DIY Network

Maple and Bubinga Treasure-Box: Veneered Lid From "Wood Works" episode WWK-505

The curved top with its majestic maple burl forms the perfect crown for the darker buginga-wood case.

With the curved lid-core created from bending plywood, the core can now be covered in burl-maple veneer. This will make the top look as if it were made from one solid piece of maple. In actuality, the top will be 5/8-inch thick, and is made of four sheets of 1/8-inch bending plywood sandwiched between two 1/16-inch-thick maple veneers.

Materials:

Burl-maple stock
MDF for jig
Table saw
Band saw
Drum sander
Belt sander
Scraper plane
Pattern-maker's rasp
Fine-tooth file
120-grit sandpaper
Carpenter's compass
Slow-setting resin glue
Yellow woodworker's glue
Clamps
Carpenter's pencil
Double-sided tape
Carpenter's tape
Safety glasses or goggles

Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David
Marks through his website -- information below under Resources.

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when
working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H
	Figure I
	Figure J
	Figure K

Veneered Lid

• With the plywood core of the top cured, and the glue dried, the edges need to be trimmed to remove excess glue and cut the top down to its final dimensions. To cut the core so that its edges will be parallel to the sides, build a jig from MDF as shown. The jig consists of five ribs to create the "reverse" of the top curve. Make the ribs by copying the curve from the original drawing, and nail them to a piece of MDF to create a cradle. Before cutting the core to proper width, tape it onto the jig referencing a center-line (figure A) to make certain that the lid is centered on the jig.

• On the table-saw, position a spacer to hold the jig away from the fence (figure B).

• With the lid positioned properly on the table saw, carefully trim away the excess wood on both sides (figure C).

• Next, cut the core to final length using the miter-gauge on the table saw to help hold the jig 90 degrees to the table-saw blade (figure D).

• Before adding the veneer skins to the core, the edges of the core must be banded. Band the edges using strips of maple veneer. The strips for the front and back should be 1/16-inch thick, while the curved strips for the ends should be 3/16-inch. The extra thickness for the ends will allow room to trim the lid down to final size when it's time to fit the top onto the box.

• Using the core as a guide, trace out the curve of the two end-caps onto some maple-veneer stock (figure E).

• Rough-cut the curved strips slightly oversized using the band-saw.

• Apply yellow glue to both ends of the core and to the strips (figure F) and carefully position the strips (figure G).

• After the strips are in place, add cauls and clamp the assembly lengthwise to allow the glue to dry (figure H).

• After the glue has dried, flush up the edges using a pattern-maker's rasp and fine-tooth file.

• Use the same procedure to band the front and back of the core. Cut strips of maple using the band saw. Add glue to the veneers and the edges of the core. Position the strips, add cauls and clamp the assembly to dry (figure I). Once the glue has dried, hand-rasp and file all the edges flush, and finish off the edges with 120-grit sandpaper.

• Once the banding is attached, and the edges and corners are nice and sharp, work can begin on attaching the top and bottom veneers. At the band-saw, re-saw the maple stock into book-matched veneers that are 1/16-inch thick (figure J).

• Pass each sheet of veneer through the drum sander to make them a uniform thickness.

• Evenly apply plastic-resin glue to the top of the core and to veneer. Position the core on the bending form, and tape the veneer in place to prevent it from sliding (figure K). Add a caul to the top and set the assembly in the vacuum press. Turn on the vacuum press and leave the glued assembly to cure overnight.

  Once the lid has cured, remove the excess glue using a belt-sander and finish off the edges using a scraper plane.

In the segment that follows, the base of the box and joinery are made.

Click here to order your tools and materials for this project from Woodcraft!