First try at a box, first woodworking project.

Matt, great first box.

Great thing is you went ahead and made the project

It will be a special box and you will always treasure it

There are some amazing box makers on LJ’s and are always there for help

jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It does not suck Matt, especially for the reason you built it
Have a look around on LJ site, there are some amazing people on here who are happy to show and share their skills

-- Scott "Some days you are the big dog, some days you are the fire hydrant"

I have to say, it looks great. I think the hinges are really good, it’s hard to make a hinge with out metal, but the way you did is pretty much the only way to do it with out metal. As for the finish, I’d look into getting a sealer/grain filler for your next project. Oak especially is a very porous wood (as I’m sure you noticed) so a sealer or grain filler will give you a smoother surface to apply your final finish. Most of the commercially made jewelry boxes use a heavy coat of polyurethane to fill the pores in the wood to get the nice smooth finish. Keep up the good work, don’t get discouraged if a project doesn’t come out exactly the way you envisioned, always try to learn from your experiences.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

That is great for a first box, caution boxes can get addictive, nice work.

-- Tom D

Yeah it sucks, but only because you did something this nice on your first try! Are you kidding me? Really…first time??? That is a fine box, executed well, of good design, and proportion. There are woodworkers with many years experience that would be happy to have built such a project.
I say well done!
To maybe give meaningful feedback, High glosss finishes can be tricky, you might try a semi or satin finish in the future. Did you use poly on this one?

looks like pro work to me. ;)

-- Ike, Big Daddies Woodshop, http://www.icombadaniels@yahoo.com

Ratchet, I did use poly on this. It’s the only way I knew when I finished this, since then I’ve done some homework and realized there is so much information out there you could pretty much get a degree in finishes.

Tomd you are right boxes are addictive. I have couple more I can’t wait to start and a few my wife wants. Now if the weather would just warm up I can make use of my shop. LOL

Thanks Chris that really sounds like what I want with a sealer.

Has anyone ever used wax on top of their finish? A guy at the local shop said that will give the high gloss I want. True or not?

-- Matt Speer , ‎"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." - Winston Churchill

You made a great looking box.

-- Joe, Ga

Its a bit glossy, yes.

You could try not putting the hinge pin all the way through the side, making it invisible.

However given those points this is a very good first box. I like the angled meeting of the top pieces. You got the grain following across the top pieces, not simple and very clever. Much better than my first box. I look forward to your future posts.

Oh and as Tom said, you know boxes are addictive, don’t you.

-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging. http://www.theartofboxes.com

You stated “Okay I’ve just started wood working and I really don’t know what I’m doing”. Wow! that is a great job. It sure seems like you know what you are doing.
For some interesting hinge,s check out some that ‘Littelcope’ has made:

http://lumberjocks.com/littlecope/projects

-- "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" Solomon

Great start and room to improve what you don’t like. We ARE our own worst critics. As you can see you don’t get a lot of hard critical comments on LJ’s.

Even when you ask everyone to be honest I think they try to do it with a teaching heart rather than being unkind.

Best place to learn.

-- Measure once cut twice....oh wait....ooops.

Matt, Welcome aboard, I would have to say that is good looking first box. I like the idea of assembling it with no fasteners, Something I have not done a lot of. I like your quote and it looks as if you are heading in the right direction for that potential. .
Ron did bring up a good point about some hinges there are a number of guys that have used wooden or leather hinges here. Take look at some of the boxes, that is one of the things I love to do around here is to get inspiration.
I cetainly look forward to seeing some of your other creations in the future.

CtL

-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."

Hi Matt, welcome to LJ.

I started WW 2 yrs ago, and still don´t know what I´m doing. But is the way to go.

Not being 100% satisfied with your work, means that you understand the mistakes of any part of the process. That is a good thing to happen. The day you achieve 100% satisfaction, is game over.

Take care and enjoy the place

PS: BTW, as to glossy finish, pay a look to our LJ clleague Steve in Marin chessboard video. Last chapter #7 that issue

-- Back home. Fernando

If you can do this well from gathering information, you should really enjoy this site. Good luck and welcome.

-- Robert, so much inspiration here, and so little time!

great job on your first box. It looks nice.