Jewelry Box, with Fancy Corner Joints

[steven c newman]

After almost 6 weeks on the Injured Reserve....finally am able to return to the shop....at least on a limited basis....letting the knee decide when I am done. Anyway..while enjoying a nice, restful, PAIN-FREE night's sleep.....Single Brain Cell Sketch Up decided to wake me up....seems it had come up with some weird idea to make a box...kept bugging me until I was forced to draw up some sort of "Paper Plan"....which I rarely do. So.....here we go...
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Once 4 sides have been cross cut for length, ends squared, and the boards ripped for width (4")...there needs to be a groove milled into the end grain on each end. I thought this would be the "easy" part....Once the grooves are milled....then some bevels can be milled, also on the ends
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So far...remove anything highlighted in red...each end of the 4 boards get this done....so that when you set a corner...
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Makes a fancy miter joint....hmmm..
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Something like this? The "hard part will be a "spline" with a bead, to connect the corners...
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Which I will be setting upto mill today...I hope. Bead will stick out a bit...using a #23 beading bit in the Stanley 45....
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Again..remove all that is coloured red. Spline will get milled from Ash ( could be any hardwood...) and on the edge of a 3/4" thick scrap.

Have a boat load of other details to work through....

Stay tuned...

[Tyler Bancroft]

Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out, Steven. That's a snazzy joint, and I don't think I've seen it before.

[Christopher Charles]

Good to see you back in the shop and hope your knee treats you right! Would it be easier to let in a square piece to each side rather than the rabbeted piece?

Best,
Chris

[steven c newman]

Yesterday...had a quilt needing washed and dried..so, 2 trips down to the shop...one to start the washer with the quilt....then bring a plank down the steps to the shop....
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All 6' 4" of it....both ends weren't all that great...Didn't NEED the entire length. Picked a start point..
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Just beyond the splits. Then measure about 19" from that mark...
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No square for now, just a rough cut.....from that cut, another 19"...before the next rough cut..what was left was just set aside, for now...I had 2 blanks to work with..
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Will wait a bit before I trim off that red line area....first, set up the rip fence, run the straightest edge against it...and peel away the wavy outside edge...reset the fence to 4" run the freshly sawn edge against the fence..
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Edges are parallel. NOW I can square the ends? Welllllll..needed to have the grain flow all around the box...looking like I had simply folded the plank into a square..
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Means I have to watch how I cut four pieces....into two long sides(12") and 2 shorter ends (6") ,from the last rough cross cut, worked my way "south" starting with a long side, then a short end, then that extra long blank was cut in the same order....to where I came around with a short end to meet up with the first long side...
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And...and each new cut, I made sure the end was squared up...one thin pass to barely peel away anything out of square...

Stock is now prepped....ready to do a bit of joinery? Washer was done...quilt is being loaded into the dryer...when THAT is done, I think the knee will be as well..
Stay tuned..

[steven c newman]

Joinery, Part 1. Means I need to set up the Zero Clearance Overlay...and set up the tablesaw to plough a groove into the end grain...about..8 grooves all total...
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trying to center a 1/4" wide groove...thin saw blade meant I needed 2 passes per groove..in theory...
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Meh....missed it by that much, Chief. reset a hair, try again..
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Next...Bevels. Tilt the blade over to 45 degrees....reset the overlay and the fence...had to redo the "jig" a bit..first one wanted to tilt over, or dip down into the blade..
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Added that thin strip to prevent tilts, second c clamp to flatten the part, and prevent any forward tipping...first couple of runs were done, do a test fit..
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Get all these bevels cut. Might as well add the outside bevels to the top and bottom edges of all 4 sides....
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Only on the "outside" face...have other plans for the inside faces....Details?
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As for that first "jig"?
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Was too "tippy" side to side, and front to back....:mad:

next time in the shop? will involve hand planes....right now, quilt is done...knee is DONE.:mad:..time to call it a day..:rolleyes:..just about 90 minutes long.

Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

We now have a pattern to work with...
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Have to work on getting rid of the tear-out....mainly from cutting the double bead....
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Maybe a different wood?
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These are the insides of the 4 sides....trying to get the grain to flow around....
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Half a bead cut..
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Full bead done....then just cut away the waste to form the tongues....simple, right?
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Have to joint the edge first.....Sargent VBM 414c....

[steven c newman]

Tablesaw to remove the waste. Getting the last of these splines fitted up...
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Almost there....and..
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Last ones....needed grooves milled to house the panel for the bottom (floor?) of the box...needed a jig to keep things from running away..
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Shorter ends were worse....white object is an old plain candle.....makes the plane slide better...
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Had thought about using some thin Ash boards for the floor....
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Until I found 2 plywood 1/4" thick panels about the right size.

Need to decide on a lid of some sort.....flat panel inset into the sides via a rebate...or...a raised panel like panel....matches the angles around the top edge?

Stay tuned...may get to a glue up...as soon as I figure out HOW to clamp the dang thing together.....

[steven c newman]

Hmmm, seems the "secret" to a glue up was LOTS of cussing:mad:....enough to make a Marine blush..:eek:..but..
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Had one of these that was a hair too fat....hammer assist got most of it into place...have glued the part that didn't back on....with a bit of an assist from that hammer..
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There was also a rebate milled around the top edges..BEFORE the glue up happened...
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I used the plywood bottom to help out....splines were glued in first, then the sides to each other ( which was when the cussing started up in earnest:mad:) Too many parts...not nearly enough hands....

Will let this sit right there for a day or 3...while I work on a lid of some sort..
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The Forest of Clamps....stay tuned...:D

[steven c newman]

Clamps are off...board for the lid has been set aside...Monday...shop is closed.

[Mike Allen1010]

Steven, I'm really impressed with your very creative corner joint!! I can only imagine how much cussing, clamps and mallet blows it took to get them seated. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished piece acclamation Mark thanks for posting.

[steven c newman]

Work in progress...
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Lots of sanding to do...and a bit pf work with a smoother, too
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trying to decide which will be the "Front" so I'll know where to add the hinges...and a latch...

[steven c newman]

Am NOT real happy with that lid...:mad:..makes this look like a casket. :eek: Threw away the lid, this morning....and also removed the rebate it sat in ( and NOT very well, either:mad:)..
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Not sure if those red layout marks will be where the hinges will be...or just latch the lid on this side...

had some resawn Ash....wasn't quite wide enough, and way too long....I cut off what I didn't need...
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Might find a use for these 2.....the other ends were Jointed, and then ripped for a new width ~3" strong. They both needed a little work to get them to the same thickness, AND flat. Then a jointer plane to refine the edges that will get a bead of glue mooshed along them....no gaps allowed...

Then the Forest of Clamps arrived.....
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Even doubled up the cauls, to keep things flat ( less work for me, when the clamps are removed, tomorrow)
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"Mo'clamps!":rolleyes:

Let this sit a day....stay tuned...:D

[James Pallas]

Very interesting Steven. Your mind must have been working very hard during your rehab. After you’re done you will have to tell us whether you want to do that ever again.
Jim

[steven c newman]

Actually, I would do this sort of mitered corner again. A few tweaks would be made. Maybe use the next size (up) bead cutter...maybe deeper slots ( <3/4" deep) and maybe just 2 saw blade widths wide, instead of 3.

Single Brain Cell Sketch Up does come up with some .."Different" ideas. Always want to try them out.....never know when they might come in handy. Others can, and will "steal" this idea...and are welcome to it.

Dovetailed corners or Finger Joint corners get boring after a while.....Nice to try something different. Maybe we can get someone to "extrude" splines like this...sell them by the foot?

[steven c newman]

Them grooves? They just had to go away....
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All the way down, to remove the bad beveled edges ( none matched it's neighbor..) and start over with something better..

Panel is out of the clamps...Jumbo Jack to try and flatten the glue joint...
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Will smooth this out after a bit...
There will be a smaller bevel going on...enough than the panel needed ripped down a bit to fit..
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Found some better hinges, that even used screws, instead of too long nails...corners of the lid will get a miter...
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Lid still had a couple spots to be planed....so..
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Millers Falls N0. 9, Type 4.......pushed along at a skewed angle.....trying to avoid any tear-out. Panel is NOW flat and smooth. Debate now is whether to mold the edges of the lid, or leave it as a square edge.

Jumbo Jack is a Millers Falls No. 15, Type 3/2......about the same as a Stanley No. 5-1/2.....but without any chatter going on...
The No. 9 is the same as a Stanley No. 4....but without Stanley's chatter problems.

May go back and re-stain the splines into something a bit darker?
Stay tuned

[steven c newman]

Spent some time yesterday, until the knee said to quit....plane the high spots down...trying to get the lid to sit flat....still have one corner being stubborn ....grrrr

Laid out for the hinges, and got a start on some chisel work......Got shut down by the Boss wanting me to drive her around town....never made it back to the shop. :mad:

Dealing with roof leaks in the house ( can you say Bucket Brigade?)....waiting on a roofing crew to finally show up, and install a NEW roof.....we'll see...

[steven c newman]

This one is in the Kitchen....right over the Fridge..
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Lower one is sitting ON the top of the fridge....

Laid the lid on the box...
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Lid itself IS indeed flat, and smooth as a plane can get it...yet it still rocks? Flip it over, still rocks at the same 2 corners....Hmmm, which means..
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Those 2 corners were too high....we have ways. Plane the corners until lid sits still....have hinge work to do..
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Managed to get this one chopped....to where a hinge could be installed..
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Very tiny Phillips head screws....smallest screwdriver I had on hand...
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When the lid is attached ( more chisel work..) this is all you'll see of the hinges....
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Thinking that MAYBE I should clean the bench off?

Have a choice of feet for under the box...
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White ones appear to be way too clunky....may go with the wood buttons?

Waiting til tomorrow's rehab, and see how the knee is doing....before the next trip to the shop....

Roofing crew has been scheduled to install a new roof....for the last THREE WEEKS.....still are No-Shows...:mad:

[steven c newman]

Not much got done, yesterday.....no sign of a roofing crew. Worked up a sweat at Knee Rehab....knee now hurts worse. :( I did manage to clear off about half the toys off the top of the bench. Then the Boss decided she needed to go out shopping....which about shot the rest of the day.

Waiting around this morning...to see IF that crew manages to make a "Magical" appearance, this morning.

A small rare earth magnet will be the "latch", glued into the lid, itself. It will contact a nail/screw head in the top edge of the box.

Will see how the day goes along...stay tuned...:D

[steven c newman]

Maybe an hour total...that also included Laundry Detail....at least the Washer part.

Still having trouble with the lid....had one too thick corner...we have ways...
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This is the underside of the lid, BTW. There WAS a high ridge down the middle, that meandered off to that corner...flat, now..

Second mortise..
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More chisel work...decided to try and smooth things out level...
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Well..it does have a Veritas 1/4" cutter....should count for something, in a 120 year old plane..

Both hinges are now installed on the box...
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That is when I noticed the bevel on the right being a bit....off. plane will re-do the bevel to that red lion...might make things easier to line the lid up....

Speaking of that troublesome lid, again.....tried to install hinges to it....
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Did not go too well....fixed that..
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Brushed glue down into the cracks....and clamped it up....let this sit a day.....knee was complaining...swept the floor, for a change, and closed the shop.

BTW...top of the bench was cleared off a bit...needed the elbow room..
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Went upstairs, just in time for Lunch...
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Catfish fillets, cornbread, fries and underneath the cornbread...coleslaw.

Stay tuned...will try to get that lid installed THIS week...I hope..

[steven c newman]

Knee Rehab right off the bat, this morning...left me tired and sore....Then had to haul the Boss down to Wall E World....and was not allowed to just sit in the Chevy until she was done....no powered carts for me to ride on..had to walk around pushing a cart..So...very little will get done IN the shop, today....

Found the correct sized drill bit to drill pilot holes for the hinges....Needed a drill to power it with...
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I think that should do the trick.

Unable to go to Hobby Lobby...so I had to MAKE the feet for the bottom of the box..
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Shaker pegs, trimmed to length, then the shaft was sanded to size....will drill a tight hole for these..glue and a press fit.

And that was it for today's follies...need a nice, long NAP

Stay tuned...:D

[steven c newman]

Knee is a bit too sore, today....had plumbing issues this morning to also deal with....New drain pipes for the Kitchen sink....old one had split and was leaking. Drain is now fixed.

Have a box coming UPS, today....have to keep an eye out, due to Porch Pirates being in town. 32 pounds of hand planes are coming....will post after I open that box.


Might try to remove a few clamps...later today, knee willing..
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Training that thin lid to STAY flat...

Stay tuned...( waiting on Buster Brown to stop by...

[steven c newman]

Lid now has shallow mortises for the hinges to sit in...
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Pilot hole drill was used to prevent any splits, THIS time... Metal plate is mortised into the side of the box...hopefully the Rare Earth Magnet lines up enough...as it is installed in the lid right over the screw holding the plate.

Hauled 2 planes to the shop, to get a head start on rehab work...for something other than my right knee.
The Stanley #4 and the rustier of the 2 Sargents...
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The #4 has 3 patent dates...MIGHT just be a Type 11? I'll do a little research after a bit....and see what some of these planes actually are..Type-wise..
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Front view, and..
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Of these 4 planes..the Stanley No. 5-1/2c is the oldest...with 3 patent dates...

[steven c newman]

3 Patent Dates yet also a Tall Knob...on both the #4 and the #5-1/2c...both have the smaller depth adjuster wheel....Hmmm...T-11/12?

The N0. 6c is from WW2 era....iron is stamped with a 243...Depth adjuster is a hard rubber over steel.

Both #5 Jacks seem to be from just before WW2 era..Type 16.

No painted handles, always a good sign.

Not sure WHEN Sargent made those 2 planes for Sears....irons are stamped as "Craftsman"...one MIGHT be a tad older than the other....not really up on Craftsman logo styles....

Maybe tomorrow..I can get that box finished up....will see how things go..
Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Lid on the box....seems to be setting about right. Foot pads are now glued up into the bottom of the box, sitting all clamped up. All bare wood around the outside is now stained....will see about a finish of some sort, tomorrow....

Stanley No. 4 has been rehabbed, will be shipping it out soon...have to get it packed up. maybe rehab the 2 Craftsman rebate planes, next?

Debating making a tray for the box....have enough to build one...Mr. Motivation is needed to show up....Knee was getting quite sore, this evening....had to get out the ice pack...

[steven c newman]

Hmmm, maybe a PIP, for now?

Stained the rest of the box and lid..
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Hmm...almost a book matchedpair of boards for the lid..
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Hinge side view...and..
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Black arrow points out where the latch is located...seems to work, for now..
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Has been wiped down, and given ONE coat of Amber Shellac...for now....May or may not get a tray for the inside...haven't decided...yet..

Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

Waiting on the 1st coat of clear gloss poly.....then see how it looks....then decide on the inside of the box...

Knee rehab this morning...trip to the Post Office to mail a box out....then see what the Boss wants to do...

[steven c newman]

Varnish had dried...needed sanded to 220 grit....awaiting a brush or 2 to add a second coat...maybe in a little bit....resting up a very sore knee, at the moment....Gazebo Table I built last spring, out of ash, is now back inside the house...going to serve as an end table for the Boss's chair...
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A bit dusty/dirty.....she had a potted plant sitting on it, all summer long. Got it all cleaned up and moved to the Living Room..

[steven c newman]

Ok...Photo of those "Little Feet" as installed..
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And...how it looks with a second coat of clear Gloss Poly...
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Waiting on this to dry...before any other shop time can happen. Knee can rest up for a while, anyway.

Stay tuned..

[steven c newman]

Dried and buffed out, almost too shiny...
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Front view...open the lid to see the latch details..
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Since it can take way too long to get that smell out of the insides of a box...I rarely do any finish inside...
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Hinge side view...and a detail of that fancy corner..
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And how the grain flows around the outsides of the box..
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Follow that grain..

Wonder IF I should post this little box down in the Projects section?

Thanks for looking in...( not enough room to place a tray inside...)