Journal Building a large jewelry box

[Eric]

My partner asked if I could build a jewelry box for them so this my journal of that process. I haven’t completed the project yet so we’ll see how that turns out together!

I started by asking them for sketches of their vision and some rough dimensions.



They were sick when they sketched this out so we’ll forgive the math errors.

I then took this is into the free for individual/hobbyist software Fusion360 to model a CAD drawing of the various pieces. Professionals probably use a set of rules for working in fusion to help keep things organized and functional. I’m not a professional so I just make sure to rename most of my parts and sketches so I can find then again later. I input a few regular variables like the plywood thickness into the user variable index. This allows me to write in “plywood thickness” when I specify how thick a panel will be and fusion can automatically make sure that is equal to 0.267” or whatever my plywood actually measures.

 

[Eric]

All pieces are modeled as individual bodies in fusion 360 with their appropriate miters and dados as expected. They are much easier to cut in fusion than they are on the table saw so this is a breeze and gives me easy reference points to measure when writing the cut list.





Rendered in fusion360's render tab.

Rendered in blender, this time with animation!


I ended up 3d printing it too at 1:3 scale, anything to avoid actually doing the thing.



Here the 3d print is being thoroughly tested. I printed it in polymaker wood PLA which mimics wood density and texture, feels kinda like a lighter MDF.

 

[Eric]

I spent at least half an hour trying to find a way to export a cut list from fusion 360 in a smart way. None was found so I used excel and wrote a table which took around 10 minutes to pull a few measurements from and fill out. I also listed locations for dados and widths and which sides are to be mitered.


With cut list in hand I went about cutting all the plywood pieces out on the table saw. I used the harbor freight router table to miter the edges of the plywood but I will use the table saw next time. I thought the router table would give me a cleaner edge but I think I need to be more skilled with the router or get a better fence for it to achieve the results I wanted. I saw a lot of uneven cutting with their plastic fence and slotted work guide.

I cut all the dados with the table saw in the cross cutting sled. I used my regular blade and cleaned the dados up with a chisel.


I used an Irwin ratcheting band clamp to hold the panels together while the titebond II dried. I used some F clamps to make sure the shelves glued in tightly in the side wall dados.

Dowels were drilled through the side walls and cut proud and sanded. I applied birch iron-on edge banding and trimmed it mostly flush. It just needs some accessories and more dowels before being ready for the finish!

 

[Andy]

That's looking so good! I saw the printed mock-up, but I didn't realize you were to the point of building it for real. Awesome!

 

[Eric]

The client asked for a white/glitter felting on the flat sides of the shelves that hold sunglasses and what not near the dowels.

I did a little a googling about how to do that and ordered and some spray adhesive, felting fibers and glitter:



I masked the areas not to be covered in glue and fibers and sprayed away. I shook out a bunch of the fibers an glitter after mixing them together in a bowl. I let that dry for 24 hours and collected the excess fibers but found it was a very thin layer that stuck.


I think this adhesive probably needs pressure like something that can be compressed so I did some more research and found that enamel paint was a popular option for felting:

 

[Andy]

"the client requested"

I always assumed that felting would literally be a sheet of felt glued to the surfaces. I haven't thought about it being form-fitting like that before. I'm super curious how this goes!

 

[Eric]

I should have said "Flocking", I have been using the two interchangeably but flocking is more accurate since it's particles instead of a sheet. I think a felt sheet would be a be a great option though, the flocking does require wearing a mask as the fibers can be irritating and and linger in the air a long time.

The enamel paint worked much better than the spray adhesive! The white paint helps hide the wood underneath but the fibers are significantly thicker and it feels like I expected it to now.






Now to scrape up the areas I accidentally painted and to make the two necklace rods for the front door!

 

[Eric]

For the necklace rods I ended up making these by cutting down some red oak then using the router table to round off all the corners to nearly a dowel. I then used the band saw to cut the curve and narrow the rod itself so the ends of the rod could function as a stop. They were then sanded down on a belt sander station to get them rounded again.

This photo captures the process, though painfully, as it is ordered right to left.

I mortised out a ply of the wood on interior after tracing the shape with a pencil. I took this photo mid-process so the hole was a lot cleaner by the time I glued it in.



On the outside I used a chisel to make a flap to hide a screw head. This technique has worked well in the past for me but I think I needed a lot more wood depth to hide the size of screw I ended up using.




The hole was predrilled in both the case and the rod, I then screwed it down by hand after applying wood glue.


I need to sneak a photo of the final result but it was better than no wood lid, but not 100% concealing either because it was so thin. Probably not worth the effort on this piece but I am confident the rods are secure. The rods were finished with 3 coats of polyurethane but they really drank it up much more than the plywood, the first coat acted like it was water and seemed like it had done nothing. Eventually it seemed like it was building a finish, hopefully 3 coats is enough.

Here is the almost final result!




The interior with the 3d printed earring racks: I would still like to see this done in a hardwood on the CNC someday but I can probably steal it back for an afternoon to glue them in if I get them made. In the mean time I only have to look at it while writing this thread so maybe I can forget it about it and it's fine.


It's fine.

The back with mounting hardware. We used keyhole mounting hardware I ordered from amazon after growing impatient waiting for the keyhole mounting hardware I ordered from Rockler to arrive. The Rockler keyholes eventually did arrive and were not superior to the Amazon ones so we ended up returning those and just using the nicer ones from Amazon. I unfortunately have several dozen of these now because that's only way they could sell them in quantity that justified the cost of shipping.



Next up is the 3 little drawers that go in the bottom of the door on the bottom left. The client requested that be see-through on the front so a transparent 3d print maybe? Glass windows on wood? Clear vinyl like on a jeep?!! I haven't figured this part out yet so this post is going to have to end here.

See you next time!