Photo 4- Set up at the drill press with a fence and stop block as shown to locate the holes in the shelf and box sides that will hold the shelf to the lid and levers.

Note that the 1/4" holes locate the shelf such that when the lid is opened to a full vertical position the shelf contacts the inside of the lid top and holds it open. The distance from the 1/4" dowel center to the inside of the box top must be 1/8" greater than the distance between this center and the top rear of the shelf. Since the dowel center is at the top of the shelf side, the shelf bottom rear is far enough away from the dowel that it will contact the top.

Photo 5- Use a similar setup at the drill press for the levers. Countersink these holes so the screw heads will be recessed behind the face of the levers.

Bore holes in the levers for screws as in photo 5, and countersink the holes so that the screw heads will be recessed behind the face of the lever. Note that you need countersinks on opposite faces of the levers since the screws go in opposite directions. Make the distance between the hole centers 3".

Photo 6- Safely cut slots in small parts, such as the shelf dividers, by holding them to a jig with a toggle clamp as they are cut.

Make the dividers in the shelf from stock the same thickness as the blade kerf that you use to cut their slots. Plane the stock to match, or rip it out at the table saw. Use the setup shown in photo 6 to safely cut the slots. Use a toggle clamp to hold short parts, not your fingers. Clamp a stop block to the fence as shown to establish the distance of each slot from the part end. The parts fit together as in photo 7. If you wish, cut shallow dadoes on the inside of the shelf sides for the dividers to fit in. Or, eliminate these and cut the dividers just long enough to fit inside the shelf with no dadoes.

Photo 7- Fit the internal dividers together with overlapping slots as shown.

For the ring holder on the left side of the shelf, start with a piece 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 12", and cut the ring slots along the grain on the table saw with the blade raised to 3/8". Then cut a piece 1 7/8" long from this piece. If you are making only one box this is very wasteful, but it is far safer than trying to cut slots into a piece that starts so small.

Glue up the parts, checking to be sure that both lid and lower box are square. Don't glue in the top and bottom, and take pains to see to it that glue doesn't squeeze from the finger joints into the dadoes for these. Once again this is to avoid restricting moisture related movement.

After the glue is set, bore 1/8" holes 1/2" deep at the top and bottom of the finger joints, glue and insert 1/8" dowels. These pins are just for looks (don’t bother with them if you like), the glue is more than enough to hold the joints together. Then you are ready for sanding and installing the lid hinges.

I turned the box feet on the lathe as in photo 8, then cut each one out on the band saw. Square feet of any design would make a good substitute if you haven't access to a lathe. Mine were screwed to the bottom from inside the lower box; this should be done before the shelf is installed.

Photo 8- I'm not very good with a skew on the lathe, so I do turning like this the safe way by using the tool to scrape rather than cut. The difference is that, when scraping, the tool edge is at about 90o to the work, rather than turned into it to take a slice. Slicing produces a smoother cut, but it's hard to control and can kick back at you. Always wear a face mask when turning.

Make the bottom plate on the shelf from a piece of solid stock 1/8" x 5 1/2" x 10 1/2" (or 1/8" plywood), and secure it with round-head screws and washers. Bore the holes in the plate far larger than the shank of the screws, and use washers large enough to cover the holes. Again, this is to accommodate moisture related movement.

Make and glue the two small spacers onto the shelf sides, lining up the holes. Install the levers onto the lower box with screws into the pre-drilled holes, and then install the shelf into the lid by inserting the dowels through the shelf holes into the lid holes. Next drill one of the lever holes into one side of the shelf at 3 1/2" from the dowel hole center and midway vertically on the shelf. Install this screw. To locate the other shelf lever screw hole, hold the lid just open so that you can see the shelf side, and hold the unattached lever up to the shelf with a small nail through the screw hole. Scribe a small arc along the midsection of the shelf with the nail. Open the lid, measure up from the bottom of the shelf onto the arc the same height as the hole on the other side. Bore here for the lever screw hole, install the screw and you're ready for a touch-up sanding and the finish.

Resources For Building A Finger Joint Jewelry Box