jewelry box for!

Thanks also for the visit from down under, Grumpy.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Very well crafted. Nice work!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Much better pics now!

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Thanks, guys. One of the cool finds from scrounging up stuff for the light box: Ott-light screw base compact florescent bulbs. They offer true white light spectrum output so colors are not skewed by the light thrown off by the bulb. Previously they were available only for an Ott-lite fixture sold at art and craft stores – a pricey alternative.
Also available somewhere, but not my local Lowes – blue 300 and 500W replacement Halogens for worklights, which would be a Tim Taylor/Toolman solution for photo lighting. The blue corrects the Halogen’s tendency to skew color to yellow.

I bought the 24×24x24 box at work (no discount for employees!) just because I wanted to avoid any hint of impropriety, but with a free box, and a clamp on light fixture you likely have in the shop anyway, a person can put this together for peanuts ($20 and change back).

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Thanks for sharing with us.
Beside woodworking, I also learn photography here at LJs.

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Nice box Douglas, This and many other LJ’s boxes have sure put a fire under me to build something using
“Woodworking” techniques instead of “Cabinet Making” techniques. ( Now if I could just find the time )
This is very clean and I like your selection of woods, you really do nice work.

Wow, once again I am truely impressed by your work Douglas! Thanks for sharing and again, another Wow
for the updated pics…....... what a difference a light box makes.

In this box you have done a couple of things that I have been thinking about but had some concerns so I will ask your opinion:
1 – In gluing up the lid section and having a “middle” section surrounded by a frame, is there a concern for
wood movement? I am thinking about a box lid about an inch bigger that yours..
2 – I like the simplicity of the 5mm hinges and the fact that they don’t jump out at you with a big brass look.
Do you think that this size of barrel hinge is strong enough for the lid I am thinking about? Assuming 1/2 inch stock..

Thanks for your opinion and also anyone elses…..........

This is a favorite for me

-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/

Gene,
You win the cigar. Sometime between construction of the box in late December and now, with a move into the house, a crack has begun to form at the front of the middle panel. It looks to me that it telegraphs the saw kerfs that house the splines between sections. I am on the fence as to what I would do differently on any future endeavors of this sort. I may have to pick David’s brain.

I could either forgo the splines and just do a edge to edge butt or use the splines without glue in the middle section (they were already less wide than the plough by a sixteenth on each edge). I really did not think wood movement would be this profound in a panel this small.

I will likely sand the top down and try and fill the crack with epoxy or epoxy and sawdust and then re-shellac.

Anyone else opinions here would be greatly appreciated.

I would make a prototype before committing your hallowed humidor to the little barrels. There are also 12mm single barrel hinges that will work well with 5/8 or thicker stock, they just aren’t stopped at 90-95°. I think those back mounted Brussos are a good fit for the lipped humidor approach and are a more robust hinge to boot.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Hey Douglas, I sure was not expecting to hear that you already had a crack show up, what a bummer….....
Maybe David could pass on some words of wisdom to both of us, at least me for sure. I would like to try
to make something like this work for jewelry boxes 12×8….........

I agree that the 5mm barrel would not work for the humidor, but do you think it would work for a jewelry
box 12×8x4 with just a 1/2” thick top?

Because I have already cut in the slots/champher/rabbit for the slot hinges, I will probably have to stick with them for this one,but I am going to add the Brusso lid stay that is mortised into the side and the barrel is glued into the edge of the top. Looks real nice and is very strong. Should add the necessary support for the slot hinges. Next time I’ll go with the back mounted Brussos as you suggested, I really like them.

-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/

Hey Douglas,
If I had the piece in front of me. And asked you a few questions about how you glued it up. Would help a lot. But, my guess is that wood will always expand and contract. And with both purple heart and maple glued together for your width & then some kind of glue joint on the ends of the center panel to the side pieces of the top.

With just a 1/64” of a inch of movement, sometimes could cause a crack. But the big thing in the State of Nebraska, is that when it’s below 0 are around 0 degrees. What very little moisture that’s was in the wood left at a fast rate. The faster the moisture leaves the wood the easer the wood will crack.

Their is a way to fix it with a little labor involved. I have tried this before and it worked on two night stands I made about 25 years ago. Only one of the night stands went back to normal and the other one cracked again.

First Take the top off and strip off the finish. Then with a board with screws drilled threw the board, with the tips up, you can set the box lid on top of the screw heads. So that the top can gain and lose moisture equally. The lid needs to be in a room that has a humidifier on all the time. To bring back the moisture into the top so it can expand again. Also twice a day, very lightly wipe a damp sponge on both sides. When the wood moves back to were it was. You can inject glue with a wood syringe. Then lightly clamp and let dry for 24 hours. Then let your top stay in that room with the humidifier for about a week also don’t wipe any more water on with a sponge. Then you can finish the top. Then put it back into the room with the humidifier for a week. This should work if it doesn’t you can beat the crap out of it. Are you could just make a new top. I hope I helped a little.

-- Dennis Zongker

Looks awesome. Extremely professional. I really like the dark gray background.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Thanks Blake, I picked up some green bristol board too, so it is possible to have the little box appear anywhere in the world, using the same technology that your weather man uses to appear in front of the animated weather map.

Looking forward to producing… Jewelry Box in Space: Houston, we have a problem…

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Doug, I was just thinking about our visit and how much I enjoyed your company, that led me to checking in on your latest projects.

This is a sweet project. Your boxes are always so elegant in design and well crafted, this is no exception.

Don’t under estimate the significance of these projects. They take an eye for design, patience, and skill in order to produce the examples of fine craftsmanship that you end up with.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Thanks, Todd, Coming from you that is high praise indeed. My best to you, Rita and your pups. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 400 days since your visit.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

That box looks great and the the improved photos look great too!!!

-- "Not skilled enough to wipe jam on toast!"

Beautiful work Douglas…

I rarely get to play with flatwork projects anymore, but your project has inspired me to dust off the tablesaw and router… :-) Thanks for sharing!

Steve Russell
Eurowood Werks Studio
The Woodlands, Texas

-- Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry... http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com

lovely little box

Doug

-- God grant me the serenity to accept "design changes" which I can not "fix".

Thanks guys!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.