This was supposed to be a Christmas present for my wife, but I was a few months late getting it done. I wanted something kind of unique that would challenge me. I think I overdid it. It had been a while since I had done any “fine” woodworking, and this was pretty ambitious. There was basically no room for error. Once the frame was built, everything else had to be built to size around those dimensions.
The drawers and sides are solid cherry. The frame is 1/2″ walnut with 1/4″ dividers. I used 1/4″ thick pieces for the drawer sides and bottoms, and 3/8″ thick pieces for the side doors. The drawer fronts are a single piece of cherry cut so the grain flows across them. I intentionally avoided using any “standard” 3/4″ lumber. On a box this small, that size lumber is way too beefy so I stuck with more proportionally appropriate thicknesses. I couldn’t find any pulls I liked, so I turned these from a piece of 1/2″ solid brass.
The sides open to reveal some posts for hanging necklaces. The hinges are solid brass Brusso Stop Hinges. The necklace hangers are also made by Brusso. The 2 bottom drawers are 3″ deep and the two top are 2″ deep. At this point, I haven’t lined the drawers, but I have some ring holders I can install if that’s what my wife wants.
From different angles, some details become clearer. You can see the grain wrapping around the edge and get a better look at the profiles I cut for the pulls. The pulls were all 3/4″ long with about a 1/2″ stem that is threaded for an 8-32 machine screw. The tops were then rounded off with a profile bit.
The left is much like the right, showing the deep grain and color differences that can be brought out by a nice oil finish. The entire box is finished with several coats of Watco natural tint Danish Oil.
Overall this was challenging because I was out of practice with fine, precise woodworking, and I had a few mistakes where I had to remake pieces from scratch. As I neared completion, that worried me more and more. If I screwed up on a drawer, I’d have to remake them all as the grain flow was important to the overall appearance. I am mostly pleased with how it came out and am ready for my next project.