Jewelry Case

A very nice looking box and you are right- the maple, mahogany, purpleheart does yield a great combination.

Blake that is one great box.

What is the thickness of the blade on the router bit?

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Really beautiful! Where do you get a blade like that?

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

Really nice. Thanks for the tips.

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

Really nice box Blake.

Tom, you can get the blade at Wood Craft. They are made for the barbed type hinges. I’ve had the set for a couple of years now, but haven’t tried them yet. They are actually designed to be used in a drill press – but I understand that they work quite well in the router table. Gotta try it.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Beautiful work! And, great wood combination too.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Nice. Thanks for the pointers.

Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Beautiful. And the wifely comment is precious affirmation of your path as a craftsman. LOML is pretty good to me about the woodworking, but not everyone here gets the same back-up (and that’s all I’m going to say about that peccadillo).

Blake, tell us more about the kerfed hinges. I have steered clear because I was afraid the plating would go south over time, but they could be a boon for production work, and my days of being able to afford Brusso for every project are gone like the Eighties.

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

Another beaut. Fresh looking design and your usual high craftsmanship standards. Love it.

I have had the Wixey for a while now and agree that it is a great addition to the shop. Would also be interested in more info about the hinges. Thanks for posting it.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Another wonderful box. I’m going to have to check out the slotting blade.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

No wonder you wifed claimed it. I can see why. I jumped into the post from email literally said out loud, “Ooooo… Nice” I’m diggin’ the non-conventional proportions and the curve is elegant.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

As far as the barbed hinges that are used with the thin kerf mini- saw blade:

The set up is rather tricky. The instructions recommend an elaborate set up on the drill press. But I find it is inaccurate and difficult to get good results with the blade hanging from above like that. I prefer to set it up on the router table. You must find a way to get the workpiece to slide straight into the moving blade. Once for the box and again for the lid, and they must be aligned. You must be able to slow your router down (variable speed) to do this. Too fast is dangerous and will burn.

But it is possible. And if you take the time to build a jig that will work for you, the hinges are great. I think they are pretty good quality, and they are almost completely hidden. The barbs hold fine, especially with a drop of epoxy in the kerf. After the elaborate setup, they would be great for production work. Probably quicker than anything else.

They are not very strong at all, however. They are best for small stuff like pen boxes, ring boxes, bracelet boxes, etc. They will not hold up a panel lid or large solid box lid.

-- Dust collectors suck.

Another wonderful box and tool details to boot!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Fantastic job on the box Blake.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Great tips, Blake – and the box – well it’s beautiful and reinforces why I just love small wooden boxes.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

COOL BOX. I LOVE THE BLOSSOM ALSO.

-- GOD CREATED THE EARTH WITH TREES, GOD CREATED MAN WITH BRAINS TO MAKE A SAW. THE REST IS UP TO US. LETS MAKE SOME SAW DUST.

Beautiful design! That sure is some wild Mahogany.I have piece just about like it and have held off using it for the same reasons you stated.Its a bear to get smooth,but you show it can be done.I like your miter and that angle guage.I try and do my miters on my 12” chop saw,but had to use the table saw on the taller Keepsake Urn http://lumberjocks.com/projects/2686. It took some fiddling and several scraps to get it all dialed in for tight miters.They came out perfect but my miter guage needs to be tuned up every time I change the settings.This combo would sure simplify the process. Thanks for sharing.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY

I have had a lot of people ask questions about using that thin-kerf blade for keyed miters. Here is the simple router table sled I used to run the box corners past the blade:

The low profile 45 degree fences allows me to locate keys close to the bottom of the box.

Here it is upside-down (notice the miter slot runner):

By the way, I also use one of these to raise the blade higher for the upper keys:

-- Dust collectors suck.

I love that box!! The shape and proportions are wonderful and the wood combination is very pleasing.

Thanks for the inspiration.

-- Express creativity with wood, Dewayne. Vacaville CA.