I have just completed this box, so thought that i would post a couple of pics. It has been a rush job, needing to be in the USA by the end of this month, and has had to be slotted in between a thousand and one other tasks, law school exams and work.
The wood is London plane/Lacewood from the Tower of London, with a veneered top. I think that the top is bubinga, but it was part of a mixed lot of box sized pieces that I got, so not 100%. There are some ebony accents because i didnt want to use bubinga that may have been a different colour to the top. I went for a simple rebated joint, for speed and ease- i hate cutting mitres, and clamping mitres and am not jigged up to do so. The lengths were shot to squareness using the veritas shooting sander, which is a nice bit of kit. http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-shoo ... der-506423 there are not many reviews out there, but i think it was well worth the £20. I deliberated about shooting board plans over a few lunchtimes, and went with 2 pieces of mdf and a straight offcut for a fence. Simple and quick!!
Glue was liquid hide glue- great stuff and friendly to use.
The finish is shellac (mainly astral/blonde, but the lid had a couple of coats of a darker one- garnet i think) and wax- I could have done with buying some microcrystalline but i didnt have time to wait, so just used a neutral black bison which I already had. Hinges are Isaac llord which i polished up using Micromesh.
Inside, it is lined in a dark purple pigskin, which I really like using for projects such as this. I have a few, but all are quite dark rather than pastel shades. The rich purple does give it a luxurious feel, which the photographs do not pick up that well. I made the ring holder by gluing some foam to a piece of thin ply- cardboard/hardboard would have done- and used the same pigskin as before. the lining is glued to cereal box cardboard, which is just the right thickness. i have tried other stuff in the past, but cornflakes box is my preference. These are then glued to the box. copydex used throughout for the lining. I have used spray adhesive before but find it too messy. There are a couple of glue spots on the lining in the pic but these will rub off.
The "K" on the top was marked out and cut on the bandsaw, then refined and shaped using a mora carving knife. Much easier than i expected and was actually quite fun. I deliberated about inlaying an engraved piece of silver (quite expensive), and had a price for a marquetry panel, (but that would have delayed glue up of the project), but i decided to have a go myself.
There are definitely faults on the box, but I hope that the recipient will like it. Many of the faults will only annoy a fellow woodworker!
The wood is London plane/Lacewood from the Tower of London, with a veneered top. I think that the top is bubinga, but it was part of a mixed lot of box sized pieces that I got, so not 100%. There are some ebony accents because i didnt want to use bubinga that may have been a different colour to the top. I went for a simple rebated joint, for speed and ease- i hate cutting mitres, and clamping mitres and am not jigged up to do so. The lengths were shot to squareness using the veritas shooting sander, which is a nice bit of kit. http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-shoo ... der-506423 there are not many reviews out there, but i think it was well worth the £20. I deliberated about shooting board plans over a few lunchtimes, and went with 2 pieces of mdf and a straight offcut for a fence. Simple and quick!!
Glue was liquid hide glue- great stuff and friendly to use.
The finish is shellac (mainly astral/blonde, but the lid had a couple of coats of a darker one- garnet i think) and wax- I could have done with buying some microcrystalline but i didnt have time to wait, so just used a neutral black bison which I already had. Hinges are Isaac llord which i polished up using Micromesh.
Inside, it is lined in a dark purple pigskin, which I really like using for projects such as this. I have a few, but all are quite dark rather than pastel shades. The rich purple does give it a luxurious feel, which the photographs do not pick up that well. I made the ring holder by gluing some foam to a piece of thin ply- cardboard/hardboard would have done- and used the same pigskin as before. the lining is glued to cereal box cardboard, which is just the right thickness. i have tried other stuff in the past, but cornflakes box is my preference. These are then glued to the box. copydex used throughout for the lining. I have used spray adhesive before but find it too messy. There are a couple of glue spots on the lining in the pic but these will rub off.
The "K" on the top was marked out and cut on the bandsaw, then refined and shaped using a mora carving knife. Much easier than i expected and was actually quite fun. I deliberated about inlaying an engraved piece of silver (quite expensive), and had a price for a marquetry panel, (but that would have delayed glue up of the project), but i decided to have a go myself.
There are definitely faults on the box, but I hope that the recipient will like it. Many of the faults will only annoy a fellow woodworker!
