Make a veneered jewelry box
This elegant jewelry box is a fun introduction to building simple veneered boxes. Adding a suede interior customizes the box perfectly.
I started building this style of box when I had a very small shop. You don’t need a lot of space and can build it by using a table saw as your only power tool, if you so desire. I still build these boxes between furniture projects as it allows me to use boldly figured veneers or interesting parquetry patterns that I feel would be too loud for a piece of furniture. I also try to incorporate a lot of hand work into this style of box, which makes for a quiet project to work on in the evening. I use more than just a table saw when I build them now, but the work can be adapted to your toolset.
The construction of this box, which I made with veneered Baltic birch plywood, is simple. The box corner’s joints are rabbets and the top and bottom are joined to the sides via rabbets as well. All of the corners have hardwood inlaid into them to protect the veneer and cover up the joints, and the edges of the lid and box have hardwood edging for the same purposes. The interior is partially lined with suede to give it a luxurious look, feel and smell.
Veneer Selection
The possibilities are endless when selecting veneers. Use the actual components to trace oversize cut lines on the veneer.
Low-Tech Veneering
A 1/2" MDF caul covered with packing tape makes a great pressing solution for small veneered components. A vacuum bag and pump would allow you to do multiple components at once.
Veneer Trimming
A wide chisel balanced on the substrate and angled towards the substrate flush-trims the veneer with little tear-out.
Rabbet Joinery
A sacrificial table saw fence and a dado blade make cutting the rabbets very quick. Mark the depth of cut on the fence as a guideline for setting the blade height. A router table could also handle this joinery.
Pre-finish the Interior
Apply tape to the glue surfaces and wipe on a few coats of finish to the interior parts.
Glue-Up
The entire assembly gets glued at the same time. Clamps across all corners and a couple on the top and bottom ensure all the rabbets are fully seated.
Veneer Scoring
Using a marking gauge with a cutting wheel, cut through the veneer at all the corners to lower the risk of any tear-out.
Rabbets at the Router Table
Cut 1/4" × 1/4" rabbets for the hardwood edging at the router table and be sure to use a piece of scrap to back up the cut.
Blue Tape Clamps
Blue painter’s tape stretched across the corners provides clamping pressure for the hardwood edging. The vertical edging is cut a bit long so it gets cut by the router for the top and bottom rabbets.
Flush-Cut the Hardwood Edging
A block plane set for a fine cut does the bulk of the material removal. The last few passes are done with a card scraper to avoid damaging the veneer.
Mitre Block
A simple mitre block allows precise trimming of mitres for a tight fit on the box’s top and bottom trim. A wide chisel or block plane allows you to remove a small amount of wood to sneak up on a tight fit.
Fit the Top and Bottom Edging
A couple of small mitre checkers get used to ensure a tight fit at each corner. Work around the box until all four edges are fit, then glue them in place.
Separating the Lid
Blue tape helps prevent tear-out. The long sides get fully cut through and the short sides get cut mostly through. By leaving the short edges intact you don’t have to worry about the lid coming off during the cut.
Finishing the Cut
Use a fresh edge on a utility knife to cut through the last sliver of wood on the short edges, taking multiple small passes.
Applying the Bottom and Lid Edging
Once again blue tape holds the edging in place. The back edge and front can get fit after the sides are glued in place.
Divider Joinery
A mitre gauge with a stop block ensures all the dadoes will come out even for a square assembly.
Gluing the Tray
Blue tape provides clamping pressure for the mitres and the bottom keeps the assembly square and adds strength. Adding some weight on the bottom panel provides ample clamping pressure.
Stiffen the Suede
Spray adhesive on one side of card stock, then roll the suede onto the sticky side of the card stock. A hard rubber roller helps prevent wrinkles.
Lining for the Sides
Fold over the excess suede and tape it onto the back. This leaves a nice edge that will be the top of the lining.
Test Fit the Sides
Trim the lining so the suede is just below the wood edges. Aim to have it bow out a tiny bit for a snug fit.
Ring Dividers
Backer rod has the perfect amount of squish for these dividers. Test to see how many need to be covered with suede.
Line the Ring Dividers
Apply double-sided tape to the backer rod, then roll the rod onto the suede.
Veneering the parts
For this jewelry box I settled on the dimensions of 9-3/4″ × 6-3/4″ × 4″. The first thing I do is cut my Baltic birch to size. I make the sides 1/2″ thick, and the top and bottom 1/4″ thick. However, there is no problem if you make the top and bottom 1/2″ as it will save you from having to buy extra plywood. You can also substitute MDF as it’s a suitable substrate for veneering.
The next step is veneer selection. I like to use the actual box parts to lay on my veneer sheets. There are many options here depending on the look you want. You could bookmatch veneers and go for a completely symmetrical box or you could use something straight-grained on the sides to flow across the corners and have another veneer type on top. There are many other options, too. For this box, I used a very bold and busy piece of ash burl. Because it’s so busy I’m not too concerned with grain match at the corners. I also had only one piece so any bookmatching wasn’t an option. Trace the box components onto the veneer, about 1/4″ oversized.
The box interior also needs to be veneered. I used curly maple on the sides to keep the inside bright. If you use the same species as the exterior you can make the box appear to be solid wood if that’s the look you’re after. The lid interior will be highly visible so pick something nice here; I used another piece of ash burl. Veneering the bottom in this case is optional, as the interior will be covered with suede and the exterior bottom isn’t very visible. I still veneered it, as I’ve had people inspect the bottom of my boxes. I used mahogany veneer, as I think it looks better than the birch.
Use a plywood straightedge and a utility knife with a fresh blade to cut the veneer along the lines. Veneers can be fragile, so use many light cuts rather than fewer heavy ones to avoid chip-out. If you find you’re getting chip-out, run a strip of blue tape along the backside of the veneer along the cut line to reinforce it.
Once the components are cut to size and the veneers are cut oversize the veneer can be glued on. As these components aren’t overly large you can use a caul with clamps or a vacuum press to do the glue-ups. I’m using a piece of 1/2″ MDF covered with packing tape as my caul. Spread glue onto the plywood and use as many clamps as it takes to get even pressure across the whole component. This is a low-cost way of veneering. The downside is there are a lot of individual glue-ups. Make additional cauls if you have the clamps available to speed things up.
My process for veneering these parts is as follows: veneer the outside; trim the veneer flush; veneer the inside; and then trim that veneer flush. To flush trim the veneer I use a 1″ chisel, bevel up, and ride it along the substrate at an angle so it’s cutting towards the substrate. You could also use a file, or even use a flush trim router bit in a router table, however, this could lead to tear-out.
Cut the joints
Once the parts have been veneered and the veneer trimmed flush, the joinery can be cut. I cut all the rabbets at the table saw. Attach a sacrificial fence to the table saw and bury a 1/2″ dado blade in it to cut the end 3/8″ × 3/8″ rabbets in two box sides. Next, reset the setup to cut 1/8″ × 3/8″ rabbets on the top and bottom interior edges of all the box sides. The dimensions of the rabbets don’t need to be too exact here, as once everything is assembled a 1/4″ × 1/4″ rabbet will be cut in all the corners of the box for the inlaid hardwood. If there’s no overhang and no exposed ply over 1/4″ you’ll be fine.
Finish the interior
Before assembling the box, I scrape and sand the interior veneer and apply a finish to the interior. I do this for two reasons: it’s much easier to sand and finish flat, unassembled pieces than trying to get into inside corners after assembly, and it also makes cleaning up any glue squeeze-out much easier. Apply tape over any glue surfaces before finishing. I wiped on a couple light coats of shellac. Shellac cures quickly and won’t leave any odor in the box interior.
Time for assembly
Once the finish has cured, the box can be glued up.
I glue all the joints at once, including the top and bottom. The top and bottom will keep the assembly square, but you’ll still want lots of clamps to ensure all the rabbets are fully seated. Make sure to use cauls wherever a clamp pad lands to avoid putting dents in the exterior. None of the clamps need to be applied with a lot of force, as this is only a small box with small joints.
Inlaid hardwood corner edging
Mill some oversize strips of hardwood to 5/16″ × 5/16″ square. I used walnut and I always make extra strips.
The inlaid corners will be 1/4″ × 1/4″ and the rabbet will be cut on the router table. Before cutting any of the rabbets for the inlay use a marking gauge with a cutting wheel set to 1/4″ to score through the veneer at every corner; make a test cut at the router table to set the marking gauge dimension. Hopefully, this will eliminate any chipping of the veneer when the rabbets are routed.
Once the veneer has been cut, the recesses can be routed. I use a rabbeting bit on my router table set up for a 1/4″ × 1/4″ cut. Cut the vertical corners first and use a piece of scrap wood at the end of the cut as a backer board to stop any tear-out when the router bit exits the wood. Don’t cut the rabbets for the top or bottom just yet.
Glue the hardwood in for the vertical corners, cutting these pieces a bit long so they overlap the cut veneer on the top and bottom. When the rabbets are cut for the top and bottom they will also cut through this edging for a nice fit. Apply glue and use plenty of blue tape to hold the hardwood edging in place.
Once the glue is dry the edging can be cut flush. I use a block plane set for a very fine cut to do the bulk of the work and check my progress every couple passes. When I get very close to being flush with the veneer, I use a card scraper to do the last couple passes to get it completely flush. This step could also be done with a flush trim bit on a router, but I prefer hand tools in this case.
The recesses at the top and bottom can now be cut at the router table. Make sure to use the same scrap earlier to back up the cut. The corners for the top and bottom edging meet at mitres. Cut them by hand and fine tune them using a small mitre block. The mitre block starts off as a double layer of plywood with a fence glued to the back edge. I tilt my table saw to 45° and use my mitre gauge to cut a 45° angle on the base and fence. Then I glue a cleat to the front edge so I can clamp the block in my vise. I trim the mitres using a wide chisel pressed against the mitre block, but a block plane works as well.
I start the process of the top or bottom trim by first making two mitre “checkers”, essentially a small piece of scrap edging with a mitre on one end. I start by cutting a mitre on one side, then using my checker to align it at the first corner, tape the checker in place, then mark where the second mitre will be cut. Cut and pare the second mitre and check it with the second checker until the fit is good. Tape this completed edge in place. Continue this process to the last edge. The previously fit edge serves as the first mitre tester for the next two edges. The last edge is a little bit different, as I use both previously fit edges as my tester. The first edge will need to be temporarily removed to mark the last mitre. It helps to start on the bottom of the box as the mitres are not visible. Be very picky on the top and don’t hesitate to toss a piece if the fit isn’t right; that’s why you made extra strips. If mitres prove too difficult, use a butt joint at the corners.
Once I’m satisfied with the fit, I add glue and a lot more tape to hold the edging in place. Once dry, I use my block plane and card scraper to flush the edging to the box.
Pre-sand, then separate the top
The next step is cutting the top loose, but before that pre-sand the whole exterior as the narrow edges of the top can be difficult to sand at a later stage. I use a random orbit sander and start at 180 grit, although I sand very little with the ROS because the veneer is so thin. Then I move to 220 grit. If you haven’t worked with veneer before, you can play it safe and hand sand.
The box top gets cut at the table saw. Set the depth of cut ever so slightly shy of the box thickness. Run a strip of blue tape all around the box where the lid will be cut, and a second strip a bit lower on the box so the box will rest square on the table saw’s surface. Make cuts on the two shorter edges, then adjust the depth of cut slightly deeper and cut fully through the two long edges.
To fully separate the top, use a knife with a sharp blade to cut through the thin sliver of remaining material. Mark the lid alignment before completely separating. Finally, use a chisel or a plane to flush the remaining wood to the table saw cut, then use a chisel to remove any glue squeeze-out on the interior. Check to see if the box lid and bottom sit flat. If not, the pieces can be levelled with a hand plane or a piece of sandpaper adhered to a flat surface.
Lid edging strips
The exposed plywood edges of the box bottom and lid are lined with hardwood. I make the thickness of this edging half of the corner edging thickness, so when the box is closed all the hardwood looks the same size, 1/8″ in this case. Mill a bunch of strips 1/8″ thick × 5/8″ wide to use as edging. The process for fitting the edging is very similar to the top and bottom. It’s a bit easier because the back corners are butt joints, so there are only two mitres at the front to fit, and the sides can be left long at the back. Fit the front and back edge last, after the sides have been glued on.
I use blue tape to glue up the edging, doing my best to align the edging with the interior of the box. I’ve tried elaborate clamping set-ups, but I’ve found just using my fingers to feel if the edging and box interior line up works best. Once the glue has dried the edging can be flushed using a block plane on the exterior. Any overhang on the interior can be flushed using a card scraper or sandpaper.
Install hinges
The hinges I use are side rail hinges (called Smart Hinges, made by English maker Andrew Crawford, #smartboxmaker) that have a built-in stop. I don’t mitre the edging at the back edge of the box as it gets obscured by the hinge and would leave a tiny piece of mitre prone to chipping. The side rail hinges look nice and are easy to install with a quick trip to the router table. Other hinges you choose may have different installation and mortising methods. If you choose a hinge that doesn’t have an integrated stop you’ll need to install a chain or other lid support.
Interior trays
At this stage the box can easily be finished and be called complete, but I wanted to add compartments, a lift-out tray and ring holders, all with suede lining. I start by milling a bunch of stock to the correct width and slightly over the 1/4″ thickness required for the bottom compartments and tray. Next, install a 1/4″ dado stack in the table saw and make a test dado in a piece of scrap. Use this test dado to properly thickness all the parts milled oversize. Take a small pass at the planer and test the fit in the dado. When the fit is snug, plane all the components to that thickness.
I start with the bottom dividers. I use a hand saw and a shooting board to cut the longer pieces to size and ensure they fit snugly in the box. Then I use my mitre gauge with dado stack to cut rabbets on all four ends. Next, I set up a stop block to cut the dadoes for the internal dividers. If you make sure to reference the same end (i.e. the left side) against the stop block, the divider will come out square. Now the shorter dividers can be cut to size.
The tray can be constructed next. The dividers in the tray are cut using the same method. The corners of the tray are mitres. Cut these at the table saw by tilting the blade to 45° and use the mitre gauge with a stop block to ensure the sides will be equal length. Cut the mitres, then do all the dadoes for the dividers. Cut a small rabbet on the bottom edge of the tray pieces. I’m using 1/8″ plywood for the tray bottom, so I cut a 1/8″ × 1/8″ rabbet to hold the bottom.
Glue the tray exterior together, using blue tape around the corners. Glue the bottom in place at the same time to ensure the assembly stays square. Once the glue dries, the dividers can be fitted into place.
Before any of the dividers get glued into place, finish them with a thin coat of shellac. I also like to line the bottom with suede prior to putting the dividers in place, because I can line the whole bottom at once.
Finish the exterior
It’s best to finish the box exterior prior to any suede work, as it’s easy to get a drop of finish on the suede and ruin it. The surface prep of the box was mostly done before the top was cut off, so all it needs is a bit of sanding on the lid and bottom edging. I like to use shellac for these boxes, as the application is simple and clean. Start by brushing on two coats of 1-1/2 pound cut shellac. Lightly sand with 320 grit then brush a few more coats on until you’re happy with the build. Finally, sand it with 600 grit and wipe on a very thin final coat. Once the final coat has dried for a couple days, rub it with #0000 steel wool to get a nice satin sheen.
Suede lining
Adding suede lining is a nice touch that will make this box extra classy. I use pig suede splits purchased from an online leather retailer. This suede is very thin which makes it easy to work with. The thinness is not a problem for the durability of the liner. The first step for working with the suede is to stiffen it up with card stock. Starting with the box bottom, cut a piece of card stock about 1/8″ oversize in all dimensions and spray it with spray adhesive. The spray adhesive is impossible to remove from the suede, so I spray the card stock in another room and if any gets on my hands I wash it off before handling the suede. I use a rubber roller to apply the sticky side of my card stock to the suede. The roller helps to flatten any wrinkles.
Use a straightedge and sharp utility knife to cut the excess suede around the card stock, then cut it to the proper dimensions to fit in the bottom. The fit for the bottom doesn’t have to be perfect, as the suede lining of the sides will overlap any small gaps. Once I’m happy with the fit I apply thin double-sided tape to the card stock and tape it to the box bottom. You can use more spray adhesive in lieu of double-sided tape, but it’s risky. If any adhesive gets on the front of the suede it’s essentially ruined. Once the bottom is in place the dividers can all get glued into their dadoes.
Next, the sides can be lined with the suede. The process starts the same, gluing card stock to the suede. However, when the excess is trimmed off, leave about 3/8″ extra suede on which will be the top edge of the lining. This excess then gets folded over and taped onto the back using transparent tape or fabric glue. Then, cut the piece to final size and double tape it in place. There is a bit of give with the suede, so the fit can be a bit snug and the double-sided tape will hold it in place. The corners are just butted together, so work on opposite sides so the butt joins are mirror opposites.
Ring dividers
The final step is to make ring dividers. These can be purchased, but if you want them to be matching suede you’ll need to make them. I make them out of 5/8″ backer rod that’s available from any hardware store. Start by cutting a bunch of lengths about 1/16″ oversize, as they’ll compress into place. You want them to be snug, but not so tight that a ring can’t easily be inserted and removed. The fit will change as they’re wrapped in suede and you may need to adjust how many you need.
Once you’re happy with the fit, cut several rectangles of suede to size, about 4″ × 2″. Then apply double-sided tape to the rod and roll the rod onto the suede. Finally, the rods can be attached to the box interior. I run a bead of hot-melt glue along the seam and press them in place.
Final touches
Once the final lining and ring dividers have been installed, the hinges can be attached. I like to apply a coat of wax at this stage to give it a nice feel. I usually don’t add feet or handles to the lid as I feel the figured veneer and inlaid edging are enough flair for me but make it your own and customize it in any way you feel is best. The possibilities with this style of box are endless.
Craig Kosonen - [email protected]
Craig’s favourite projects are furniture and boxes, especially if they involve veneer work, although he's not too picky. Anything that gets him into the woodshop keeps him happy.