jewelry box construction

[George Pell]

Is it bad technique to simply glue together the mitered sides of a jewelry box, then glue the top and bottom, and then slice the lid off? I worry about wood movement and the box coming apart, but so far I haven't had any problems. Would using biscuits add to the stability of the box? I'd like to use splines to hold the mitered corners together, but worry about getting a tight enough fit. I've been wondering about this for some time, so I thought I'd see what you guys had to say about it. Thanks.

George

[Harry Keller]

I made a small box like you are describing a while ago. I glued the top and bottom to the inside of the sides (which were just butt joined), and sawed the top off. After a while, the glue joint between the long edge on the bottom and the side split apart about 1/8". Since then, I have made the bottom float in a rabbet, and have had no problems like this since.

[Rob Sandow]

George,

You can simply glue the mitered sides, but I wouldn't recommend it. Splines work best for me, but you can always use decorative joinery such as finger, dovetail, etc.

The real concern is the construction of the top and bottom of the box. I always put the bottom in a dado and leave room for seasonal movement if it's going to be made of solid wood. No need to leave room for movement if it's plywood.

The top can be made one of two ways. If you want the top panel to be flush with the sides of the box, you must use veneer on a stable sudstrate like good quality plywood or mdf. If you want to use solid wood, I recommend using a raised panel in the top, set into a dado like the bottom, with enough room for movement. Don't simply glue a solid wood top inside the dados, because the box then will probably break apart with seasonal movement.

Rob