Marquetry Box Full of Experiments

Wow! Very nice Paul. I’m sure you will be a welcome member to the fancy box club. I always enjoy your post’s Keep them coming!

-- Paul--- Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. — Scott Adams

Great job, Paul!

Beautiful box, full of intricate techniques.

Not bad for a Canucks’ fan. LOL

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

That looks awesome… I’m glad that you have opened up your eyes to new techniques. I try to always keep an open mind to design as well. Job well done!

“Wisdom begins in wonder” Socrates

-- "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do... Explore, Dream, Discover” Mark Twain

I think you did an excellent job and it might just be that you could get the box making bug.
Such a nice combination of woods really makes it stand out.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

Whoa !
Don’t look now Paul, but your master craftsmanship is showing !
Holy Smokes !

-- Eric

Paul,
Boy, when you experiment with complexity, you don’t do it in half measure! Lots of really good stuff going on here. I think your entry into the fancy box club is pretty well assured. Nice work, indeed.
Roger

-- "Everybody makes mistakes. A craftsman always fixes them." (Monty Kennedy, "The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks", 1952)

Beautiful Box Paul!!! Do you have any close ups of the Flowers?

-- Dennis Zongker

Yikes! Lots of good stuff here. I am impressed.

So, the entire substrate is MDF? You sanded sanded curves into the MDF top and then got that burl to wrap around it? Amazing.

Man, it seems like you are sure having some fun.
Steve

-- -- I'm no rocket surgeon

This is unbelievably beautiful, Paul. Great handywork and a lovely job.. must have taken a good many hours, but well worthi it. I really like the top as well.. beautiful. Congratulations on a fine project and thanks for sharing. It gives me something to think about for a future project. Keep up the good work!

-- LIVE, LAUGH, CUT WOOD.

Thank you all for the kind comments.

Roger, Might as well get it all done in one shot. I’m not getting any younger. :-)

Steve, All MDF, shaped and then veneered….and Yes, I’m having a ball.

Dennis, The marquetry and dying are fine, I’m happy. The problem is that the burl veneer expands unevenly when glued up and requires sanding that I can’t do over the dye. The Paduk string (band) is sanded thin because I decided to add it taped to the marquetry to avoid the soggy MDF problem when lifting cutouts with warm water and the iron. Hope you get what I mean. I learned a lot here.

-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/

Experimental?!
I can’t hardly wait until you give it a serious try Paul… :)
Well Done on a lovely box my Friend… Whoever runs that “Fancy Box Club” would be daft not to give you immediate admittance!!

-- Mike in Concord, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.

It is absolutely amazing how much I learned from your post, Paul. I’ve wondered bout MDF for box core, thanx to you now, I won’t have to find out the hard way. Also I’ve trying to come up with a fancy box design for a Mahjong set. The plastic case that came with the set many years ago has seen better days. We don’t play it much – about twice a year – but I’ve been wanting to make a better case for it. Thanx for the ideas, Paul. That is an heirloom box for sure!

-- Paul - The sweetest sound in my shop, next to Mozart, is what a hand plane makes slicing a ribbon.

Absolutely beautiful Paul…... I agree with the rest, if these are your “experiments”.... WOW, can’t imagine the complexity and beauty of one of your “serious” projects !!! Yes indeed, a full entry into the “Fancy Box Club” !

I love the shape of the box and the smooth easy outside lines and then the complex designs/shapes going on in the inside of the box. Very well done ! Your roses are just beautiful, love ‘em !

-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/

Wowiee Paul, Your top drawer skills on display with this one, just fabulous to looook at, fantastic job my friend.
:: )))

-- Pete G: If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got

Very cool!

As far as backgrounds go, typically, a clearer veneer is better because otherwise the background competes with whatever’s on it (unless it’s a VERY simple design).

MDF I don’t care for, but plywood is awesome, and doesn’t have the warpage of hardwoods.

AMAZING work though, and shows what I have yet to aspire to. :)