Just a little box.. That was the request.

[Mark Marzluf]

Haven't posted lately cause the new baby has had us busy but I thought I'd post about some of my previous projects. Here's one of them..

Some close friends of ours adopted a little girl. For her 1 year adoption anniversary they asked if I could make her a little jewelry box. Most of what I make is furniture so this was a nice change of pace. They said they just needed a little box, but that was because they couldn't afford much.

Well..... Sometimes it's not about cost, is it....? Their only request was that they didn't want it to look like the typical "frilly" jewelry box.. This is what I came up with.

The body is a very small figured lacewood. The accent trim is Bloodwood. The top veneer is a quartered piece of Carpathian Elm Burl. The tune plays "You are my Sunshine" by request. The quote was also a request.

Thanks for looking. Always open to comments and suguestions.

Mark

[John Michaels]

Beautiful, the attention to detail is extrodinary.

[Kevin Blunt]

One word,

WOW!!!!!!

Kevin

[Bob Noles]

Mark.... That is an astounding piece and you are a nice guy to make that for them. That little girl is going to love it all her life.

Great job!

[Dave Anthony]

Very, very nice. The different woods really compliment each other. I like the bookmatched elm & the double dovetails. How did you make the round indentations (not sure what to call them). They give the piece a unique touch.

[Brad Noble]

V How did you make the round indentations (not sure what to call them). They give the piece a unique touch.

Dave,

Now you're going to find out that Mark is as good a machinest as he is a woodworker. Wait til you see this outfit. I've seen it several times in person and I still don't think I could build one like it.

Brad

[John Fry]

Absolutely beautiful, Mark.

The chosen accents and details, and your attention to them is remarkable. She will teasure this box forever.

[Jim Dunn]

What Kevin said. Real pretty piece of woodworking!!

[Mike Spanbauer]

Mark,

Your work is inspiring... really. That piece will very likely be treasured forever by her.

I've seen your description of the contraption that does the indentations and I can only agree w/ Brad that your machining skills are exceptional also.

Again, stunning piece.

mike

[Mark Marzluf]

Thanks everyone...

Dave, ignore Brad... I'm not a machinist by any means.. I do however have a metal lathe/mill combo machine that I play on from time to time..

The concave circles were made with a jig that I made. Rather than changing the course of this thread, I'll make a new posting about it.. Watch for "The little Jig that could" to show up in a minute..

[Corey Hallagan]

Mark, beautiful work and a kind thing to do. Your ring storage area, did you make that yourself and if so what did you use?

corey

[John Timberlake]

I love the design and you did a great job of execution. Very interesting use of contrasting woods. Wow!

[Mark Marzluf]

Hey Corey.... Yes. I usually make my own ring bars so I can exact match the fabric and have MANY more choices for color.

I start with used sanding sponges. I slice off the used up gritt portion on the bandsaw so that only the sponge is left.




After that... I glue them to a piece of 1/8" hardboard or cardboard and slice them every 1" or so.




Then I cut the fabric 1-1/2 times as wide and 4 times as long and attach to the back of one end.




After that, I use a ruller or in this case, a small square to tuck the fabric into the groves.




Finally, glue the other end to the back and trim away the excess leaving about 1/2" on each side to tuck into the frame.




When you're done, you get a custom ring bar in any size/shape you want and it matches the rest of the fabric. Beats being limited to the 5 or 6 colors and 1 or 2 types of fabric available at most ww stores..

[Chris Padilla]

Mark,

I think we all hope to see more of your stuff...you could show us a thing or two or three or four....

[Corey Hallagan]

Mark, thanks for posting that. That is pretty slick way of doing it and looks great!

corey