Jewelry Box

[Mike Henderson]

This is a fairly simple project but I thought the wood made it interesting.

Someone gave me some ambrosia maple - not a lot, but enough (if I was careful) to make a jewelry box. Ambrosia maple has fungal stain in it and borer holes in a few places. Makes for interesting wood. The joinery of the corners is just glued miters (no splines). The handle is a piece of ebony.

Here's a view from the front:
Jewelry-box-05.jpg

And a view from the corner to show the grain flowing around the box:
Jewelry-box-06.jpg

A little better view of the top:
Jewelry-box-07.jpg

A view of the interior showing the tray:
Jewelry-box-08.jpg

And the tray out of the box to show the size:
Jewelry-box-09.jpg

Finally, the bottom. I had done the compass rose in veneer on 1/4" MDF some time ago but I had messed up the border. So I cut the border off and used it for the bottom. The inside bottom will be covered by felt so I put the rose facing down. The field is ash which is a slightly different color from the maple, but this is the bottom:-):
Jewelry-box-10.jpg

While this is a fairly simple project, it took me a few days to do it, working a couple of hours each day. Every time I had to glue something, I put it aside and usually didn't get back to it until the next day.

Mike

[Mel Fulks]

Nice, but you are going to cause great consternation to the "people of the future" with that bottom placement of the compass rose! I particularly like those high contrast streaks for small boxes.

[Michelle Rich]

3 thumbs up!!!

[Yonak Hawkins]

Very nice, Mike. You made the absolute best of a rustic material, but you hid your light under a bushel.

[Jim Becker]

Beautiful job wrapping that wood and craftsmanship!

[Andrew Hughes]

Looks great Mike. It looks unfinished are you going to put a finish on it?

[Cody Colston]

Very nice work, Mike, as is everything I've seen you do. The diamond shape of the Ash grain on the bottom is as eye-catching as the compass rose to my eye.

Did you have enough stock for a four-corner grain match?

[glenn bradley]

A beautiful little piece Mike. Just because boxes are small doesn't mean there aren't plenty of full size challenges in the making. Very well done.

[Jay Jolliffe]

Very nice Mike....

[Mike Henderson]

Very nice work, Mike, as is everything I've seen you do. The diamond shape of the Ash grain on the bottom is as eye-catching as the compass rose to my eye.

Did you have enough stock for a four-corner grain match?

Thanks for your kind words, Cody. No, to do a four corner match you have to resaw the wood at just the right length (the length of two sides). The wood I had was not thick enough to resaw into two pieces of 1/2" each so one corner (I put it at the back) is not matched.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Looks great Mike. It looks unfinished are you going to put a finish on it?

Thanks, Andrew. I have shellac on it. May not put anything else.

Mike

[Jim Tobias]

Very nice, Mike!! I like the look of the ambrosia maple. The wrapped corner is a nice touch and the compass on the bottom is like a "secret compartment". You don't realize it's there at first glance................and then you turn it over!!


Jim

[John Blazy]

Nice! Is Ambrosia maple another name for spalted maple? Been out of the wood name loop for several years.

[Jim Tobias]

Ambrosia Maple gets the name from the Ambrosia Beetle that bores into the maple and ultimately creates the discoloration. It definitely has a different l;ook from regular spalted maple.
Ambrosia maple is like the wood in Mike's wonderful box.
Spalted maple is like this.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=...63674312133540


Jim

[Mike Henderson]

Yep, spalted wood is often punky (soft). Ambrosia maple is sound wood, just stained. And it looks somewhat different.

Mike