LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

Box number 27 in my recent box series. This is number 12 in my Adventures into Shape.

This is the second pentagonal box I've built. The first has dovetails and the shaping is much more subtle. This one is built from poplar with pine, cedar, hickory and mesquite for some of the accent pieces and splines. It has more extreme shaping that the cedar band around the middle allowed.

I used a table saw, jointer and planer to mill the wood and to cut the angles and dimensions. Much of the shaping was accomplished with rasps, a dozuki saw, chisels and I used a Saburr™ bit to do some of the dished out areas. I spent a day doing hand sanding along with use of turners foam backed sanding discs on ¼ inch mandrels. Much of the dished out concave areas were finished with curved cabinet scrapers, a new favorite tool of mine. I tried to take the sanded finish to a finer grit than I've used before. I now get that sandpaper is a legitimate tool and shouldn't be skimped on when buying. Also, I've learned the hard way to not skip too many grits when sanding. The fine paper just makes a very fine dust that fills all the scratches from the larger grit paper. A steady progression through the right grits REALLY saves time and gave me favorable results. I also cut some old cloth backed sanding belts into different width and length strips for sanding some of the convex features. I wish I had done this a few projects ago.



I enjoyed creating the feet and pull and made little improvements to the techniques I am using. The splines and inlays on the lid are also an area that I keep playing with and developing. I used the same technique from the previous build to create a large glue area between the pull and the round cap on the bottom. That serves to sandwich the ends of the triangular panels of the lid.





The jewelry box has two removable trays. One has no bottom but reveals the felt lining on the actual box. The second rests on top of the first and has a bottom. They are finger/box jointed together.





This box also has a compartment on the bottom side. This is accessed by emptying the box of its trays and flipping it over. There is a cap that has a catch and it aligns with magnets in the bottom compartment wall.









Dimensions are as follows…
Outside dimensions of the "Artemis Art Box" are 9 inch across at the widest point by 9 inches tall but with the legs it stands at 11 ¼ inches tall. With the lid the total height is 16 ¼ inches tall. The legs are about 4 ½ inches tall and the lid and pull are about 5 ½ inches tall. The two jewelry trays are 2 ½ inches and 2 ¾ inches deep. The interior of the box is 5 ½ inches deep.

Finish is a wipe on mixture of oil based poly and mineral spirits with around 10% of a fruitwood oil based stain. I really wanted to bring out some the grain without too much stain so that the legs and pull would be showcased. That was followed by "sanding" out the finish with crumpled brown paper. I used Trewax brand paste wax for the matte sheen that it can be buffed out to reveal.

These inclusions are dowels within dowels and also dowels play into the joinery a lot on this piece. Most are hidden.


Comments and criticisms are welcome.
Jon

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
190 Posts
Wow, fascinating - modern yet ancient, elegant yet primitive. Reminds me of those prehistoric fertility figurines with a space age twist.

Never underestimate the power of hand tools and sandpaper.

Thanks for posting, stay healthy.
 

· Premium Member
Joined
·
7,336 Posts
I like, Jon. The feet and finial might be a little big for the box to my taste, but it's crazy neat. Nice work!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,584 Posts
I'm not sure what I would call this but it sure is thinking out of the box unique. Excellent job on the feet and other features. Sort of a Asian primitive theme. Well done.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,934 Posts
Wow, Jon, all those laminations are really popping. Looks like alot of planning went into this one. I am kinda reminded of feminine figures also. They hidden dowels in the legs are there to lock everything together, I guess?
 

· Premium Member
Joined
·
1,433 Posts
as usual, so many points of interest that it's difficult to point out any one thing.
aside from the overall symmetry I think my favorite might be the bottom cavity and it's access
 

· Registered
Joined
·
4,567 Posts
WOW, that is a work of art. I love it.
Very well done!!

Cheers, Jim
 

· Registered
Joined
·
4,502 Posts
Crazy cool Jon 8^)

At first look I though you went medieval on a rooted stump with sandpaper but alas the profusion of details convinced me otherwise!

Nice work!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
369 Posts
Good morning everyone!
Thanks for all the comments and views.

Leafherder,
I like the whole modern/ancient and elegant/primative descriptions. Makes me feel like I am doing it right. You've nailed it with the space-age fertility figurines!
Thanks.

Thank you Dave,
I never really plan it out so sometimes the proportions are a bit strange. I really like this one though.I don't know when my pulls became finials but I can see that now.
Hope you are keeping busy in your new shop.

DoubleDD,
Thanks man, the feet and the pull/finial were fun to build.
The whole Asian Primative theme works for me!

Thanks Brian,
The lighter stain really helped to make the laminations pop. I use readily available woods from HD/Lowes so I tend to stain them and sometime that muddies the difference between the layers. Have not yet made the jump to nice wood that only needs oils to make them pop. Dowels… I just counted them and I have 70 + in this piece. Some are decorative and some are for pinning/locking the pieces together mostly when I am using mitered joints. I haven't had a mitered joint fail (yet) but if I can't put splines then it gets pegged. There is A LOT of flying blind in these builds for me. Just one step at a time.

Thanks Dick!
I appreciate the comment and I am having fun with radial symmetry (I guess that is what it is). The different species of wood help me keep it all symmetrical almost like stop lines/cut lines. They become a reference points so I can make the other elements the same-ish. Approximate radial symmetry…. maybe a better description.

Thanks Jim!!!
That is a very GREAT compliment. I'll take it as that is my goal.
I appreciate your kind words.

Thanks Bruce!
Your comments always fire my imagination and I now have a backlog of future torturous projects of stumps, hardwood double helix, mesquite adventures into shape using just a butter knife and sandpaper!!!!
;)
Maybe I'll put some verdigris brass/copper in there too.

Jon
 

· Banned
Joined
·
18,919 Posts
damn jon your boxes just keep getting crazier with ever one,and crazy in a beautiful way.i love your imagination and artistry,keep it coming.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
88 Posts
I am delighted …. This is a work of art. Not the unusual forms that make me and us pay attention. Eeeee - great work.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
110 Posts
Another amazing creation Jon. Your boxes get more surreal as you progress through your study. I have to agree with Brian, the first thing I thought of when I saw it was "That box reminds me of a dream I've had". I was just wondering is reefer legal where you live? lol
 

· Registered
Joined
·
369 Posts
Thanks Pottz!
Crazy seems to fit =P
Thanks for the kind words.

Thank you Sasha,
I have fun with the forms and this one especially! Glad it caught your attention.

John!
Thanks man. Where have you been? No, reefer isn't legal here in Texas but that didn't stop me 20 years ago. Its been a long time but I still have weird dreams.

Thank you SteveN,
I do want my pieces to have that "artifact" look, whether its ancient treasure in a temple or crashed space relic from beyond so I like your comment! Thanks man.

Jon
 

· Registered
Joined
·
6,567 Posts
Where do you start? So many features, and all of them big and bold. WOW Jon whadda box. I imagine an Indian Jones movie lurking behind your creations.

Keep making.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
I see a box of boobs.
Just say'en
 

· Banned
Joined
·
18,919 Posts
I see a box of boobs.
Just say en

- ohwoodeye
ha i thought the same thing just didn't want to say it out loud.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,465 Posts
I see a box of boobs.
Just say en

- ohwoodeye

ha i thought the same thing just didn t want to say it out loud.

- pottz
I think that's what you're supposed to see. Here's a picture of Artemis of Ephesos for reference:

 

· Registered
Joined
·
369 Posts
Ha!!!
Finally! A few people hinted at it but there it is.

Artemis…


and also…


And "Venus of Willendorf" would be one of the fertility figurines mentioned.
The name was an afterthought but now you know why I chose Artemis.
Don't go looking too hard at my other boxes…. I don't know what you will see.
Jon
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,465 Posts
Ha!!!
Finally! A few people hinted at it but there it is.

- MrWolfe
I majored in classics and my PhD minor is in Greek religion, so this one was easy. But now I'm going back and looking at those past projects of yours….
 

· Registered
Joined
·
369 Posts
Thanks Mike and Pottz,
I was wondering when someone would say something.

Brandon,
Yes, you nailed it. Thanks for the pic.

Joe,
Thank you. "Wow!!!" is the response I am looking for.

Thanks everyone.
Jon
 
Top