Sorry, I promised I would have a "Part Four..." of the Rusling box posted last night and I just didn't get around to it.
I cut the lid from the box and instead of marking and chopping the mortises for the hinges by hand, like I usually do, I decided to try a method suggested by someone at Woodcraft when I bought my last batch of Brusso hinges. He said to pick up a flush-bearing mortising bit (it's a 1/4" shank Whiteside bit with a 1/2" cutting diameter and a 1/2" bearing), make a template out of hardboard or MDF that fits the hinges exactly, and then set the bit to the proper depth and clamp it to the board.
He talked about basically making a jig for a one-time use. After a little bit of thought, I was more inclined to spend the time making a jig I could use on future boxes, as well. It did take longer, but I'm happy with the end result. I'll be even more happy when I next make a box and can mortise my hinges to an exact fit in 15 minutes instead of an hour and a half!
So I did get the lid cut off, cleaned up those edges with a block plane and some sandpaper, started breaking edges on the lid (as long as I had the sandpaper out) and mortised the hinges, but I did not get to work on the lock at all. Hopefully tonight I will get a chance to write my blog about last night and then work on the lock. Without the time (and proper weather) to fume with amonia, I need to decide upon a different finish. I'll make up some sample pieces tonight to see what I like. Oh, and I need to mix up a fresh batch of shellac as I checked my bottle last night and I don't have but a 1/4" of shellac left in my current batch.
Again, sorry for the delay. I will have a real update with photos tonight.
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