Newest jewelry box

[ironhat]

You are truly a craftsman, my friend. I bow at the feet of greatness.

[Bruce Cohen]

Hey Guys,
I really want to thank you for all your kind words. Your praise goes way past anything I could ever have hoped for.

When I do these boxes, I never really know if they are any good. Its all subjective and there are times when I look at a piece and think that I totally messed it up, so hearing these words form you all truly puts it all in the "right place".

I'm not sure if a lot of you know what I did for a living and still do on a part-time basis. I was a creative director in an ad agency until the dot com meltdown and then 9/11 occurred and that was the end of the ad business in NY.

Working in advertising, all your work is judged subjectively, which makes you a bit weird and very insecure. Doing woodwork, for me, is the same. You may love the piece you've just finished only to find out it sucks. So your praise validates my work and is worth way more than high selling price.

JR asked me a bunch of questions, so I'll try to answer them intelligently.

The hinges are black and really cheap, Lee Valley and I think they were a few dollars a pair. The center medallion, which by the way is a Chrysanthemum, and I believe that in Japan, its something reserved for the Emperor. Hank probably knows the answer. I had to cut it in half, got to use my trusty Dremel for that. I cheated on the dust shelf. Its almost all 1/8" plywood except for the first half inch, which is Ebony.
BTW, Ebony is a major PITA to work with. Its brittle as all get out and really doesn't play well with anything. Except for its ability to polish up excellent. Final sanding with 600 wet/dry and then buffed out using white rouge on a felt wheel.

The joinery is so basic I'm ashamed to say. the box itself is mitered and glued. The drawers are butt joined with a piece of Bloodwood for the front.
And there is no way in the world I'd try to make the hinges our of Ebony, I'm not that weird.
Oh, and the feet are just two pieces of Bloodwood glued together with rounded edges.

And a special thank you to Don, for his wonderful way to get even with this Yankee.
One more thing , I can't build anything large, I really suck at making big things. I envy you guys who can build chests and bookcases. My large work doesn't make high school wood shop level.
Thanks for making me feel so good, and I'm starting to design another one at the moment.

Bruce