224 – Jewelry Box with Gary Rogowski

Video - July 17, 2014

I recently had the good fortune of working with Gary Rogowski, a well-known educator and author. If you aren’t familiar with Gary, he wrote Taunton’s Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery. You know, that little reference book almost every woodworker has in their library? Since Gary was in the area on family business, we decided to spend a couple days together building one of his projects: a jewelry box with a slight Asian influence.

The seemingly simple box serves as an opportunity to work on numerous techniques including finger joints, breadboard ends, sprung joints, dowel reinforcement, and rice paper application. And speaking of finger joints, Gary has a really cool trick for getting accurate and repeatable finger joints at the bandsaw.

With only two short days to work with, we weren’t able to complete the entire box with Gary. But I picked up where he left off and finished it up myself. I didn’t really like the original base so I decided to give mine some small feet. Seems like a good place to put your own spin on such a beautiful box.

This project was documented in Popular Woodworking Issue #190 (June 2011) under the name Jasmine Jewelry Box. You can read text from the article here.

Download the Plans

SketchUp Model (Thanks for improving the SketchUp file Khaled!)

Cut List:

Front/Back – 2 1/4″W x 16 1/8″L x 1/2″T
Sides – 2 1/4″W x 12 1/8″L x 1/2″T
Bottom (1/4″ Ply) – 11 1/2″W x 15 1/2″L (Cut to fit!)
Top – 12″W x 12″L x 1/2″T
Breadboards – 2″W x 12 1/8″L x x 1/2″T
Handle – 1″W x 11″L x 1/4″T
Feet – 3/4″W x 3/4″T x 3/4″L

Products Used

Resources

Discussion

ben daigle July 17, 2014 8:03 am

as always another great video from marc!

Reply
chris July 17, 2014 8:19 am

Thank you for another informative video

Reply
Sean July 17, 2014 8:57 am

Marc,

Can you tell us a little more about the rice paper? I’ve never used it, but it looks amazing in the video.

Thank you!

Reply
Jeff July 17, 2014 9:51 am

Marc,

Did you apply finish to the ebony of just sand it to a high grit?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 17, 2014 9:51 am
  
  I did apply finish. Doesn’t take much to make it look shiny!
  
  Reply
Peter Durand July 17, 2014 10:52 am

Thank you so much for that great video. When I get enough cash together I definitely be joining your guild.

Cheers,

Peter

Reply
Deaon Hackley July 17, 2014 12:10 pm

Interesting idea for the sprung bread board ends. I will have to try that. Great video as usual. Have a blessed week.

Reply
Blayne Puklich July 17, 2014 1:25 pm

Gary is a super, super guy. Great teacher, great writer, great woodworker. A bit of a prankster, too.

I had the pleasure of seeing him talk at one of the Woodworking Shows held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds back in about 2005. I’ll never forget this – here’s why.

Before his first talk began he sat down next to me. I knew full well who he was but didn’t say a thing. After a little uncomfortable silence he asked me if I knew who was giving the next talk. Without hesitating or thinking about what to say, I told him, “I don’t know who the hell this guy is but he had better get his butt up there and get started because he’s late.”

Up he sprang, headed to the stage and did a great job.

Reply
Mike F July 17, 2014 6:34 pm

Inspiring! Thank you.

Reply
Eric McKnight July 18, 2014 7:39 am

The kerf shim is brilliant

Reply
Tracy Luegge July 18, 2014 5:29 pm

That was cool the way Darth Vader was holding the mic for you… well played!

Reply
Jim_ny July 19, 2014 5:54 am

Wow a lot of great tips from this video thank you

Reply
Dave July 20, 2014 9:25 am

Marc

I noticed that you have what seems to be a very wide blade on your bandsaw (Powermatic). Is this normally used for resaw or is this your normal blade?

I ask because the “conventional” wisdom I have absorbed is that a 1/2″ 3tpi blade is a good “normal” blade – change thicknesses for curves, etc. However, I did note in the vid you also use a smaller blade on what appears to be a separate bandsaw; this may explain the larger blade (dual setups).

Thanks for the insight.
Dave

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 20, 2014 11:51 am
  
  Hey Dave. The blade on the big bandsaw is indeed intended for resawing. And the smaller saw gets a 1/4″ blade for curve cuts and any random cutting jobs. If I only had one saw, I’d be using a 1/2″ blade as a general purpose blade in order to avoid switching blades too often.
  
  Reply
Trever July 20, 2014 9:40 am

Gary seemed to suggest that breadboards were a good but not excellent way to keep a panel top flat over time.

That leaves me burning to know what are the other options?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 20, 2014 11:47 am
  
  I actually wondered the same thing Trevor. Maybe he was just being “safe” by avoiding the word “best” and leaving the door open for other options. For such a small set of breadboards on a thin piece of stock, I can’t think of a better way to accomplish that.
  
  Reply
wilbur July 21, 2014 4:32 am

Great video, Marc. Love the design.

One question on the dividers: are they attached to the box itself? I see that they are cut to fit the interior of the box, but how did you keep them from sliding side-to-side within the box?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 21, 2014 7:08 am
  
  That’s for Nicole to worry about. She’ll be filling the box with card games and dice, so I figured she can shift it one way or another to fit her needs.
  
  Reply
Ryan July 22, 2014 7:29 am

Great video and project. Do I have to be a member to download the plans? Thanks

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 22, 2014 8:02 am
  
  Nope. Just use the links provided above.
  
  Reply
Tom Buhl July 22, 2014 8:29 am

Good teamwork guys,
Marc, do you have the Brusso model number for the hinges you used?
Thanks

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 22, 2014 9:09 am
  
  Yessir! CB302: http://www.brusso.com/cb-302/
  
  Reply
Mike (Woodsap) July 23, 2014 8:50 am

There is something awesome about topping $25 worth of walnut with a $150 chunk of ebony.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 23, 2014 1:44 pm
  
  Well for the record, that was about $6 worth of ebony. ;)
  
  Reply
Jared July 26, 2014 6:33 am

I have a couple questions about the base and expansion. In the video you said it didn’t have to be glued in because it was tight. How much room was left for expansion/ contraction. I always wonder how large to cut the panel, especially with the thin sides of the box. Too big and it blows the box apart, too small and there will be gaps on the sides. Another thing was it looked like the feet were glued to the bottom ( panel) and were pressed against the edges of the box. Would that limit the expansion? Maybe I worry too much about movement?

Reply
Jared July 26, 2014 6:59 am

I spoke too soon. I just watched the video and noticed it was a plywood base :-). I guess my questions have been answered.

Reply
Chris August 11, 2014 9:54 pm

I’m in the middle of getting this box together. I wanted to make it because I liked the bandsaw method for cutting the mortise and tenons, and it looked like a nice box. I’m letting my decorative paper dry tonight, and I’ll glue up the box tomorrow and get the lid together. Then I just need to chisel away the hinge mortises and finish it.

Which leads me to my question…Any particular reason you chose Waterlox over shellac, like the Popular Woodworking article calls for? I ask because I’m debating how to finish mine. I like the idea of mixing essential oils with the shellac, and I fear using an oil based on the inside due to smells.

Last question, it’s not clear from the video, but did you tape off the papered bottom before applying finish to the wood? Or did you just put a coat of the final finish on the paper bottom too?

Thanks, and I can’t wait to see how mine turns out. Thanks for the inspiration, as always!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 12, 2014 7:35 am
  
  Hi Chris. Waterlox and shellac are two perfectly viable options. I didn’t really choose one over the other as I never actually considered shellac. But if you like the idea of shellac as well as the application properties, there’s no reason you can’t use it for this project. I chose Waterlox because I like the way it looks and how easy it is to apply.
  
  And I did tape off the box bottom. If you don’t the finish will change the color of the bottom to some extent and you’ll have to apply finish to the whole thing to make it look even. So it’s probably best to just tape it off and apply your finish carefully and sparingly on the interior.
  
  Reply
Vinnyjojo August 20, 2014 9:30 am

Marc, you mentioned wax to help prevent stripping the [expensive] brass screws. Are you referring to waxing the threads or the screwhead itself to prevent the “metal on metal” (also possibly the name of a Judas Priest album)?

Thanks – by the way, I’m building this now and referenced Gary’s Jasmine Box article, whereby he also put essential Jasmine oil in the shellac for the inside. I used vanilla, and was surprised how well it worked (especially when you scuff sand it later!). Plus, the shellac on the inside-only really solved the fuming off issue with the lid closed.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 20, 2014 9:37 am
  
  Hey vinny. If you wax the head of the screw, you’ll most likely strip it. The wax is for the threads only and helps ease the entry into the hole. And seriously, could this discussion possibly have any more innuendo??
  
  Reply
Brian September 10, 2014 12:59 pm

Marc, the cut list specs the side at 1/2″ width, but the SketchUp has them at 3/8″ width. Che cosa?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo September 10, 2014 4:57 pm
  
  I didn’t actually make the SketchUp file which might explain the discrepancy. I used all 1/2″ stock for mine to keep things simple.
  
  Reply
  - Brian Hackett September 22, 2014 8:40 am
    
    I’m having bear of a time finding 2/4 walnut. The only thing I’ve found commercially is those hobby packs they sell in Woodcraft, and at the odd sizes available, I’d spend much more than I should to end up with the board feet I need. It doesn’t look like Bell Forests sells 2/4, any other ideas?
    
    PS – “Buy a planer and and make your own 2/4” is an acceptable option and it will give me something to tell the boss. “But honey, the Wood Whisperer told me to get a planer. He told me to!”
    
    Reply
Fred November 9, 2014 8:58 am

Marc,

Great video. I’ve been working on this project and am learning a lot. Along the way I’ve also remembered a lot of what I’ve learned on your site (thank you).

Following the sketchup plan, I’m using 3/8″ for the carcass and had a bit of blowout when mortising the hinges. At first I said “Oh crap” and then I remembered you showing us how to fix our mistakes. I prepared myself after watching that video and now have my CA glue and accelerator. Luckily the piece was still there and I just pushed it back in place. I was able to keep a cool head and repair it. Looks pretty good. If you can believe it I also started one of the grooves for the breadboard end of the main top on the wrong side. Luckily I caught that before moving it so it was just a simple 1/4″ hole that I plugged up.

Now that is all together, my top wasn’t quite flat after glue-up. I had scraped that flat prior to putting the breadboard ends on and now need to flatten the top as a whole. My question is, can I use a hand plane to do this flattening or would I be better off with a RO sander? My concern with the plane is the cross grain joint between the top and the breadboard end.

It is great how much you learn by just doing it.Having a blast. Keep up the great work Marc.

Reply
Avinash Agrawal November 11, 2014 4:01 am

Hello Marc,

Your work has been inspirational for me in taking up woodworking as a hoby.

I am writing a blog post about my first woodworking project – a jewellery box – that was inspired by this project of yours. I’d like to mention this fact in my blog post, along with a link to this page. (I’d also include that it was Gary Rogowski’s original design).

Please let me know if that’s OK with you.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 11, 2014 6:52 am
  
  Of course. You never need to ask permission to link to people. :) Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
  
  Reply
  - Avinash Agrawal November 11, 2014 2:25 pm
    
    Thanks Marc. Here’s a link to my blog post – http://myjourneywithkaath.blog.....esign.html. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
    
    Reply
Doug Harwood November 12, 2014 2:07 pm

Marc,
Love your videos, this one in particular. Was looking for a supplier of the rice paper you and Gary used on the beautiful box. Also curious if you had to use “water based” poly or a thinned down wiping varnish.

Thanks in advance,

Doug

Reply
Brent November 23, 2014 2:06 pm

Can this plan be converted to sketch up 8?

Reply
Brian November 24, 2014 11:45 am

Thanks for the plans, I loved making it!
fhttp://lumberjocks.com/projects/108305

Reply
Brian November 24, 2014 11:45 am

Thanks for the plans, I loved making it!
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/108305

Reply
Greg February 7, 2015 11:35 am

I’m going to make 2 of these soon, one of walnut and one of bubinga. I could employ the same cutting technique on the table saw correct?

Reply
Bart July 15, 2015 11:50 am

Excellent video, thank you.
Do you have a source for the aluminum extrusion used as a fence on the cross cut sled used for cutting the splines?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 15, 2015 2:02 pm
  
  Check Woodpeckers and 80/20. Both should have extrusions you can use as a fence.
  
  Reply
Duncan September 22, 2015 2:41 pm

Great video as always. Just one question the cut list shows the sides and front and back as one half inch yet the sketch up has it at 3/8″? Does that take into account Gary’s use of the hand plane? Thanks again for the great video

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo September 22, 2015 2:50 pm
  
  No I think that’s just a misunderstanding between me and the person that made the sketch. :) Either 3/8″ or 1/2″ will work for this one.
  
  Reply
  - Duncan September 22, 2015 5:23 pm
    
    Perfect. Thanks much
    
    Reply
Brandon February 21, 2016 11:58 am

Hey Marc, I know you used waterlox for your finish but if im finishing with teak or danish oil, can i use that for the inside? I read that oil finishes are bad for insides because the smell? Seems odd that I would have to use two different finishes for one box. Thanks!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 21, 2016 3:13 pm
  
  You can, but what you heard is somewhat correct. Just depends on your perspective. Oil-based finishes will indeed stink up the inside of a box. Whether that’s bad or not is up to the owner. But you can help mitigate the smell by letting the box cure with the lid open for several weeks. It might still retain an odor but it won’t be THAT bad. You can also topcoat the oil-based finish with a light coat of shellac, and that will help dampen the smell.
  
  Reply
Alex May 22, 2016 7:51 am

Marc I truly love your work!. I’m building the box for my girl, she loves tea! I thought I make tiny little boxes for her to have different kinds of tea. Any suggestions on how to do this so even the boxes have that elegant look?

Reply
Julien February 1, 2017 10:39 pm

Great looking box !
Is there a problem doing it with 3/8″ thick stock instead of 1/2″ ?
Thanks !

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 2, 2017 9:30 am
  
  I don’t think so. The box is small enough that it should be ok.
  
  Reply
Julien February 10, 2017 5:51 pm

Quick tip to cut the shim for those who own a 3D printer: measure the kerf of your bandsaw blade and then it is one line in OpenSCAD.
Here it is for a shim of 80mm x 20mm x 0.7mm: cube([80, 20, 0.7]);

It is then very easy and fast to get your shim !

It probably is not a valid method for woodworking purists, but it saved me lot of time since I don’t have an accurate way to produce clean 0.7mm wood cuts.

Reply
Oren February 21, 2017 11:07 am

Thanks for the great video. I plan on tackling this project soon.

If one wanted to secure the dividers to the box, how do you recommend doing so? Dado the ends to the sides of the box? Glue on the bottom? Guidance is appreciated. Thanks again.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 21, 2017 7:11 pm
  
  Well you can get away without dados and grooves since it’s light duty. But I think ideally you’d have some dados in the sides so the dividers can just slide into place.
  
  Reply
Scott Truett October 23, 2018 4:26 pm

Hi,

I’ve downloaded the sketch-up file, and it downloads with a .skm suffix that sketchup does not want to open. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Scott

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo October 24, 2018 8:37 am
  
  Hmm maybe. I just tried the 2018 and 2017 versions and both were .skp.
  
  Reply
Casey Rice November 30, 2020 10:11 am

Marc

You mentioned there are plans for this build and curious where they are located. I see a cut list and a Sketchup model. Is there a plan blown-up detail or anything like that? Happy to pay for them.

I live in Portland and took a “small bench” building class from Gary at the Northwest School of Woodworking in January of this year. Great guy and great class.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 30, 2020 5:25 pm
  
  What you see is what we have.We never had the opportunity to break out the Sketchup model into a PDF or anything like that. But between the cut list and the Sketchup model, you have pretty much everything you’d need to break down the details.
  
  Reply

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

224 – Jewelry Box with Gary Rogowski

Download the Plans

Products Used

Resources

Advertisers