# Jewelry Box Design



## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

I am looking for some tips/advice/suggestions regarding my latest project, a small jewelry box. 

I want to cut a blind groove in the sides to install the bottom. The table saw came to mind as a way to cut the grooves but that would mean the ends of the grooves would then be exposed on the exterior. Hand chiseling them would work I guess but would be labor intensive. Plugging the ends where the grooves exit would be another but I am trying for a blemish free/unmarred exterior surface. 

Now, I will kick back with a frosty beverage and wait for the tips to come rolling in. :smile:


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## mickit (Oct 5, 2009)

Looks like a good place to try a stopped dado with the router...


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

Yep, agree with mickit.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

I do mine on a router table. Put a mark on the fence where you want to start and stop.
Tom


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

As those above have suggested, the stopped groove w/ a router would work well and you can carry it far enough to where you don't have to chisel the rounded ends because they'll be just beyond the corners of the insert.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

TomC said:


> I do mine on a router table. Put a mark on the fence where you want to start and stop.
> Tom


A good idea. The tip would have to be relatively skinny to match the width of the bottom panel. But if I went slow enough it should work ok.


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

Yep. There's a router bit for that


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

phinds said:


> As those above have suggested, the stopped groove w/ a router would work well and you can carry it far enough to where you don't have to chisel the rounded ends because they'll be just beyond the corners of the insert.


Makes sense. The walls will be thick enough so going past the corners a smidge won't hurt anything.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

You guys are the bomb! I am headed to my local hardware store to shop for the appropriate size router bit.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

That groove should have been cut before assembly, it could have been a through groove/dado.

Your pins and tails laid out to hide the groove as in a drawer. :smile:


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Well it turns out I had a 3/8 diamter router bit in the collection. I used some blue painters tape to mark the router table fence.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

After setting the depth I routed a groove in all four pieces and assembled them with the new floor panel. 

(By the way, I installed my new 1/2 inch Grizzly blade on my band saw to resaw a piece of walnut that I had laying around for the bottom panel. The cut was so smooth it only required minimal sanding. :thumbsup 

Thanks to the expert advice I am now up and running again. 

Life is good.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

The finished product under the heat lamp. Thanks again to all for the help.


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Here is my latest curio box made from scraps of oak and purple heart that I had laying around Thanks to my new Grizzly planer, I was able to mill the planks to a uniform size before cutting out the pieces. 

I dispensed with hinges on this one and used brass rod for guide pins to hold the lid in place.


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## panhandler (Apr 28, 2011)

RetiredLE, you do such good work. The box is beautiful. Thanks for sharing


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## RetiredLE (Jan 20, 2011)

Actually, I am just showing off my photo uploading skills. :smile:

As mentioned, using straight cuts and simple joinery techniques makes for a low stress project. Maybe I like to do these because of all those hours I spent as a child playing with Legos I dunno.


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Love the Brass pins.

There used to be a system for adj shelves that utilized Brass(hollow)inserts that were installed in cabmet verts.Then there were these little brass "pins" that could be moved between inserts to establish shelf height...........The hollow inserts can be used in/for all sorts of ways,hinge'ly speaking.

And whether you use above inserts or roll your own(we make our own),it leads to some pretty cool hinge designs.Heck,a simple bolt can be wacked and then cntr drilled/tapped to create "threaded inserts".Using just a drill press.These work in creative ways for project hdwre.

I've even used those little threaded "caps" off sparkplugs.Forget the internal thread pitch.........but they can get epoxied in a pc of wood and then appropriate bolt can be installed.Have used regular "taps" for cutting threads(almost always done dry)into wood with very good effect.Good luck.....love the non-std hardware.BW


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## Bill Wyko (Feb 25, 2011)

mickit said:


> Looks like a good place to try a stopped dado with the router...


 
Ditto on the dado.:thumbsup:


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