# Little shadow box



## Fourleftpaws (Feb 12, 2007)

I finally made a little shadow box for my badges. Thought they should be someplace besides my drawer. I am still missing the glass that goes in it - have to make a trip to the glass shop and get a piece cut. I used select pine and cedar - I wanted to make this as I have to make two more for two other officers retiring from the PD. I guess it will work. This was a combination of using my band saw, table saw, router and sander. Most shadow boxes are large and I got to thinking - about the size - this one measures 14" long and 9.5" high - 4" deep. The reason for the size - again I got to thinking (have a headache now) that after you pass from this life - maybe someone in the family would keep this if it was not too large to hang on the wall (that is the reason for the flat back) or have on a desk top (has 5 - 3/8" plugs for legs).


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

That looks really smart Larry but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the grooves for the glass should have been stopped, rather than go all the way, but let's face it, this is what the forum is all about, learning.
Regarding routing stopped grooves, it's only a matter of clamping a piece of wood to the fence, either side of the cutter as shown here.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Very nice Larry, I need to make something like that for some of Dad's things. I have been challenged to make a flag box and I intend to do that after the shop move is complete and I am settled in down there.


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## Fourleftpaws (Feb 12, 2007)

harry - I understand what your saying about the grooves for the glass. In other frames I have made I did
stop the groove. On this one the groove was made to go all the way through - top and bottom piece so I could add the little inlay of select pine in the cedar. LOL - really I planed it that way.


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## vikingcraftsman (Mar 31, 2006)

Nice but what are you going to do with over a hundred police patches you collected over the years. I have note books full of them. I tried to just collect those on Long Island once and ended with two note books full and did not even get half of them. Pd's came an went over 50 years.


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## Fourleftpaws (Feb 12, 2007)

Hey John - just build a hundred shadow boxes for the patches. LOL - I never got into collecting patches - but was asked for some - I guess I knew the storage of them would be something else - although I have
seen pictures of rooms with them on all walls. I only collected the patches from the Departments that I
worked in or was on staff in some form - and that was only 4. It was a great life - but old age makes you
slow down - and sometimes your activities need to slow down with you. 
PS- thanks for serving.


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## Bogydave (Nov 14, 2008)

Nice display. 
Gives me ideas for some of my Dad's War (Korea) stuff.


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## Thelt (Feb 3, 2009)

As a Retired police officer, I am planning on doing just what you did in the shadow box. Is that a felt like material that everything is mounted to? Also how did you mount the badges? That is a very nice display. I plan on putting all the badges from Officer to Capt. in mine. Again, that is very nice.


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## Fourleftpaws (Feb 12, 2007)

Thelt - yes that is red felt - I applied spray glue on the back to make sure it held - as far as mounting the badges - I took two small screw eyes - and fastened them to the wood through the felt - then ran the pin on the badge through those and then fastened the pin to the badge - just as you would on your uniform - I did add two small pieces of firm foam under the badges - to keep them from tilting. (Two screw eyes for each badge.) I was going to add my patrol pins, corporal badge, Sgt. badge, but thought about the display and decided that I would just put in what I retired at - which was a Lieutenant. 
The only other thing - that I would of added but it would of made the shadow box bigger - was my Glock - which I was given by the department when I retired. But then again I use the weapon so I would have to keep removing it - and as the shadow box is sealed - I did not want to make it with a door. When you get yours built - please display it - I would love to see how you did your.


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## vikingcraftsman (Mar 31, 2006)

Just a thought guys. If you intend to put your weapon in a box it might be a good idea to put in a solid top. This would defeat the show part. You should also have locks attached to it. May be I live in the wrong place. There are more people on Long Island than in most states in the US. So my dogs protect when I can't.


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