# Jewellery box



## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

This is the second box that I've made.
I gave it to my wife as a christmas present and she loves it.
I will be posting more about it's construction in the coming days, but for now I'll let you know that it's made of ironbark wood that I milled from the tree from the house where I grew up and my parents still live in Australia, old oak from our farm house here in Croatia, some other unknown australian hardwood (possibly jarrah)decking offcuts that I bought fro 50 cents and some walnut that I milled from a piece of firewood from the farm. There's also a little bit of beech in there.
Just remembered there's also another decking offcut which I think is teak.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

You really have done a fine job Gavin and hopefully you won't take my suggestions for future boxes as criticism, but as pointers to future improvements.
Simple mitres look nicer than lap joints
A fancy edge or even a chamfer around the bottom would enhance the appearance
Rather than the four corner pieces, a thin panel, rather like the ones I put in the recent jewellery box is a neater method of supporting the nicely made tray.
I'm sure that many members wish that their second box was as good as yours Gav.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Thanks Harry. I had considered an inner sleeve to support the tray but to be honest I was in a real hurry to finish it in time and this was the quickest method. I also had no more material left !
I had also considered a chamfer on the bottom but the wood is so thin (6mm) that I quite like the look of it the way it is.

There are no lap joints on this box Harry, not sure where you're seeing them ?
The corners of the box are box jointed(router jig), the framing around the lid is mitred (freehand on tablesaw), as is the edge of the tray.

Here's a pic of the ironbark stump I started with.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

My apologies Gavin, the internal view of the box, because your box joints are so perfect, they look like lap joints. My memory being like it is, I had forgotten the box joints by the time I reached the second shot! Please forgive an old man.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

No need to apologize Harry, as you've turned your mistake into an extra compliment !!
Cheers !


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Hi Gavin,

A most beautiful box for sure. Your work is excellent by any standard and always remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm sure she found it to be perfect in every way.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Thanks Bob N.

Ok, a start to the build process. This is not a tutorial, as I didn't take enough pics for it to be so, and I use some techniques I can't recommend to others as they could be dangerous. It all started when I made my last box and my wife said she'd like a jewelry box with a shelf for her ear rings to stay untangled.
The design and wood used simply evolved as I went along. It just so happened that when I went to Australia to visit my parents, they asked me to chop some trunk of a dead tree that had been on the property since they bought it in the 60's (the tree was alive then). That gave me the idea to use some of that wood combined with some old oak from my wife's family farm house here in Croatia. A blending of cultures and pasts.
As you'll see, I ended up using quite a few different woods which I listed in the first post.
A few pics today, some more tomorrow.


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## hilltopper46 (Feb 27, 2010)

Keep it coming - that is a beautiful jewelry box - I am impressed by your talent and learning a lot from your presentation.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Nice jewelry box, Gav. I like the selection of contrasting woods.

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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

The jewellery box is wonderful! There are some wonderful fancy jig makers on this forum, but more often then not the K.I.S.S. rules works just fine. Great job on the jigs!


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Nice job on the Jewelry Box......... I wouldn't have thought it was only your second box.

Like with the wood and also with the tools at hand, it is great to see you take what you have and make it work!!!


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Marco said:


> Like with the wood and also with the tools at hand, it is great to see you take what you have and make it work!!!


I think the above statement says it all :agree:


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

The last statement brings me to the pictures of the very basic tools I have. I have a plunge router that I can mount in a very simple router table, I use a circular saw that I also mount in a table and I have a hand held belt sander that can be clamped upside down to the bench. I also have an orbital sander. That's all that was used on this project. Obviously it took a lot longer than it would have had I owned a jointer, thicknesser, and real table saw.
I hope this can be inspiration for people like me who don't have a workshop full of machines.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Missed a pic of the pieces of the tray base being glued up.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Just getting caught up with your project also, all I can say is WOW what a great looking box well done, very well done. I like contrasting colors of wood, and you have done an exceptional job. You can be sure I will continue to follow your posts.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Wow. Very nice!! I missed this until today. Keep it coming.

KR


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## tmjr (Dec 28, 2010)

The box looks great, I think its great that the wood is from your past where you grew up, should have some special meaning


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Thanks for all the compliments !
Here's the last pictures I have of the build. Obviously I missed a lot of steps but mostly that was just cutting pieces to size.
I've again included pictures of the finished product and also a pic of a sign I made for my inlaws for christmas. It translates to 'The Pearl of Moslavina' . It's the name they chose for their farm house in the region of Moslavina.


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## Damir 66 (Dec 18, 2009)

Bravo Gav!


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## paulfinlay (Jun 19, 2010)

Hi Gaivn very nice jellellery box you made for your wife well done.
I made a jellellery box for my wife as well,happy new year.


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## Brownee (Feb 10, 2008)

Very nice box, looks well built. Due to the significance of the wood that you used, I'm sure it will remain in the family for years to come. Maybe you could incorporate your story of the wood with the box somehow. 

Brownee


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Very nice work Gav. Definitely a heirloom.


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## pemdas86 (Nov 21, 2008)

Looks great! Your work is inspirational on many levels. Thanks for sharing.


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## curt99 (Oct 17, 2010)

Gav, 
Verry well done. 
Remember it's not the tools that make the Craftman. You can be proud of what you have done and I'm sure most of us would be happy if our projects came out nearly as well as yours.

Happy New Year to you,

Curt


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## mmingo777 (Jan 3, 2011)

Hi Gavin - Just joined yesterday and came accross your jewelry box. WOW! It's beautiful, colorful and nicely constructed. Your wife must be very proud of it. Good Job


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