We get jewelry boxes in all shapes and sizes. People of all ages and social groups use jewelry boxes. You can find jewelry boxes for children, women, and even men. A jewelry box may be a small, little enclosure for a single ring, or multiple-compartment boxes containing many different pieces of jewelry.
Although you can buy jewelry boxes online, as a woodworker, you will find creating jewelry boxes from wood a highly satisfying woodworking project. You can make jewelry boxes for your friends and family as gifts. You can even make it into a lucrative business venture if you can commercialize it in the right way.
In this article, we provide you with a few useful tips on how to go about making jewelry boxes. We then look at the best types of wood for making a jewelry box.
If you want to make your jewelry box, you can find a lot of information online. Because you may get confused with the excessive information available online, here are a few tips that should put you on the right track:
If you are a beginner, it is better to use cheaper wood like poplar or oak. You can buy a little bit of extra material and make some practice pieces until you are confident enough to make the real thing.
Do not invest in any expensive machine or power tools until you have got some regular projects underway. You can make some basic pieces with tools you already may have.
You can get some free online plans for making jewelry boxes. Try making a few pieces according to these plans before you pay for anything.
Avoid the temptation of becoming too ambitious in your first project or to. Start with a simple basic jewelry box. Once you have created a few boxes successfully, you can build more complicated pieces.
Once you have gained some experience in making jewelry boxes, using good quality wood will add class to your projects. Here are some of the best wood for jewelry boxes that you can find:
White oak will last literally for decades if you look after it properly. It is also known as “whiskey barrel wood,” as it was initially used to make whiskey barrels. This wood has considerable resistance to rot but needs to be oiled or painted to add to its durability. It shows its grain very beautifully with stain or varnish. You would do well to make a jewelry box out of this wood.
Pine grows all over the United States of America. You can walk into any timber mart, and you will be able to buy this wood. The pale, yellow-brown color of pinewood is quite appealing to the eye. Another plus for this wood is that it is one of the cheapest varieties available. It gives off a pleasant aroma from its natural oil and resin. Pinewood looks good if left on its own but can be extremely smart with a finish as well
Poplar, also known as American tulipwood, is a hardwood commonly found all over the Eastern part of the United States. It occupies the top 10th position in hardwoods produced in the country. The color of the heartwood of poplar varies very widely. Hence, you get a wide range of colors to choose from with this wood.
Its grain is not exceptionally attractive, so you may not select this wood based on its external appearance. However, if you apply a stain or paint the surface after sanding it adequately, you can get some satisfactory results. Hence, from this perspective, you can make some reasonably decent jewelry boxes from poplar.
Yellowheart has a pale to bright yellow color with a bit of gold to some extent. Although the sapwood is lighter, you may not be able to differentiate it from the heartwood, which is almost just as pale as the sapwood. The interlocked grains can be straight or wavy. After sanding, this wood takes on a luxurious luster, making it an excellent choice for making jewelry boxes.
It is reasonably dense and durable, but you may need some sharp tools to work on it. Yellowheart looks smart when a finish is applied to it, and it darkens with age, enhancing its good looks even further.
Padauk comes from Africa and is a coarse-grained hardwood. Its color can vary from purple and orange to red shades depending on the particular species of the wood. If you use quarter-sawn lumber, you will get a pronounced ribbon stripe, which adds to the aesthetics. It is stronger than oak and just as heavy but responds well to hand tools and machines. It is easy to glue padauk, and it takes nails and screws quickly.
You may need to use a wood paste filler to make the surface a bit smoother because of the rather coarse grain of this wood. Another word of caution: avoid getting the dust on your hands or clothes to prevent staining. Padauk doesn’t rot easily, and it is sufficiently durable and resistant to abrasion. You will find this wood highly suitable for making some nifty jewelry boxes!
Douglas fir Is another top wood that you will find easy to work with and is ideal for making jewelry boxes. It is a wood common to Asia and the West Coast of America. Although it is a softwood, it is surprisingly hard and durable, making it a preferred choice for construction material. Although Douglas fir takes stain well, you can get better results by applying a finish.
Beech Is another wood that is heavy and sturdy. It is a light-colored wood with a tight grain that enables it to take polish quite well. A jewelry box made of beech will have an impressive appearance. It is a wood that is easy to work with by hand, and you will find that it responds well to power tools as well.
Conclusion
Creating jewelry boxes is one of the most rewarding woodworking projects that you can undertake. Jewelry boxes make fantastic gifts, and presenting a handcrafted jewelry box to someone close to you will give you a great sense of satisfaction. However, if you are a bit resourceful, you can create exquisite wooden items like jewelry boxes and make your woodworking project into a profitable business venture.
Whatever the reasons that you may undertake such a project, you need to know about the best types of wood for making a jewelry box. We hope that you have enjoyed reading this post and that this information will help you in your future woodworking projects.
Featured Image by Photo: Jewelry Box filled with Necklaces by Marco Verch under Creative Commons 2.0
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