The Tri-box II is the descendant of the larger tri-box jewelry box I made several years ago and which is featured in the book 400 wood boxes (be sure to check out the spine of the book!). Unlike its predecessor, its lid pivots at any of the three corners using rare-earth magnets and is much smaller.  I made this box deep enough so that it can easily hold a watch or two and is able to  store a larger necklace, bracelet or other collectible.

I chose to keep the inside of the box unlined  to show off the the beautiful  inlayed and book-matched triangle of wood on the bottom; however, I also offer Ultrasuede lining for the inside bottom  as an option for an additional $10.

Dimensions: 5.125″ equilateral triangle by 1.375″ tall

Woods: Curly Maple and Cocobolo

The finger pull for lifting the lid off the leaf box is accomplished using a vertical oscillating spindle sander.  I have a Jet spindle sander and it doesn’t have the ability to tilt the spindle, so I had to make a jig to hold the leaf box body at a 45 degree angle as seen in the photo.   The jig slides against a fence which I clamp to the table top and is aligned so that the finger pulls will be centered in the body of the box.

I use 2 grits, a coarse 60 grit sleeve followed by a fine 150 grit sleeve.  The size of the finger pull is a judgment call;  too big and they’re ugly, too small and they won’t function.  The key is not to go too deep with the 60 grit so that the size can be properly adjusted by eye with the 150 grit. Practice makes perfect.  The finger pulls are later sanded by hand using 220 grit.

It’s also possible to cut the finger pulls using a cove bit in a router table, but I think the sander looks better (hint:look at the diameter of the sanding spindle verses the diameter of a standard cove bit, it’s much larger) and avoids the possibility of tearing out the wood.

The Tri-box II is the descendant of the larger tri-box jewelry box I made several years ago and which is featured in the book 400 wood boxes (be sure to check out the spine of the book!). Unlike its predecessor, its lid pivots at any of the three corners using rare-earth magnets and is much smaller.  I made this box deep enough so that it can easily hold a watch or two and is able to  store a larger necklace, bracelet or other collectible.

I chose to keep the inside of the box unlined  to show off the the beautiful  inlayed and book-matched triangle of wood on the bottom; however, I also offer Ultrasuede lining for the inside bottom  as an option for an additional $10.

Dimensions: 5.125″ equilateral triangle by 1.375″ tall

Woods: Cocobolo and Curly Maple

The Tri-box II is the descendant of the larger tri-box jewelry box I made several years ago and which is featured in the book 400 wood boxes (be sure to check out the spine of the book!). Unlike its predecessor, its lid pivots at any of the three corners using rare-earth magnets and is much smaller.  I made this box deep enough so that it can easily hold a watch or two and is able to  store a larger necklace, bracelet or other collectible.

I chose to keep the inside of the box unlined  to show off the the beautiful  inlayed and book-matched triangle of wood on the bottom; however, I also offer Ultrasuede lining for the inside bottom  as an option for an additional $10.

Dimensions: 5.125″ equilateral triangle by 1.375″ tall

Woods: Curly Maple and Cocobolo

The Tri-box II is the descendant of the larger tri-box jewelry box I made several years ago and which is featured in the book 400 wood boxes (be sure to check out the spine of the book!). Unlike its predecessor, its lid pivots at any of the three corners using rare-earth magnets and is much smaller.  I made this box deep enough so that it can easily hold a watch or two and is able to  store a larger necklace, bracelet or other collectible.

I chose to keep the inside of the box unlined  to show off the the beautiful  inlayed and book-matched triangle of wood on the bottom; however, I also offer Ultrasuede lining for the inside bottom  as an option for an additional $10.

Dimensions: 5.125″ equilateral triangle by 1.375″ tall

Woods: Redheart and African Bubinga

The first thing I do when making a new batch of leaf boxes, or any project for that matter, is to look through my previous notes. I then prepare my tools and make sure they have everything they need; such as, sanding belts/discs, router bits, finishing supplies, hardware, etc.  That way, if I don’t have something I need, I can order it early in the process.

Next, I dig up all the wood. Looking through my racks upon racks of wood is not my most efficient process, but I love doing it.  Often times, I’ll find boards I’ve had for over 15 years, but just had not found the right project for them.   As for the leaf, I’ll look for boards that are are a minimum of 3″ by 12″ for the body of the jewelry box.  They can also be multiples of that dimension, such as, 6″ by 12″ or 3″ by 24″.  For my needs, the best size is 3″ by 24″, as that size can be held down on my machine effectively as it’s being routed.

Since most of my lumber is in the rough form, (ie. how it comes from the saw mill), the first thing I do is chop the board down to size with my Makita chop saw.  I then face join one surface with my Inca joiner/planer.  Next, I surface the board to 1″ thick using my Delta 13″ planer, or as thick as I can cleanly get the board.  I then sand both faces with 100 grit belt using my 16″ North State wide-belt sander.  The board is now prepped and ready to be routed.       

More on making the leaf box next time.                                    

The Leaf Box was inspired by the leaf of the ‘narrow-leaf cottonwood’ tree found near rivers and streams near where I live in the rocky mountains. The delicate lid lifts up and is sculpted by hand to make it appear thinner than it really is. The interior of the box is lined with genuine suede leather. I finish each piece with 2 coats of lacquer followed by a top coat of paste wax hand applied with ‘0000′ steel wool to enhance the natural beauty of the exquisite exotic hardwoods. The Leaf box is appropriate for watches, pens, necklaces, or whatever other collectible/keepsake you can think of.

This is a Special Edition leaf box with carved veins in the lid.  Please see the detail photos.

Dimensions: 11″x2.75″x1.25″

Woods: Bubinga

The Leaf Box was inspired by the leaf of the ‘narrow-leaf cottonwood’ tree found near rivers and streams near where I live in the rocky mountains. The delicate lid lifts up and is sculpted by hand to make it appear thinner than it really is. The interior of the box is lined with genuine suede leather. I finish each piece with 2 coats of lacquer followed by a top coat of paste wax hand applied with ‘0000′ steel wool to enhance the natural beauty of the exquisite exotic hardwoods. The Leaf box is appropriate for watches, pens, necklaces, or whatever other collectible/keepsake you can think of.

Dimensions: 11″x2.75″x1.25″

Woods: Mexican Cocobolo  and Honduran Rosewood

The Leaf Box was inspired by the leaf of the ‘narrow-leaf cottonwood’ tree found near rivers and streams near where I live in the rocky mountains. The delicate lid lifts up and is sculpted by hand to make it appear thinner than it really is. The interior of the box is lined with genuine suede leather. I finish each piece with 2 coats of lacquer followed by a top coat of paste wax hand applied with ‘0000′ steel wool to enhance the natural beauty of the exquisite exotic hardwoods. The Leaf box is appropriate for watches, pens, necklaces, or whatever other collectible/keepsake you can think of.

Dimensions: 11″x2.75″x1.25″

Woods: Cocobolo and Paela

The Leaf Box was inspired by the leaf of the ‘narrow-leaf cottonwood’ tree found near rivers and streams near where I live in the rocky mountains. The delicate lid lifts up and is sculpted by hand to make it appear thinner than it really is. The interior of the box is lined with genuine suede leather. I finish each piece with 2 coats of lacquer followed by a top coat of paste wax hand applied with ‘0000′ steel wool to enhance the natural beauty of the exquisite exotic hardwoods. The Leaf box is appropriate for watches, pens, necklaces, or whatever other collectible/keepsake you can think of.

Dimensions: 11″x2.75″x1.25″

Woods: Bubinga and Sapele