For this project I used the following items in my build:

Cedar wood paneling Brass sheet Small glass beads Green ribbon Black paint Glossy spray sealant Brass wire 2 wood screws Several dozen brass nails Wood glue

Tools I used in this project were:

Hydro-chloric acid Hydrogen peroxide Plastic tub Drill Scroll saw Tin snips Hammer Clamps Disk saw Laser printer Nail polish Mineral spirits

For any project like this, the most important step is design. You should have assembled the project in your head several times before the first cut. Be certain about all the measurements of each piece. Measure all of your materials. How wide or thick are they? How much gap will be required for the glue? Try gluing to scrap pieces together, and then measure the width. If you have your measurements off even a little, the box won’t come together.

The next step I did was etch the brass for my decorative elements. I won’t go into much detail on how I did my etching, because I followed another guide to do it myself. I will tell you the best method I found. I used the transparency setting on the laser printer, and printed onto a label sheet with the stickers removed (think wax paper). I then used an Iron to transfer the resist (it only took about 30 secs). I then used black nail polish to touch up mask, before I let it sit for 3 hours in a 50/50 mix of acid and Hydrogen Peroxide. Another tip is to set you etch in the solution raised off the bottom, but upside down. This will allow the etched brass to fall out of the way to speed up the process and get a cleaner etch. I used black spray paint on the etch, and then sanded through to the raised brass. Finally, I sealed the whole thing.

The next step was cutting the wood. I used my skill saw to do the rough cuts, and then cleaned them up on the scroll saw. Cut with the cedar side up so you don’t tear up the cedar veneer. For thin areas, cut the wood with it resting on a scrap piece. Take your time on this step, and don’t rush it. If like me you are going to be leaving raw unpainted wood on the outside, then any mistake will be easily seen.

To assemble the whole thing, I used both glue and nails. This allowed me to not have to clamp many joins while the glue dried. The nails would hold the wood together. I used very small nails to keep the wood from splitting. I also used 2 screws on the top sides to hold the whole thing together better because of the stress caused by the hinged portion. I made the bottom hinge very simple. It is just 2 nails that are jutting from the wood. I then made pockets for the nails by drilling out holes in the middle layer on the sides. The top is a brass hinge, with brass wire as the pin. All the brass elements are just nailed on.