# A tiny project with lots of pictures



## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

A few days ago my granddaughter who is getting married in a weeks time asked if I would make a small box for "his & hers" wedding rings.
Having no idea of what such a thing looks like I put two 10cent coins near each other with space at each side and allowed for 8mm walls and the size came out to approx. 80mm x 60mm x 40mm.
Armed with this "design", the box developed as I went along. The reason for posting the shot of the finished box first was so that the following operations would be more meaningful.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

It's surprising how many individual operations were required for such a tiny project. After changing the colour/material, the rolls were too large to accept a wide gents wedding ring so I remade the rolls. Apart from the broken screw, there were no other problems.


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## Fourleftpaws (Feb 12, 2007)

Harry - great photo shoot of your project - and the ring box is designed very well. What amazes me on projects like this - is the fact that you almost use every tool in your shop - and it takes as long to do a little project like this - as it does something much larger. I am sure your granddaughter will be well pleased with the outcome of the ring box - and the ring box will be something she will treasure for many years to come - and you should be proud that she asked you to be a part in her life - during this important event - and making this for her - job well done!


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Nice Harry she is going to love it. But how many times is she going to get married. There is enough room in there for about 12-14 rings in there.


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

Harrysin,
Very nice, simple beauty, considering the occasion you may have created an heirloom!


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Harry,

What a beautiful little box and a most excellent photo tutorial. I will be saving this one for future look up as it has a lot of good instruction in it.

Thanks for taking the time to do and share it with us. I hope you don't mind if I made a sticky of your post for the time being so everyone has time to see it. 

Your skills are remarkable!


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## kolias (Dec 26, 2008)

What a beautiful project Harry, I like the way you fixed the broken screw

The photos are also like a nice lesson for beginners like me and I made my own notes to remind me how certain operations are done.

Nicolas


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

hi Harry ,

great looking project! i envy your expertise! i do wish you could tell me why a manufacturers refund (a rebate) helps you ? lol

great work Harry!


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

An elegant little box, Harry. It shows the love you put into it and the kids should love it and pass it on to future generations. The photo shoot was exceptional, as usual for you. Thank you very much.


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

Harry, I am very very impressed. What a wonderfully instructive set of photos. You have made something your granddaughter will treasure for the rest of her life, and maybe even future gnerations will treasure.

I do have one question. How was the bottom piece put on? (I may be showing my "youth" and certainly inexperience)


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

You know what I think, Harry!!!!!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Dr.Zook said:


> You know what I think, Harry!!!!!


Of course I know Dave, you like the BLUE one!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Guys, I really do thank you all for your very generous comments.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

mftha said:


> Harry, I am very very impressed. What a wonderfully instructive set of photos. You have made something your granddaughter will treasure for the rest of her life, and maybe even future generations will treasure.
> 
> I do have one question. How was the bottom piece put on? (I may be showing my "youth" and certainly inexperience)


Thanks for your comments Tom, As shown in shot #12, the bottom, which is the same material as the rest of the box, had glue applied to the edges and was pushed into the carcass. As I mentioned, the box just evolved as I went along.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Great photo shoot and explanation of the process. I think sometimes the small projects are just as difficult, maybe more so, than the large ones. Fewer places to hide mistakes. But when one is as good as you there are not mistakes to hide, just a few ripples in the creek. Very good job, it should stay in your family for many generations,


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## Benny LaBaw (Jan 4, 2007)

Harry san
I wish I could make a box like as you made, someday...


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Benny, there is nothing complicated about that box, the joints are simple mitres and I know you have a router table so there is no reason why you can't follow my photographs. You have shown your work in the past which is far more difficult to make than this box, and of course you can make it any size you like, the methods are still the same.
Watch where your fingers are at all times Benny, and I look forward to seeing an even nicer box because, unlike me, you plan everything in advance where most of the time I "design" as I progress!


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## drasbell (Feb 6, 2009)

A Lot of work for such a small project, but sure looks like it was worth every minute Great job.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

Very nice Harry! I am sure she will treasure it long after the wedding!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thank you Deb, this I think is our first contact, hopefully not the last.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

Harry my friend, as usual, a beautiful job well done my friend.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Today I delivered the ring box to a very excited granddaughter and her husband to be (next Monday).


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Very nice box Harry

But I don't see the gold chain that's hooks them up for life.. 

======



harrysin said:


> Today I delivered the ring box to a very excited granddaughter and her husband to be (next Monday).


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Beautiful box, Harry. Really great informational photos, also. Thanks for the time an posting of your process.

I too, would like more info about the bottom.


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

Harry, ive been looking at the ring box more and more. it is really nice. you once told me the only stupid question is the one not asked. look out lol.

here is my stupid question, did you use a template guide to make the rebate as you call it? if so what size and if its mm can you convert it to approximate siize in inches.

i know im probably wrong about how you made the rebate but i wanted to ask anyway.


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

harrysin said:


> Thanks for your comments Tom, As shown in shot #12, the bottom, which is the same material as the rest of the box, had glue applied to the edges and was pushed into the carcass. As I mentioned, the box just evolved as I went along.


Harry, it was not my "youth" and inexperience showing; it was my inatention. Again, what a wonderful project and invaluable photodocumentation!


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

*Very nice Harry BUT,*



harrysin said:


> Today I delivered the ring box to a very excited granddaughter and her husband to be (next Monday).


Didn't you have any blue material for the box????????????????


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Levon, Tom asked the same question and here is the answer I gave.

Originally Posted by harrysin View Post
Thanks for your comments Tom, As shown in shot #12, the bottom, which is the same material as the rest of the box, had glue applied to the edges and was pushed into the carcass. As I mentioned, the box just evolved as I went along.

Regarding the rebate, do you mean for the hinge or the lid?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

"But I don't see the gold chain that's hooks them up for life.."

If you knew the couple Bob, you'd realise that true love will bind them together for ever.


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

harrysin said:


> Levon, Tom asked the same question and here is the answer I gave.
> 
> Originally Posted by harrysin View Post
> Thanks for your comments Tom, As shown in shot #12, the bottom, which is the same material as the rest of the box, had glue applied to the edges and was pushed into the carcass. As I mentioned, the box just evolved as I went along.
> ...


i mean the lid, i understood how you did the hinge.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

levon said:


> i mean the lid, i understood how you did the hinge.


Levon, shot #21 shows the lid positioned in the jig, #22 shows how to make the template by cutting four pieces and gluing them together rather than cutting a hole which by comparison is long winded and not as accurate. #23 shows the template sat on the lid, also the router with a 30mm template guide which could easily have been a 1 1/8" or a 1 1/4" also a 19mm bowl cutter which is close enough to a 3/4" one. Finally, #25 shows the rebate, I'm not sure what you guys would call it. Don't be shy to ask any questions at all, at demonstrations, nobody asks more questions than me, that's how I learn!


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Harry, the box is a work of art... except where the bottom padding shows. I think if you put a very shallow bevel just on the edge(1mm?) that would hide the padding. I think many galleries would be happy to show it. Well done!


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

hello Harry,

after going through the pictures again, i finally get it, lol
i bookmarked it so when i need to do something like that i will have it, the only problem is i will probably forget i got it boomarked lol.

again, thanks for all your help!


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## RustyW (Dec 28, 2005)

I love it Harry. In one small project you have shown very clearly, the use of skis,jig, and jig holder. Even how you made the template. It should be very easy for anyone to figure it out following your pics. Oh yeah the box turned out great too.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Mike said:


> Harry, the box is a work of art... except where the bottom padding shows. I think if you put a very shallow bevel just on the edge(1mm?) that would hide the padding. I think many galleries would be happy to show it. Well done!


I appreciate you generous remarks Mike but don't understand what you mean. Is there any chance that you could rework the final shot with the rings and add some text and arrows. You know me of old Mike, at times I can be rather slow on the uptake.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Harry I was looking at your post again and really appreciate the time you took to post and to write up. Thanks again.


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## wuzfuzde (Feb 21, 2009)

*bottom fitting question*

You have done a excellent job both with photos and with the woodworking...
Having said that and given that i have a room temperature IQ and the 71 years old wear and tear on my brain ...
i need to ask a question for clarification .

I don't understand how the bottom was constructed . Did you cut a rebate and than put the buttom in place --
I understand the concept of the rebate to hold the bottom but i need some special instruction on how you made the bottom fit well.
I ask this because of two reasons one i would like to make a simlar box but right now i'm constructing a multi drawered towered box with angled sides and am having a bear of time trying to get a back to fit in the rebate. iThank you again for sharing what you have posted... 
Bill




harrysin said:


> I appreciate you generous remarks Mike but don't understand what you mean. Is there any chance that you could rework the final shot with the rings and add some text and arrows. You know me of old Mike, at times I can be rather slow on the uptake.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Jerry, you're more than welcome and I appreciate your kind remarks and those of all who have responded. It's appreciation like this that motivates me to carry on. I do realise that working people do not have the time that retirees like me have to produce this type of project with photo shoots, but that doesn't deter me from pushing for them. I have made some progress in the last two years!


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

hi Harry,

after viewing lots of posts, couldnt you have done this box with a template instead of cutting the sides and gluing the sides?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

wuzfuzde said:


> You have done a excellent job both with photos and with the woodworking...
> Having said that and given that i have a room temperature IQ and the 71 years old wear and tear on my brain ...
> i need to ask a question for clarification .
> 
> ...


Bill, normally when I make boxes I do rout rebates on the sides/ends before glue-up, however in this case because it was a rush job and I had no real idea as to how a ring box looked, I just made it up as I went along and forgot about the rebate, so I just cut a piece of the Sheoak the same size as the internal measurement then glued it inside the box, flush with the bottom. Because the box was lined, it wasn't possible to see how it was made.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

levon said:


> hi Harry,
> 
> after viewing lots of posts, couldnt you have done this box with a template instead of cutting the sides and gluing the sides?



I certainly could have Levon, but that is the beauty of learning different methods, it makes it possible to choose the best method for the job in hand. Hidden somewhere in my gallery is a thread called routing a box from solid, which gives a full photo shoot of making this box and lid.


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

Nicely done Harry. That little box will be handed down from generation to generation and become an hierloom of the family. Put a little story into the box, underneath the rolls so some great.... grand daughter can discover it and get a bit of family history. 

Extend the best wishes from all of us to your grand daughter and to your family. Thank them for sharing you with us.

Allthunbs


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks for your comments Ron, by all accounts my granddaughter won't let it out of her sight, so far as I know, it's with her on honeymoon in Mauritius, a destination that NO ONE except her husband knew until they were at the airport and allowed the sealed itinerary to be opened!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Harry,

just found this thread while browsing at lunch at work.

Top job !!!!!

James


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## rstermer (Apr 22, 2008)

Harry- That's a really nice piece of work! Your technique for setting the depth of cut for the hinge rebate is one I'm adding to my book of tricks. Thanks for providing all the detail.
RAS


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## Gap_308 (May 2, 2009)

Great post, Thanks for putting all the imformation in so I could figure it out. I learned something again!


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## falk (Jul 24, 2009)

That trick of putting the hinge into the router's plunge base to set the depth is brilliant, I'll have to remember that.


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## Joe_Guitar (Dec 1, 2009)

Harry - 

As the others have said; Nice job. Great pictorial as well.

I have one question: how did you make the rolls that hold the rings?

Joe


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## Capt Splinter (Dec 30, 2008)

Harry,
Absolutely stunning little box! Great work. I've got to throw out a stupid question, though. You call the wood Sheoak??? I think it's got a wonderful look to it, but I have not heard of it. Does it go by another name in the States?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Joe/George, thanks for your kind remarks. For full size jewellery boxes I wrap several turns if felt around a 1/4" dowel then glue it to the bottom. This gives enough "give" to hold rings. In the case of the ring box I rolled up some of this foam material which comes as packing with many items.
As for Sheoak, sorry but it is only grown here in Western Australia and according to what I've read, very little is exported to America.


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## Padawan Learner (Oct 12, 2009)

Harry,
The choice of wood (tiger maple?) was insightful. Light color, depth, lots of figure, just right for a wedding gift. 

Beautiful workmanship. Like other posters have implied, it expresses your love in a language that doesn't rely on mere words.

The aspect of woodworking that I like most shows up in this small gift: Two living things, the wood and the craftsman, have combined in a permanent object that reveals the best in both.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Vaughn, words like that leave me speechless, and as most members will tell you, that doesn't happen very often! Thank you.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Once again harry you have produced a project which shows your love for woodworking and to the people you are giving it to.

Your write ups are spot on and will be very helpful to others when they decide to tackle a similar project.

Not sure about you but when I do my write ups I also have to keep in mind as I build them and stop to take pictures. This helps to slow down and really analyze what you are doing and in the process you learn even more.

I think you missed your calling and should of been a teacher. Your patience is ever lasting as is your love for making heirlooms for the people you hold near and dear to your heart.

Good to see you back in the shop. As always I thank you and look forward to your next project.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

I had to chuckle at the use of old transformers for clamps. More so when I thought of what their salvage value was. I only learned that when I bought a collection of electrical goodies retrieved from a drug bust, for eighty dollars. I ended up with twenty forty pound transformers, along with around a hundred pounds of wire, panels, three conductor, solid copper 4-0 cable and so forth. Anyway, I got tired of lugging the transformers around and took them to the salvage place, along with gutters from a remodel job. Got nearly two hundred bucks just for the transformers. That'd buy a few nice clamps.


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## Shepherduke (Apr 30, 2010)

One day....... Well done!


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## oliverc612 (Dec 3, 2009)

Great job Harry! Thanks for the great pictures and explanations! Very helpful.


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## pappo (Apr 14, 2010)

Harry - Very nice job! Your granddaughter must be very proud of her grandfather. I should make this for granddaughter now because when she is old enough to get married, I'll be too old make it. Thanks for sharing.


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## thevirg (Nov 13, 2010)

Nice job. Thank You for sharing. As a new woodworker it is nice to be able to see how someone puts a project together from start to finish.

Virg.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks you so much Virgil also for your complete profile, it make life so much easier for all of us. On this forum you only have to ask to receive helpful advice from many members. The idea of posting photo-shoots with my projects isn't so much to show how it SHOULD be done, but rather to show the way that I chose for that project but I could well choose a different approach for the next similar project.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

Beautiful job harry! Your Grand Daughter and Her future will be very pleased! Nice presentation as always. Have fun.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks Howard, but did you notice the date of that thread, the young very happy couple will have been married two years this coming march and my granddaughter who is still only 24 is an accountant with a city council earning a salary that many can only dream about.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

No, I didn't. You still did the work either way, Right? I have a Grand daughter who's still in college to be a youth Pastor, so I had to reply! Carry on


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Carrying on, SIR!


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## Benny LaBaw (Jan 4, 2007)

Hello, Harry san
Long time no see.
I followed your example.

Some expalnation( I think this word is not suitable. Please tell me What you say in this case.)

#01
I might do a wrong choice on dovetail bit, I wonder.
I am told like as " If you do Dovetail, glue does not need " every time.
But every time when I do dovetail, I need glue.

#02
It needs a lot of money for a beginner to make wood flat and straight.
Or a long training.

#03
It is very difficult for me to make a frame flat.
I use a glass as a flat base.
But joint part is not good enough.

#04
A base being used with a Ski must be good for this operation.
It must be good for me to make it.

I wonder how stupid I am.
I mistook a calculation.
I need a 3/4" slot as a center.
I have 1/2" bit, but 3/4".
How far I must set a fence...
I thought I did a check... but I need checks more than twice.
But top, I did well.


#00
A person whom I send this box send me a picture.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Benny LaBaw said:


> Hello, Harry san
> Long time no see.
> I followed your example.
> 
> ...


It has been a long time Benny and it's obvious that you have been practising a lot. I really can't see anything wrong with this new project. All the dovetails that I've made required glue, if the dry fit is very tight, then most of the glue will be forced out, leaving a weak joint. The thing to remember when adjusting the height of the bit is: higher to tighten and lower to loosen.
Yes, it can cost a lot of money to fully equip a workshop and I'm often asked which is more important, a jointer or a thickness/planer. The answer is: ideally, both are required because they serve different purposes. If a curved piece is put through a planer, out will come a thinner but still curved piece. The curve should be removed first using the jointer, THEN, with one flat surface it can be put through the planer. Having explained that Benny, for something like 20 years I managed with just the jointer, the planer came much later. 
The slot that caused a problem for you, for a one off job it probably would have been easiest to drill a series of holes with a forstner bit and cleaned it up with a rasp and sanding. If however you intend to make several of these boxes then a template would be the best way, this could be made as described but allowing for the offset, example; if the slot in the box needs to be 25mm and you use a 30mm template guide with a 10mm bit, then 30-10+25= a 45mm slot in the template.
If I've forgotten anything you know that you only have to ask. By the way your English is so improved over your early posts which were very difficult to understand.


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## Rolf Maxa (Feb 8, 2005)

Very nice ring box, your granddaughter must be very happy the way it turned out. This will be something she and her husband will be able to hand down to the next generation. Great work:yes2:


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Very nice looking box Benny san. Your woodworking and your English are improving greatly.


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## Benny LaBaw (Jan 4, 2007)

Dave san,
Harry san,
Thank you for everytime.
You words encourage me very much.


Tool-choice.
It is important for me to think when I want to buy tool.
Also it is important for me to have advices for an order on equipping.
I understand like those.
Thank you very much.

Template.
I think its form(?) is very useful way of solution. 
I keep it in my mind.
I search what I shoould say in this situation through internet on translation.
I find like as..."I really saw the light" or "it was like the scales fell from my eyes".
The latter is similer to our expression.

Language.
Thank you, Dave san and Harry san.
I am pleased if you say so.


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