Back to the shop
Well, okay, the garage. Ever since we left Pennsylvania five years ago, I've been "making do," as one of our old magazine editorials said -- getting by with far fewer resources, but still getting things done, mostly furniture and architectural projects for our house, and helping build out our daughter's new bookstore in St. Petersburg. When you're in a tiny space with no tablesaw or bandsaw, you really need to fall back on whatever resources you can muster notably Skilsaws, routers, a drill press and hand planes. Everything takes longer, but there's no need to compromise the final results.
Now that I've got a little time to spare (knock wood), I'm about to finish up a project that I started many years back, a music box with a high end movement that I bought from one of our advertisers. The box is made of madrone burl, with a bottom of Port Orford cedar.
The box has been glued up now for many years. I have yet to cut the lid away from the lower part of the box, then line the inside with thin Brazilian rosewood, install an internal glass lid, cut in some Brusso quadrant hinges, apply a finish, and assemble the whole thing. I may put some little rubber bumpers or felt strips on the bottom to isolate it from whatever surface it's sitting on.
Since this is a place to ask questions, I thought I'd see if anyone has any words of wisdom about music box construction. I can figure out the woodworking, but I don't know much about the sound-transmission aspects of the box. I have a nagging hunch that I ought to somehow dampen the floating bottom panel, maybe with a thin dab of silicone or Lexel, just to make sure there's no chance of audible vibrations while the mechanism is playing.
No promises on when I'll get this project completed but I thought I'd throw it out for discussion. I'm in it for the journey as much as the destination.
Cheers,
Ellis
