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First of all, thanks again to Matthew and Stevehttp://lumberjocks.com/projects/359289 for the ideas. A good friend of mine had seen the last little treasure chest I made for my niece and asked if I could make one for her nephew. Was I to say no? Are you kidding me? So she gave me free reign and this is what I came up with. I didn't screw this one up, believe it or not. And by accident the curved laminations ended up perfectly aligning with the arms of the mother and child as to cross both of their hearts, let's say joining them together. I thought that was just perfect and will do it again if I make another one of these. The box is maple and sapele, the hinge is brass pin and the box measures 9 1/4×6x6. The maple has a slight curl in it which shows up in the right light. The sapele sparkles in the evening sunlight! The mother and child are 1/4" jatoba. For the tray, I cut out the handle area on the scrollsaw and added the 1/8" strips of maple. The liners are off-white canvas that I thought was good for this application as it is very clean looking - kind of like all baby stuff should be. I like the look a lot. The rattles are cherry and maple as are the teethers (cherry dowel, curly maple toy). Finished in organic olive oil and beeswax. Sanded to 400, wet down to raise the grain, sanded again to 1000. Smooth as a baby's rear :) The box is finished with 5 coats wipe on poly then waxed. My friend's nephew and wife live in Iowa so she is taking a road trip to see the new baby and deliver her gift. She is a special friend so I hope I exceeded her expectations, we'll just have to wait and see! :)

Thanks for looking!

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Way cool Kim. Please say more about the rattles. Are they hollow with what beads; how did you turn them? David
 

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Way cool Kim. Please say more about the rattles. Are they hollow with what beads; how did you turn them? David

- MrLaughingbrook
David, Thanks so much. I can send you pics of how I do them if you like. They aren't turned, I use a solid piece for the middle, as you can see, drill thru with a forester bit then the caps are drilled part way thru with the forester bit. The originals I used dried kidney beans but feared they would break apart/depompose over time so now I use BBs. All glued together with Titebond III then trimmed up on the bandsaw (I cut off angles this way) and shaped with drum sanders on the drill press (i don't have a OSS) Then hand sanded from 150 up from there. Aside from original cutting and glue up takes me maybe a couple of hours to get the finish ready. Jim Jakoshhttp://lumberjocks.com/projects/390817 recently posted one he turned which is beautiful so you can see the difference and take whichever method you prefer. You can also click on the link to Steve who posted the original tutorial on how to do them. They are really fun to do!
 

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A nice project in its entirety, but I really like the river top you made for the box. Has a great look.
 

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Kim, your skills are impressive. You are an amazing woodworker. The top with the large inlay and the string inlay just sing. The corner splines are well laid out. The lift tab and pin are the perfect combination. The tray and interior holders are a crowning touch.

This is the perfect gift for a family with a new child. Anyone would be proud to own this box and rattle/teething set, or proud to present it as a gift. Of course I would round off the corners, but everything I make winds up looking like a used bar of soap…I just can't help myself. This is a marvelous feat of craftsmanship and imagination. Well done. Thanks for sharing this work with us.
 

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This box has a cut above design. Beautiful job. Those toys should keep him occupied for awhile. (maybe LOL)
 

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what a beautiful box she should be well pleased with it wonderful woodworking ….GREAT JOB :<))
 

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Awesome, both the design, and execution. That is the kind of thing people keep so they may give it to a newborn of their own some day.

The 3 was a perfect choice here, nice work Kim.
 

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So cute and adorable. The box looks realy great with all those woodworking elements and decorations. Rattles are amaizing!
 

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What a great idea. I'll have to add a baby rattle or two to the project list.
 

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That is a beautifully designed and constructed box, Kim. Very nice craftsmanship!! What a great gift it will be!!

cheers, Jim
 

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Kim, gheeeeezow, golly and a bunch of other descriptive things. That is sooo nice, the box is just outstanding, I've outgrown the toys but they are nice as well.
Did I mention that I really like the box ?
 

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You did a wonderful job on this box and it displays a lot of fine details and craftsmanship.
 

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I am sure that will be handed down over and over again as it is just beautiful!
 

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Thanks guys, much appreciated!!

Alan - your boxes are always beautiful! I made a sled for those little wine holder thingies and got a digital angle finder so now I can set my table saw at 45 degrees accurately and I got to tell you - between that and the sled my miters are right on now. The corners of this box were rounded over with a 1/4" round over bit, then touched up by hand. Try it sometime - you just might like it for the right box. (Not that I am meaning to give the guy who has topped 100 boxes advise! :) My spline jig is like yours pretty much - much better than my old 2×4's split and glued to plywood LOL. These 2 new jigs (plus I splurged and bought 2 of Rockler's strap clamps because I am not smart enough, and don't have the tools, to make the straps in your tutorial) have made the process much simpler and I am confident mitering small pieces now (such as in the tray).
 

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Kim said

"got a digital angle finder so now I can set my table saw at 45 degrees accurately and I got to tell you - between that and the sled my miters are right on now."

Gospel spoken there.
 

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What a neat little collection! Such a variety of different techniques involved with making this set, you must be well practiced.
 

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Very nice work, Kim. Great design and thoughtfully put together. I like the considerations given to the chewables.
 
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