Introduction: Tree Branch Ring Box

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About: Working with silver, wood, glass, FX makeup and many other materials in a crafty sense has been amplified by being taught how to conduct basic mechanics, home renovations and other 'hands-on' activities from a…

For the unique and personal touch to that piece of jewellery, this is a great idea as well as being low cost and easy.... You could add many different effects to it, wood burning patterns or initials etc.... sky's the limit!

This is an older project for me so I apologise for the lack of photos during the making of; hopefully the description will be enough for you to make your own :)

Step 1: Set It Up

You'll need:

- Tree branch (make sure it's going to suit your ring size, let's say at least 50mm diameter)

- Saw (hand or bench, whichever you're lucky enough to have)

- Spade Bit for drill, to suit ring size (mine was a 38mm size)

- Teeny little hinge (I think mine was about 10mm or so)

- Thin chisel (to etch out a little void for the hinge joint)

- Drill & drill bits

- Material (I used an old blouse I was going to give away)

- Strong suitable adhesive

- A Toothpick

Step 2: Make It Happen

1. Cut a fairly straight section of branch (maybe with some nice markings on it) as straight as you can get it for one end of the box.

2. Mark it at the length of piece that you want, not including the lid; cut as straight as possible

3. Now cut another 10-20mm or so for the lid; keep these pieces together in the exact order you cut them so they will fit together snugly (especially if you've got a bit of a curvy branch)

4. Using your spade bit as a guide, carefully mark out where you want to start drilling; keep in mind that you'll need to leave room for the hinge to be set as well as a small catch on the edge opposite the hinge.

5. Drill the hole to enough depth for your ring to be covered (including the thickness of the material). Just remember though that the spade bits have a 'spear like' center & you don't want to drill too far that it comes out of the base!

6. Once the hole is drilled & you're happy with it, place your hinge in position and mark it out with a pen/marker. Gently chisel out as much wood as you need to for the hinge to sit flush between the lid & the base.

7. Carefully mark & drill out the screw holes, then affix the hinge with the screws supplied.

8. Once you're happy with the lid sitting flush & even with the base, mark out the position for a small hole on the opposite side to the hinge. Drill out a hole into the underside of the lid as well as the base (be very careful to ensure they're aligned) and using a toothpick with the points removed, superglue the toothpick (catch) into the lid hole. This was a little tricky to explain, so please check out the attached video or pics

9. After the glue has dried, cut up your material into a rectangle strip (you'll need to measure the inside of the hole for this) and a circle. I actually used a tiny bit of cotton wool to place down first to avoid seeing the spade bit markings, this will depend on your material.

10. Affix your rectangle to the top of the inside ensuring the ends overlap a little. I found that affixing only a few mm to the top inside lip and letting it dry, was great as I would then fold the material in and it wasn't sitting hard up against the insides. (see diagram)

11. Affix the bottom circle gently so that no seams of material edges are visible.

12. Finish off the box however you like, give it a bit of beeswax or a gentle sand or even a varnish.

Enjoy :)

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