A walnut problem

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thecoder

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I have been given about 15 pieces of beautiful walnut 4.5 ft x 4 inch x 1 inch. My problem is I don't want to waste it. I am hoping to make a jewelry box but have no plans or experience in this area.

Does anyone have any sugestions on where to find ldeas for beginners or perhaps s kind box making member could point me in the right direction please.
 
have a look in fine woodworking there`s a dvd in there or have a hunt around you tube
all the best
rob
 
adidat":j0hqwoxa said:
thats a pretty nice gift is it american black or english?

adidat

not sure to be honest it just looks too good for me to be hacking away it lol :lol:
 
That's a wonderful gift :)

Have a look at this. You don't need to make it as fancy as this one but it might give you some ideas as to how to approach the job of making a box.
 
I think you are asking two questions here. For the first one - what is a good design - others have given some good pointers. Also, if you search the Projects section for 'box' you'll find lots more, some of which will be relatively simple construction, showing off the quality of the wood.

But the other question is about having the skill level to make it well enough. Understandable, in a small piece which will get looked at more closely than furniture or joinery.

The only answer is Practice. Your first dovetails (or mitres, or rebates etc) will not be your best. So you need to do some dry runs. Either get some more wood, or decide that some of your generous gift will not make it into the finished item.
Carry on making practice pieces until you are satisfied, then make the real thing.
 
With pieces that size, careful timber preparation must be high on the agenda if you don't want to be too wasteful?

Rod
 
You may find this post useful if you want to maximise the usefulness of your walnut for larger pieces.
 
marcros":30u33a1v said:
You may find this post useful if you want to maximise the usefulness of your walnut for larger pieces.

Thanks for the feedback guys , im thinking I may have a stab at a small piece of furniture as well.
 
Is the wood already planed square and true?

What tools / machines do you have available to you?

Answering these will enable us to give you some better advice as to what joinery is available to you.

Lets have a pic of it then!! :) :)
 
One problem is that you'll need to resaw it (or get somebody to do it for you) as 1" is awful thick for box sides!

As Jacob rightly said the other day, a small box with sides of that sort of thickness (he was talking about 7/8") is almost a block of wood!
 
I recently completed a project using Walnut and maple. You could make your walnut go further by combining it with a contrasting timber like this.

Lovely wood to work with. First time for me. I was surprised how soft it was, but it a sharp chisel leaves a lovely finish.
 
You might do well and knock a really beautiful piece out the 1st time - and that does happen. Or you might make a right royal cock up and waste most of it. Realistically you'd be best placed to answer that.

If you are a beginner - put them away for another day and get some other timber to practice on.

Dibs
 
mickthetree":10h0s9z3 said:
Is the wood already planed square and true?

What tools / machines do you have available to you?

Answering these will enable us to give you some better advice as to what joinery is available to you.

Lets have a pic of it then!! :) :)


Yes its planed and true. I have router table,band saw table saw,planer thickneser and hand tools.
 
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