Make a jewelry box

Top and bottom
The bottom panel of this jewelry box is made of two pieces of 3/8" padauk edge-glued together. Saw the corners off at 45º to match the legs, then sand the surfaces smooth.

Roundover the edges of the lid of the jewelry box on your table-mounted router using a thumbnail bit guided by a fence. Rip the lid into two pieces as shown in the plans. Next, bore holes for the barrel hinges using a 10mm brad-point bit. Sand all parts prior to glue-up, with 120-, 150- and 180-grit paper.

Glue up the four legs and four sides, then prepare a pattern for cutting the cork that will line the bottom of the box (not pictured). Trace the upside-down box on a thin piece of cardboard (cereal boxes work well), cut it out and transfer the shape to your cork sheet before setting it aside. Now you can cut, mitre and glue the 3/8" square support cleats into the box. These support the padauk bottom, which is a little smaller than the opening to allow for seasonal expansion.

For easier finishing, raise the grain by wiping all surfaces with a damp cloth. Allow the wood to dry, then smooth all pieces with 180-grit sandpaper.

Before you apply any finish, use tape to mask the places where the fixed part of the lid fastens to the back of the box. This will allow good gluing surfaces to attach the lid to the box later on.

For a quick and easy finish, I chose a water-based, low-odour, clear matte spray in an aerosol can. It takes 20 minutes to dry and the results are excellent.

You could just go with the padauk bottom panel alone, but the box will be gentler on baubles if you cover it with cloth-wrapped cork. Simply wrap the cork you cut earlier with some fabric secured with pins on the bottom, then push this cushion into place at the bottom of the box and drop the dividers into place. Finally, clamp and glue the fixed portion of the lid to the box.

There you have it. A lovely little gift that goes together quickly while helping you use up nice leftover stock you don't have the heart to toss out.

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