Cherry Trinket Box "I Made It at TechShop"

This is a small trinket box made from Cherry. I made this box at www.techshop.ws in Chandler, AZ. This is a little larger than the plans called for, however it is still a small box and simple to make. It consists of two sides, two ends, a bottom, a lid, and a lid keeper. You can keep a variety of items in this box. Anything from your jewelry, to possibly several decks of playing cards.

You might be wondering if glue and butt joints are going to be strong enough to hold this box together. And in a word, "Yes". The glue will be forced into the pores of the wood when you clamp everything together, making a relatively strong joint for a small box.

This box is also small enough for you to use really nice wood without breaking the bank. Personally, I let my wife choose the wood she wanted and she chose 1/4" Cherry. In my opinion, she made an excellent choice.

Step 1: Cherry Trinket Box "I Made It at TechShop"

I made this Trinket Box at www.techshop.ws using several tools. I used the SawStop Table Saw, the combination belt/disc sander, and several hand tools.

I began by cutting all of the pieces to size on the SawStop table saw. I have listed the cut list below

1 Lid 4 3/4 x 7 3/4

1 Bottom 4 x 7

1 Lid Keeper 4 11/16 x 7 11/16

2 Sides 3 x 7 1/2

2 Ends 4 x 3

Step 2: Glue the Ends to the Bottom

Once you have all of the parts cut to size, begin by gluing and clamping the two ends to the bottom. Ensure all of your parts are flush.

Step 3: Gllue the Sides to the Box

Next, you can glue the two sides to the bottom. Line up the sides with the ends and ensure everything is flush before clamping.

Step 4: Glue the Lid Keeper to the Lid

While the sides and ends are drying, you can glue the lid keeper to the lid. It is very important you center the lid keeper on the lid. You can measure and mark where the lid keeper will be located on the lid and then glue and clamp it. Spring clamps work very well for this step. You just want to ensure you use plenty of clamps.

Step 5: Sand the Box on the Power Sander

Once the glue has dried on your box, you can then use the belt/disc sander to sand the ends of your box. If you do not have access to a belt/disc sander, you can use a random orbital sander or even sand the entire box by hand.

Step 6: Prepare for Finishing

At this stag, you will want to ensure everything is prepared for the finishing stage. Personally, I sanded the entire box with 120 grit sandpaper and then finished with 220 grit. You can use a finer grit for your final stage, however I found 220 grit works very well.

Step 7: Choose Your Type of Finish

Now you have a choice to make. You need to decide on what type of finish you are going to use. This will also depend on the type of wood you decided to use. Since I made this box out of Cherry, I chose to use a clear Polyurethane.I also installed a brushed stainless knob on top and some self-stick red felt in the bottom.

At this stage, you could also line the bottom with a piece of self-stick felt if you wish. The choice is your and the possibilities are endless.