Making a box with a scroll saw (part 1)

Hi all,
Today I'm going to begin to tell you how I go about making a box like this with my scroll saw.

If you fancy having a go at making one, just follow my instructions and you will soon be the owner of something to be proud of. Better still, because the inside is heart shaped, why not give it to loved one and make them happy as well.

To make the box you will need the following items and tools.
A scroll saw
Several grades of sandpaper
A pyrography iron
A belt/disc sander is handy but not essential.
A drill press or rotor tool with small drill bit
A pair of clamps
The materials required are:
A piece of hardwood for the main box  approximately 90mm x 90mm x 25mm
A piece of walnut or other dark wood for the base 90mm x 90mm x 6mm
A piece of walnut or other dark wood for the lid 90mm x 98mm x 6mm
A piece of Baltic birch plywood for the lid inlay 90mm x 90mm x 6mm
Two pieces of hardwood for the hinge posts 10mm x 5mm x 37mm
A paper clip or piece a thin gauge wire for the hinge pins
Wood glue
Gloss varnish or other choice of finish
A small piece of felt or some flocking

All of the wood above can be purchased from a company called Alwayshobbies their prices are reasonable and delivery is usually pretty quick.

The hardwood for the main part of the box may be a bit more difficult to source. I managed to buy some off cuts including a nice piece of maple, which I used in the box above, from bric a brac store. There is a lot of hardwood for sale on ebay and some can even be found in the larger charity shops even though it will look just like a piece of furniture.

Be careful when buying second hand furniture to use the wood because the manufactures have become very good at disguising it. I bought a mahogany bedside table thinking the mahogany would be nice to have. However, when I cut into it, I found the the whole thing was made from chipboard with mahogany veneer and beading to fool twits like me.

You could of course use a piece of pine from B&Q but you will never get a fine finish. It will look great on the top and even on two sides, but the two sides with the end grain will never look good enough, no matter how long you sand them for.

Right, that's the tools and material sorted in the next post we can make a start on the box.