Nicest Wood & Finish, small jewelry box

[Stephen Vossberg]

Hello all,

My project is a jewelry box for 19 year old grandaughter. A keepsake I hope. Small so that she can easily take it with her as she travels around (college, early jobs, etc). I'll make a large one after she settles down in life.
To give you an idea of it, I expect it to be shoebox size, with one lift-out tray, with some compartments, most with felt type bottom. Construction-wise, I expect to build a prototype with tiger maple finish. If it's good my girl friend wants it

I want it to look "clean" so I'm looking for an deep, rich wood, probably tight-ish grain. Probably with an oiled looking finish - not a coating/plastic kind of finish.

So far I'm looking into Black Walnut, Babinga & Padauk. I have familiarity with only the BW thus far in my woodworking.

I'd appreciate suggestions from those of you with more experience than me.

Regards,
Steve

[Jim Becker]

Add cherry to your list and be aware that many folks have reactive allergies to bubinga (me to the extreme) and padauk. And oil or oil/wax finish is perfectly fine for this kind of project. I personally use Tried and True product for that kind of thing but intend to try out Rubio Monocoat in the recent future.

[Ron Citerone]

Padauk's color fades over time like Purple Heart I believe. I agree with Jim on the Cherry. Also, Maple and Walnut or Walnut or Cherry combo' "Marry well."

I like Waterlox finish for stuff like this, but there are so many finish choices.

[Lee Schierer]

I agree with Jim, add Cherry to your list. Here's an example:
IMG_6005_edited-1.jpgIMG_6008_edited-1.jpg

[Rob Luter]

Cherry or Walnut. Or in this case both, with an aromatic cedar liner.

[Stan Calow]

I like using WATCO danish oil for things like this. Its a mix of oil and varnish, so it can look soft but has a bit more protection from the varnish. And easy to apply. The tinted versions will add some color if you need it to even up the tones.

I think walnut is always a good choice.

[Edward Weber]

If you stay with domestics, I suggest Claro Walnut.
Tropical woods are typically hard and take a high natural polish, no actual need for using finish.
Also most any type of rosewood is good for accents (provided there are no allergies)
Always check a wood toxicity chart before using species you're not familiar with.

[Stephen Vossberg]

Thanks for the suggestions, on both woods and finishes. I'm still contemplating.
I've done a lot with cherry. For this project I wanna stay away from the figure cherry often has. I like a straighter & more uniform grain for his project.

Rob Luter, thanks for th pics, nice box. I figure to do similar. May I ask:
1) Did you do anything special about the expansion mismatch from the top (grain goes lengthwise) & the top's frame (grain goes widthwise)?
2) Do your mitre corners have any biscuits kind of reinforcement, or only glue at the mitres?

[Rob Luter]

..........Rob Luter, thanks for th pics, nice box. I figure to do similar. May I ask:
1) Did you do anything special about the expansion mismatch from the top (grain goes lengthwise) & the top's frame (grain goes widthwise)?
2) Do your mitre corners have any biscuits kind of reinforcement, or only glue at the mitres?

The top and the bottom both float as would a panel in a frame and panel door. A groove runs around the perimeter of both the top and bottom of the interior of the sides. The bottom is just a flat piece of cedar but the top has a rabbet cut around the full perimeter that allows the top panel to stand proud the frame. It's really no different than a raised panel door. I put some bits of foam in the grooves at strategic places to suspend the top and bottom panels so they don't rattle. It was glued up using blue tape at the corners for clamps. I cut the top off afterwards and installed the hinges.

Another box built the same way is shown below. These were taken prior to finishing. It has a sliding top instead of a hinged top but the basic construction is identical. I chose to spline the one below.

I thought about splines on the larger box but decided to forgo them so as not to take away from the grain match at the corners. The sides were made from a single board that had been resawn so the grain matches exactly at all four corners. The bond strength of glued mitered corners is much stronger than popular opinion. I'm almost four years in and no a bit of trouble. Even if it does open up I can reglue it or add splines if need be. Considering it sits on my dresser to hold watches and the like it's not seeing tough duty.

I forgot to mention the finish. I keep it simple in my shop. I sanded to 220 grit prior to glue up and hit the sides and top with 320 after assembly. A gray scotchbrite pad followed. I used Watco Danish Oil (natural) and applied paste wax after a couple days of cure time. The surface is like silk.

[Jim Braun]

I agree with Jim, add Cherry to your list. Here's an example:
IMG_6005_edited-1.jpgIMG_6008_edited-1.jpg

Hi Lee,
Don't mean to hijack the thread, nice box. Could you provide some details on how you did the lining? Construction, Fabric, etc.
Thanks.

[Stephen Vossberg]

Rob, thanks immensly for taking the time to pass me some tips & pics.

I get the raised panel kind of construction; in fact I was gonna ask if it was a floating design. I don't like rattles/looseness so you gave me a great idea about foam rubber to counteract that.

And I'm gonna remember your clever way to get grain matchup on on four corners. It was a concern of mine; you solved that - simple, clever

And thanks for the opinion on Watco Danish Oil. I've also used it a lot over the years. It's super practical on my cherry day-to-day dining table.

And thanks for sharing your pics.

And I thank the other posters also, for introducing me to other finishing products.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the suggestions, on both woods and finishes. I'm still contemplating.
I've done a lot with cherry. For this project I wanna stay away from the figure cherry often has. I like a straighter & more uniform grain for his project.

Rift sawn cherry is straight grained and could be considered on that basis if you like to work with it. I personally like rift sawn "anything". LOL

[Ron Citerone]

Heartwood Hickory?