Wooden jewellery boxes handmade in Sydney , Australia

Most of the corners on my boxes are mitred, meaning two pieces cut at a 45 degree angle and joined together to create the typical 90 degree corner. Mitred corners are attractive because they are neat and unobtrusive, however they are weak and cannot rely on glue alone to keep them together. Thus they need to be reinforced. I reinforce all my boxes with either mitre keys or 'veneer feathers', as shown below. Mitre keys in contrasting-coloured timber are used when the sidewall timber is relatively featureless and benefits frm contrast. Veneer feathers are chosen when the timber has a strong grain which I dont want to interrupt.
    

When not using mitred corners, I use hand-cut dovetails, as below:

Whichever solution is used, it results in a very strong construction that you can be sure will last a lifetime.

My boxes are handmade in Sydney from local and imported timbers. Most of this timber is recycled, salvaged from vintage furniture which is derelict beyond restotation. These are the major timbers I use:

Australian red cedar. Red cedar is Australia's premium cabinet timber. Wild harvesting is now banned so it is only available recycled or cut from limited private sources. Cedar's outstanding feature is its beautiful deep red-brown colour, like mahogany but richer. Its very soft, so it needs to be handled with care.

Queensland maple. Another traditional Australian cabinet timber. Queensland maple is valued for its warm orange/brown hue. It is also a protected resource and cabinet-quality maple is only available in limited quantities or recycled. It has a medium weight and hardness which is pleasant to the touch.

Silky oak. Southern silky oak is a common NSW street and garden tree. Its strong 'bird seed' style grain makes for an interesting small item like a jewellery box. It has a silky sheen when viewed in some lights. It is light but not particularly soft.

Blackwood. The best, darkest blackwood comes from Tasmania. It is a highly valued cabinet timber of medium weight and density. When machined, it can keep a good crisp edge, producing a jewellery box which seems light and delicate but wears well.

Myrtle. In Australia, the word myrtle refers to timber of the various species of Southern beech. Its a medium hard, dense timber. Myrtle is generally straight grained and without feature, so is usually paired with a highly featured veneer or inlay.

Rock Maple. Rock maple is a hard, dense timber sourced from the USA or Canada. Its main appeal lies in its striking whiteness. Although an attractive timber, rock maple is straight grained and rather featureless, so for a jewellery box it is generally paired with inlays of birdseye or curly maple, which are highly figured forms of the same timber cut from trees affected by insects or fungus.

There are basically two reliable ways to make lids for decorative boxes - veneered plywood or solid timber frame and panel construction. I use both methods according to needs, and you will see examples of both methods on my website.

Veneered plywood. In this method, thin plywood is veneered on both sides with natural timber veneers, cut precisely to size and set into a solid timber frame. The downside of this method is that it is more time consuming and more exacting then constructing a solid timber lid. However it has 4 distinct advantages.

1. Plywood is an extremely stable material, so the lid is not vulnerable to warping, splitting, cracking or simply falling apart due to the effect of natural expansion/contraction.

2. It allows the use of rare and striking timbers, which would be prohibitively expensive or simply unobtainable as solid timber. Examples are the various burls and ebonies which you will see on this website.

3. This method can give a smooth, uncomplicated, modern look to a box. Usually the veneered surface is set level with the top of the solid timber frame which surrounds it, to give a flush-across-the-top look.

4. This method is environmentally sensitive. Most highly decorative veneers come from rare or threatened rainforest tree species. One felled log can produce thousands of metres of veneer - a sensible way to use a precious resource.

Solid timber frame and panel construction. Solid timber is inherently unstable. Long term drying-out, as well as seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity, cause it to crack, split and warp. Further, the seasonal fluctuations mean the timber is constantly expanding and contracting - not visible to the naked eye but producing very strong forces nonetheless, and easily able to split apart a lid that has not been designed correctly. Except for the very smallest boxes, to use a simple slab of wood as a lid is not really viable, it will almost certainly warp or split over time giving an unsightly effect. Instead a method must be found which allows the solid timber to expand and contract unrestrained, but still appear as an attractive structural unit. The most suitable method is frame and panel construction, whereby the flat solid timber of the lid (the panel) is captured (but not fixed) within a solid timber frame. The panel has thin tapered edges, which are set into grooves in the surrounding frame. The panel is not fixed in place (although it may appear to be to the casual viewer) and has enough freedom to expand and contract with changes in weather. If the ability to expand were not designed-in, the panel would eventually split the solid timber frame apart.

The major disadvantage of this method is that the lid has a groove around the outside where the frame and panel meet. Also, its use is limited to rather plain and unfeatured timbers, as burls etc are not really suitable for making into thin panels. Its major advantage is that it is quicker to make and does not require the skill level of veneer work. Further, it appeals to people who must have solid timber, for whatever the reason