The Camera Works-We got Photos! The Music Box project continued-Part 1: Completing the Box portion

 Hello Everyone,

Well, the batteries for the camera got here and I got them charged up so we have photos again. 

I've finished making the box part of the music box project so I'll post that right now. Later today I'll post part 2 which will be the installation of the mechanism.

Here's what it looks like right now:

In this photo you can see the replacement top out of redwood and I added a finial out of ebony. I really liked the rounded shape of the box and the top together but I'm very pleased with the finial. It contrasts well with both the shape of the box and the red and soft ivory colors.

I just finished making and installing the finial and here is how that went:

I had a small piece of ebony leftover from a prior project and decided to use that. In the photo you can see 3 lines on the surface of the ebony-the left section will become the stem to attach the finial to the box top, the middle section will be the finial, and the last section will be turning waste:

The stem needs to fit into the box tightly and it needed to be small enough to disappear underneath the finial so I decided to turn it to a 1/4" diameter. The easiest way to do this is get a small 1/4" diameter wrench and use it as a measuring jig. That way I can drill a 1/4" diameter hole in the top and have it fit perfectly:

 

 

I set up the wood on the lathe and started turning:

 

 

 

 

In this photo you can see it much narrower. Most of the wood has been turned away:

 

 

 

 

Lastly, here is the finished finial. The stem is a perfect 1/4" and the hole in the top is 1/4" too. It fit tightly:

And here is the top and finial together:

I'm going to stop for lunch and then screw in the mechanism. I'll be back with photos and completion photos later today.

VW