| Project by Wingstress | posted 178 days ago | 753 views | 10 times favorited | 26 comments | ![]() |
![]() |
This was my first marquetry project. I met Jane Burke, www.gtcreations.com, at a woodworking show. I ended up buying her video and a starter kit of veneer. The lid is tiger striped maple veneer with poplar leaves and leopard wood branches. I thought for my first time, it turned out pretty well. I actually had a harder time building the box with the curved front. The box is made from walnut with birdseye maple for the pulls and tray. The interior liner is paduak. The ring holder was made from package foam with a foam top from Michael’s craft store. I just cut 3 slots with a utility knife. I was pleased with how well it worked. It holds rings quite well. I finished the interior with flock. The exterior is finished with 3 coats of tung oil finish and shellac. Tools used, Bandsaw, spindle sander, and router.
I made it for a charity auction for my kids’ school. I’ve never sold anything before, so I had no idea how much to value the box at. I figured I’d start the bidding at $100 with the hope it goes higher…
Thanks in advance for the comments…
-- Tom, Simsbury, CT


































26 comments so far
Betsy
home | projects | blog
2381 posts in 775 days
posted 178 days ago
I’m sure the box will go for more than $100. I wish I had the patience to try marquetry – I admire those who do.
-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.
scrappy
home | projects | blog
1453 posts in 309 days
posted 178 days ago
Beautifull box! Fantastic job on the marquetry. Great job on the curved front. I’m not that brave yet. Still trying to keep my boxes square! :-)
Great choice of contransting woods. All in all a very fine project that I am sure will bring more than the $100 starting price.
The mirror is also a nice added touch. Most jewelry boxes are so small a mirror won’t work good, but yours is a fine addition to the box.
Keep up the great work.
Scrappy
-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!
Jim
home | projects | blog
51 posts in 956 days
posted 178 days ago
Nice job Tom. I still haven’t tried marquetry but seeing this may inspire me! I’m sure the lucky winner will be very happy with it. Kind of you to donate it. Keep up the good work, and thanks for sharing!
-- Jim, www.greenteawoodworking.com
ryno
home | projects | blog
81 posts in 543 days
posted 178 days ago
great looking box. I was wondering about your hinges. I’ve heard that similar ones are very tedious to install. Where did you get yours and were you happy with the installation?
-- It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.
GaryK
home | projects | blog
9496 posts in 867 days
posted 178 days ago
That’s a fantastic looking box all around! Especially the inlays.
I like the quadrant hinges.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
kolwdwrkr
home | projects | blog
2218 posts in 469 days
posted 178 days ago
Very nice job. I look forward to seeing many more. Thanks for sharing.
-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~
a1Jim
home | projects | blog
15600 posts in 456 days
posted 178 days ago
Top notch work beautiful
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
woodworm
home | projects | blog
7845 posts in 469 days
posted 178 days ago
Very very beautiful.
Great work!
-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.
Gary
home | projects | blog
544 posts in 312 days
posted 178 days ago
Beautiful work. $100 would be a steal
-- Gary, DeKalb Texas
majeagle1
home | projects | blog
417 posts in 375 days
posted 178 days ago
Wow, very, very nice !!!
Love the design, the curved front, wood combination, marquetry, quality…......... what else, I Love It!!!
Great job and thanks for sharing.
What are the dimensions and also, what did you use to stick the mirror on without taking off the silvering on the back of the mirror?
tks
-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/
degoose
home | projects | blog
1862 posts in 233 days
posted 178 days ago
Double that n double again says I.
-- Drink once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au
stefang
home | projects | blog
1534 posts in 213 days
posted 177 days ago
A masterpiece. If you look at jewelry boxes on the web you will see that boxes not nearly as nice as yours are going for $1500-$2000 dollars from retailers. Don’t let someone steal it for $100, especially since it is for charity!
-- Mike, American in Norway
Patti
home | projects | blog
51 posts in 305 days
posted 177 days ago
Very beautiful ~~
croquetman
home | projects | blog
82 posts in 200 days
posted 177 days ago
I also had the good fortune of meeting Jane Burke, and buying her starter kit at a woodworking show in Richmond – nearly two years ago. Guess what. Except for moving all that I purchased into a nice box with drawers in my shop, and purchasing a nifty Exacto set (also place in the same box), I’ve yet to make my first marquetry attempt. Chicken! Perhaps. But I think it is lack of creative inspiration. I love your leaves on this box. The green works so very well with the walnut. I’m afraid that after working long and hard on a box, I’ll make a royal mess with the marquetry. Even if it’s technically OK, I’m still anxious that the design will look amateurish. Your design looks perfect. I’m inspired again. Perhaps with rain scheduled for this weekend, I’ll give it a try again. Thank you for sharing this fine example of craftsmanship.
-- Whatever
Billp
home | projects | blog
318 posts in 1079 days
posted 177 days ago
Iam new to marquetry also and if this is your first box you are going to do great things. Thanks for sharing.
-- Billp
stanley2
home | projects | blog
274 posts in 674 days
posted 177 days ago
Tom, very nice work in all aspects and for a charity auction too – good on you.
-- Phil in British Columbia
ND2ELK
home | projects | blog
6065 posts in 653 days
posted 177 days ago
Great looking box. You did a beautiful job on this piece. Excellent craftsmanship. Thanks for posting.
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
rons
home | projects | blog
42 posts in 230 days
posted 177 days ago
Hi Tom, Wow, great job. beautiful box
-- Ron, Michigan
psquared
home | projects | blog
46 posts in 384 days
posted 177 days ago
Gorgeous.
-- When the tide goes out you see who's been skinny dipping.
Wingstress
home | projects | blog
206 posts in 394 days
posted 177 days ago
Thanks everyone so much for the comments. I was really nervous building this one.
Croquetman – I bought that exact same exacto knife and ruler kit. In fact the veneer used on this box came from the veneer pack that Jane sold me. Besides that little variety pack, I’ve actually never bought any veneer. I think I’d be so intimidated because I’d have no clue what I’d be buying. Jane’s little pack gave me a bunch of different samples and I just started cutting. One cool thing I found about marquetry, is that I could do it on the coffee table (with a mat) in front of the TV. That way I could spend an evening with my wife and wood work at the same time. Best of both worlds!
majeagle – The box is about 12 long X6 deep and 5.5 high. The mirror is actually an acrylic mirror I got on ebay. It comes with paper stuck to both sides. You can cut it with a bandsaw, which is how I got the curve. I then installed it with the lid and let it float so I actually didn’t glue it or anything. I learned this, because the last box I made (shown below), I glued the mirror to the bottom side of the lid. Within a few days, it split the lid to form a crack, and then about a year later, my mom (who I gave it to) said the mirror cracked from corner to corner. I hope the “floating” acrylic mirror solves these problems

ryno – the hinges are a pain, but they look really cool and they’re cheap ($10-$15). If you want something that looks cool and a ton easier to install, check out the kind on the humidor I just posted. The only problem is that they are around $30-$35. I got both kinds at woodcraft, but they are also at rockler.com

Hope I didn’t miss anyone’s question…
-- Tom, Simsbury, CT
Moai
home | projects | blog
718 posts in 272 days
posted 176 days ago
Normally Im not interested in boxes when looking the projects section, but this one really caught my attention…this is a beautiful box, the colors are so relaxed, refined, the motiv on top of the lid is gorgeous with the green-yellow leaves….outstanding box in every detail…...Thats going to raise the price at the auction!
-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.
John Marr
home | projects | blog
17 posts in 567 days
posted 176 days ago
That is a beautiful box.
John
-- John
TraumaJacques
home | projects | blog
380 posts in 379 days
posted 176 days ago
I love your boxes and your choice of quadrant hinges. are they difficult to install?
-- All bleeding will eventually stop.
Wingstress
home | projects | blog
206 posts in 394 days
posted 176 days ago
Thanks TraumaJacques. I would call quad hinges more annoying than difficult. I’ve only done them twice and both times they turned out well. They do require a little bit of thought and set up with router table. But if you want a simple way to do it, check out the Beal Tool Company website. They sell a jig that lines them up. If memory serves, the jig isn’t too expensive. I’ve been meaning to purchase it, but haven’t got around to it…
Tom
-- Tom, Simsbury, CT
Miket
home | projects | blog
265 posts in 651 days
posted 176 days ago
Great looking box!
-- It's better to have people think you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Dusty56
home | projects | blog
3402 posts in 567 days
posted 116 days ago
Gorgeous Box and the lid is just perfect !
-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .