DB Veneered Keepsake Box

Hello all,

My double desk build is nearing completion, but has been stalled by another project. My mother-in-law has a major birthday coming up, so priorities have shifted.

I started a veneer panel a couple of years ago and came across it the other day. I had completed nearly 3/4ths of the image. Thanks to uncharacteristically good marking and notes on the design and benign neglect, I also found the source to finish it off.

I'm using double bevel marquetry here on a scroll saw and most of the rest of the work is with hand tools. With double bevel marquetry, the image has to be built up and I tend to build from the outside-in (or in this case from the top to the bottom). An example may help this make sense (and Mr. Stevens book is a great resource if it doesn't).

Each piece is added to the background design and I cut with the background on top and the new piece on the bottom. The cuts are at a slight angle and, once cut, the new piece slides up and fills the saw kerf. Pieces are added sequentially such that each new piece either has a new border on the background that won't be cut again (i.e., the border is a 'show' border) or cuts into future waste area on the background (a 'waste border').

This can be seen in the photo below near the blue tape, where the light maple piece has a show border on top along the sycamore background. The new piece was cut larger than final size along the bottom to become the new background for the next interior piece. The shape as been transferred using velum and carbon paper.


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Here, the bottom of the light maple piece became the show border of the darker maple piece below (in this photo, the legs and dark maple piece are not fully inserted, creating a shadow).

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One cool trick from the Stevens book is shown below. By drilling at an angle greater than the saw blade, the access hole for the saw blade goes from the waste side of the line on the image and into the waste side of the new piece below. The result is no hole is visible when the pieces are inserted.
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Veneer tape keeps everything in place. The panel was then hot hide glued to a substrate, backed with a matching sycamore panel and into clamps (with paper to keep from sticking).

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Thanks all,
Chris

Interesting. :)

Hello all,

I'm traveling with really poor internet. Here's a shot of the final product and I'll come back next week with a few more process shots.

Best,
Chris


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very nice! The choice of background is great and plays well with the 'reflections'. What finish did you use?

Looking forward to more process pictures, I'd like to try something like this myself.

Hey Christopher, looking really nice so far; I'm eager to see more. I have a scroll saw but wonder how difficult this would be with hand tools only...

Hello all,

My computer with pictures is finally back and my summer travel has also ended. The box was a big hit with my MIL and it even arrived in time for her birthday.

Here are a couple more progress shots after the panel came out of the mini-press:

I have the fine toothing plan for the LV large plane, which worked wonders to level the panel after scraping off the veneer tape. Not all the veneers were the same thickness and the toothing blade levels without tearing out.

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Here is the panel and template. I used a small drill to make the eyes, then filled with hide glue (a bit hard to see).

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Adding a rabbet to fit the groove in the box sides.

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Nice work Christopher.
Jim

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Fitting the top to the lid, where I hit an interesting fork in the road. The box sides came from a single board that wrapped around and which had some sap wood. Initially I planned to have the lighter sap wood on top to match the lighter background (as above).

However, while playing around I found the dark on top provided contrast that framed the panel and light on bottom evoked beach sand.

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The last steps were to glue it all together into a solid box, cut the top off (always exciting!). I then added a lip inside the lid to fit the lid to the box, but no photos. A couple coats of blonde shellac and one of wax and it was off to the post office!

Thanks for looking and I could point out several artistic flaws that I'd redo, but I won't....

Overall, it came out o.k. as my first veneering effort in couple years.

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