Wooden jewellery box, presentation box, personalised box, handmade box

Jewellery Box Trays

Here is an in depth look at how I make jewellery box trays. These trays were made for a set of curved top jewellery boxes veneered all round. I often make the trays out of a different species of wood to the box itself. If there is more than one tray I make them so that they slot on top of each other. The tray images here are oak and beech. They are the same design, lined with black and red velvet.

Click on images to enlarge.

Here are 2 beech trays after completion.

A lot of the processes for making the trays are performed on a router table. Mine, like so many in woodworking shops is home made. The machine was a spindle moulder (see glossary) before I removed the shaft and motor and bolted a router upside down on the underside of the bed. It is now an extremely versatile machine.

Here is a jig I have made for making the grooves in the tray pieces. The jig has bearers screwed to it's underside which run in grooves machined in the spindle moulder bed.

You can see the tray part on the jig. A router cutter protrudes where the groove in the mdf jig is. The whole "sledge" is passed over the cutter producing the groove in the work piece. Before I start the grooving process I mitre all 4 sides. The block clamped to the jig insures that all the work pieces have the groove in the same place.

A close up view showing the router cutter and work piece with grooves in it.

After the grooves are machined in the sides I make the internal partitions. This is the end of a partition showing the shoulder made using a normal fence on the router table.

This image shows how the tray parts will fit together.

A close up view of one side of the top tray. You can see the mitred end, the groove for the partition, the groove for the tray base and a rebate at the bottom.

A close up view of one bottom tray side. Note that the rebate is on the top outer edge.

This is a top tray side with a partition in position.

This the beginning of the gluing up process.The partitions and base are glued up first.

Then the 4 sides are glued up using a clamp which puts pressure on all 4 mitred corners at the same time.

After the trays are glued up I machine 2 slots on all 4 corners.

I glue walnut splines into the grooves.

I cut the splines off proud of the sides on the bandsaw.

Then I use a block plane to pare the splines flush with the sides.

I now start working on strengthening the partition joint with walnut dowels. I make up a jig to position the dowel holes in exactly the right place. I cramp the jig to the tray and drill through metal guides.

planing the lift-out partition to the correct height

The top trays are going to have partitions that can be removed if required by the owner to suit their items of jewellery. This is another jig which I am using to plane the lift-out partition to the correct height.

I then plane the partitions to thickness for a snug fit.

The next few images show 2 beech trays on completion. Here with the partitions removed.

Here with the partitions in place.

Showing the bottom tray split into 3 compartments.

Finally a close up view of the walnut dowels and splines. For an in depth look at how I make the boxes please go to "to make a box (1)"and "to make a box(2)".