| Project by Dan M | posted 742 days ago | 477 views | 1 time favorited | 16 comments | ![]() |
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All .. for your viewing and feedback I present my first ever box.. a jewelry box made as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law (the one who isn’t getting a clock grin)...
The box itself is cherry (3/4”) with a bloodwood inlay in the top .. I went with hard maple for the removable tray as well as the frame for the mirror that is hidden under the lid. I went with miter joints on the corners instead of a ‘fancier’ type of joinery… I also wanted to give it the illusion of having a floating top hence the gap/shadow area between the lid and the lower portion
The finish is Varathane’s traditional cherry with four coats of semi-gloss poly (the wife likes ‘shiny wood’)
If I had to too it all over again I think I’d try dovetail’d corners and a thinner stock – at least for the top as at 3/4” it is a little top heavy when opened
-- Dan M, SW Suburbs, Chicago IL -- http://www.djay-crafts.com






























16 comments so far
CharlieM1958
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7601 posts in 1110 days
posted 742 days ago
I wish I could say my first box looked anything like this one! Great job!
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
mrtrim
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1700 posts in 772 days
posted 742 days ago
well dan i doubt your sister in law will mind asking the others what time it is . in fact she will probably have a big giant grin on her face when she asks ! very well done i like the inlay nice touch
Blake
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2755 posts in 766 days
posted 742 days ago
Wow, you are a top notch box maker! Looks great. I like the deep lid and inlaid top a lot.
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com
mjpierson
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77 posts in 885 days
posted 742 days ago
first? really? nice job!
actually it kinda reminds me of my first box (being cherry and all) – recipe box for my mom…turned out ok for a first…but not as nice as yours. the hinge is off on the recipe box and to this day still irritates me when I see it on the counter…of course mom doesn’t mind…
the inlay is a nice touch—-well done!
-- Mike - Columbus, Ohio
schroeder
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511 posts in 1017 days
posted 742 days ago
I’m with Charlie – hell, I wish I could build one that nice now!
-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe
TomFran
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2509 posts in 886 days
posted 742 days ago
Beautiful job! If this was your first, you’re going to be really good.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
Jojo
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580 posts in 864 days
posted 742 days ago
I hope Don is doing fine, two hours and he hasn’t still told us about what he loves… :o)
First class job, by the way. This couldn’t possibly be your first box, I guess you got the numbers wrong when counting.
-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://twitter.com/kagushokunin
Douglas Bordner
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3424 posts in 956 days
posted 742 days ago
Pretty darned beautiful right out of the chute. Or even at the end of a long ride. The inlay is a nice touch and it will even get better when the cherry tans up. Did you part the lid after glue up or build it in two parts?
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
Dan M
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90 posts in 836 days
posted 742 days ago
I am truly humbled by all the kind words – thank you all for the positive comments, I will definitely be building more boxes in the future and agree with Jojo – I hope Don’s ok ;-)
I have to admit that this was the most nerve wracking project I have ever built .. getting the inlay and corners just right .. and then cutting the top off to reveal the inside once again—”let’s see, was the bottom of the cut supposed to be 4 15/16” up from the bottom or was it the top of the cut…? Why did I sand the outside that last time – now my pencil marks are gone…”
I’m thinking a second go – this time perhaps with a piece of nice quilted maple and purpleheart accents??
-- Dan M, SW Suburbs, Chicago IL -- http://www.djay-crafts.com
Karson
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25794 posts in 1293 days
posted 742 days ago
Let me stand in for Don. ”A very nice box” and you all know that I like boxes,
Get well Don.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Bwillie
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103 posts in 998 days
posted 742 days ago
Hi Dan,
And a very nice first box it is. Wow…not even just a plain one. You went all out and made a jewelry box. great job!
-- ICN, Bill, (http://www.beavercreekfitness.com)
Andy
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570 posts in 800 days
posted 742 days ago
Very nice box Dan.Good crisp miters are a challenge….you did very well.
-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon
Brad_Nailor
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1213 posts in 849 days
posted 742 days ago
Sweet box! Nice material selection and awesome execution for a “first timer”. Looks like a veteran job to me!
-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"
TheCaver
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292 posts in 731 days
posted 665 days ago
That lid looks like its captured in a groove, but I don’t see any gaps. How do you account for expansion of that top panel?
-- Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -Carl Sagan
rikkor
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11338 posts in 767 days
posted 665 days ago
Very nice—and especially for a ‘first box’ project.
mot
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4902 posts in 929 days
posted 664 days ago
Ahhh, I’m sorry I missed this the first time by. Really a great box.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)