On Saturday January 23, Ralph Thorne demonstrated how to make a music box for a Valentine’s Day. Ralph started by making a top with a small rail and stile router bit set that was provided by Peachtree Woodworking. This was like making a cabinet door except that the rails and stiles were much smaller. The top had a panel insert and although the router bit set also had a raised panel bit in it, Ralph choose to use a flat panel for the top. Ralph pointed out that the panel was a flat piece of popular it could be decorated by silk screening or with a piece of marquetry. You could also use a piece of etched glass or stained glass for the top panel. Ralph used a router table to show how to cut the rails and stiles.

The Ralph showed how to make the box that the top went on. Ralph joined the sides of the box with rabbet joints at the corners. He cut the rabbits on the router table also. Ralph mentioned that the corners of the box could also be joined with mitered joints, finger joints or dovetails also.

Finally Ralph showed the group a trick for lining up the barrel hinges to join the top to the box. He used a precut piece wood that was the same length as the back of the box. He attached the piece to the box with double sided tape and then drilled the 5 mm holes for the hinge through this piece and into the back edge of the box. He then removed the drilled piece from the back edge of the box, flipped it over and attached it to the back edge of the top. This process assures that the holes in the box and the top are aligned properly.

Gerald Jones - President