Turned Music Box

Looks like both projects turned out nice. Congratulations.

Great FIRST present! And an adorable addition to the fammily. ( they just keep multiplying from here. I am up to 7 grand kids now)

Keep up the beautifull work.

Scrappy

-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!

I’ve been looking for a good small baby gift. Where did you purchase the music mechanism? Love the detail of the initial. It will be treasured for a lifetime.

-- - In the end, everything will be okay. If it isn't okay, it isn't the end yet.

fun music box well done

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

Great looking music box! I really like the choice of woods. Tell me something, please. Do you first turn the entire outside of the piece and then saw or part the piece in half and then turn the lip around the bottom for the top to fit back onto? I’ve never turned anything in two pieces that then fit back together. Congratulations on a beautiful heirloom.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis

-- woodbutcher north carolina

Very cool!

I’d like to make something like this for my son, he loves music.

Where did you purchase the mechanism?

-- "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." -- Jango Fett

Jeff and Badger, I purchased the mechanisms from www.giftsonline.net. There is a tab on the right side “musicbox movement”. They have various offerings. I used the 18 note type because it has every song imaginable. Woodbutcher, after rounding the piece of wood and turing spigots on each end I parted the top from the bottom, set the top aside and turned the bottom on my chuck, hollowed the inside down to within an inch of the bottom. Be careful to leave enough thickness to form a lip on the bottom piece for the top to fit. I then turned the top down as far as I could toward it’s spigot and set it aside again. I put the bottom back on and formed the lip by measuring the inside opening of the top piece. I turned the bottom upside down and fitted it to a jam chuck and turned to within 1/4 inch of the previously hollowed bottom. This allows for the key hole which I drilled later. I the put the top and bottom together on the lathe, brought up the tailstock to support the top and finished the finial at the top. Somebody more experienced may have done it a lot easier but it worked for me.

-- Tim, Colorado Springs

Tbo,
Thank you for the explanation. I have even more appreciation now for all the work that went into that music box. I was wondering if there was any faster way to have fitted the lid. That was the reason for the question. I couldn’t think of any way other than what you just described. While I understand it, my being able to do it will be another question-LOL Congratulations again on a magnificent piece of work.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis

-- woodbutcher north carolina