Revisiting an old project

A while back, Woodworker's Journal published an article of mine which gave instructions for making a small cherry jewelry box.  It was one of the projects that had been intended for the box book, but there was no room in the book for all the projects I had planned, and this one was sufficiently different from the others so that it didn't fit conveniently into any chapter.  I was sorry not to be able to include it, because I liked it a lot, but there really was no way to do it.

Fortunately, it found a home with Woodworker's Journal, whose editors did a very good job with it.  I just happened to get a copy of their eZine today, and noticed that they were offering the full article at no charge on on their website.

If you missed the original publication, you might enjoy making this unique little box that is quite easy to do with the scroll saw.

To find it, just click on this link: Cherry Jewelry Box

Amazon finally has my books in stock

I will probably never know the full story of how it happened, but Amazon did not have either of my books in stock for many months, along with quite a few others published by Fox Chapel.

Although both were readily available all along, even on the Amazon website, but from other vendors who are always listed, many people apparently saw only that they were "temporarily" unavailable and did not place an order.  The irony is that several of these other vendors met or bested Amazon's price, even for Prime members.

It's not a bad idea, as a general practice, to look at these other vendors, some of whom are well-rated and may not charge sales tax.

I'm relieved that this problem seems to be resolved, thanks to the folks at Fox Chapel, and glad that anyone who was waiting to order can finally do so.

Cupcake box and variations

I've always loved the cupcake box that was featured on the cover of my box book.  However, I knew there was more that could be done and proposed a different kind of cupcake box to Mindy, one of the editors of SSWC.

I started with the iconic "Hostess" cupcake, using fabric paint for the icing, and searched out photos of actual cupcakes that could be translated into wood.  Because of space constraints, only the instructions for the "Hostess" cupcake, lid and base, appear in the Spring, 2015 issue of SSWC.  Since their new website is not yet up and running, it was agreed that I'd post instructions for the variations on my blog.

To avoid a long and unwieldy blog post, I'm planning to use a series of entries, each giving instructions for a different top, and will have all of them out long before you receive your issue.  They all fit on the base that's featured in the article.

Here's the lot of them, along with the coffee cup that you may recognize from the box book.  They definitely look good enough to eat!

What is Amazon doing with my box book pricing?

Talk about weird!  For reasons that make no sense to me, Amazon has listed my box book at full retail price for the past few days.  Needless to say, sales figures have dropped dramatically, which is no surprise.  Barnes and Noble has also listed it at full price, but Buy.com has it at a discount.  The bowl book is discounted on all those sites.

When my bowl book first came out, I noticed that there were price fluctuations for the book, of a dollar or two, on Amazon. When I asked my publisher what was going on, I was told that they had no control over what Amazon did.  The pricing seems to have nothing to do with how well the book is selling, so it's a mystery to me what is going on.

I would be really angry if I purchased a book at a particular price then found it on the same site, a few days later, for many dollars less.  I would also be upset if any of my readers paid more than they intended to--just doesn't seem fair.

Box Book Giveaway from the Wood Whisperer

I was pleased to write a guest blog post for Marc Spagnuolo, otherwise known as the Wood Whisperer.  I decided to focus on a "boxes without joinery" theme, and shot a video to go with the post.

Marc is giving away a copy of the box book for his April giveaway, so if you're interested, check out the post at the Wood Whisperer website.

Here's what's in the book!

Here's a slideshow of all the projects that are in the new book, Creative Wooden Boxes from the Scroll Saw. Enjoy!

The Cupcake RING Box

In my cupcake box videos, I mentioned that the box could easily be turned into a ring box. The change to the box itself involves only one easy step: before gluing the rings together, you need to drill a hole through the center of the lid insert, just until the point comes through the upper face of the bottom circle, using a 1-1/2" Forstner bit. Then the rings are glued up and the box finished as usual.

Instructions and patterns for making ring inserts from 1/2" foam core and adhesive backed velvet are in the box book, but I made a slight change in procedures, which allows a ring with a larger stone or setting to appear centered on the velvet.

Enjoy the video, and if there's a "ring occasion" in your future, give it a go!