Surprise Engagement Ring Box
Project by
Joe Whittaker
General Information
The idea behind this project is to keep the engagement ring a surprise until the very last moment. I think by making it look like a necklace gift box the recipient will have no idea about the true contents.
Project License
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
Open in Easel®
Carve
I started by securing a piece of walnut to my X-Carve using a couple of screws. The piece I was using was from a previous project, the section I used was about 350mm x 75mm x 25mm. This was enough for both the lid and the base the to the box.
I have the link to the easel project if you would like to use it. The deepest cut the X-Carve will make is 15mm (apart from the cut out) so the thickness of the material can be less than the 25mm that I used.
If you would like to see the video to this build you can see it here: https://youtu.be/Vf7wSpSfQ6U
Estimated time: 150 minutes
Sanding
Once the X-Carve had done its thing I just needed to do some sanding to get the piece ready for finish. The fit of the lid to the base a bit tight but I made some changes to the easel project and it is much better now. It only took a little hand sanding to get the fit just right though. I sanded the box all over using 350 grit sandpaper.
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Spray Finish & Add Lining
I used some masking tape to cover the inside of the opening the X-Carve had created. This will make the spray adhesive stick better later on. I could then use some spray lacquer to finish this project. It dries really quick so I could build up the 4 coats in no time. Once the finish was dry, I removed the masking tape.
To line the inside of the box I used some black felt baize and 5mm packing foam. The lid of the box received just a piece of black felt baize. I secured it in place using strong spray adhesive.
Because the base will be in contact with the ring I wanted to add foam. I cut a piece of foam slightly smaller than the opening in the base and also cut a slit in the centre, this will allow the ring to be pushed through and held in place. I could then use the spray adhesive to glue on some black felt baize. I folded it over the edges of the foam and trimmed off the excess with some scissors.
I then sprayed more of the adhesive on the back of the foam and secured it into the opening of the base. I made sure to tuck the edges down the side. I then used a sharp knife the cut the slit through the black felt baize, this will allow the ring to be pushed through and held in place.
Estimated time: 1 minutes
Great project!. I have a dumb question, when I copy the project the bit defaults to 3mm but xcarve says its too big for the project. Even if I reduce down to 1/32 of an inch xcarve complains. Do you have the same issue do you you ignore it the error? What bit size are you actually using? Cheers.
Chris Collins
Thank you Chris! I used a 3mm straight bit. I just ignored the warning. I'm not sure why it shows the bit is too big. I didnt have trouble with it. :)
Joe Whittaker
Great looking box, will the project work on any cnc machine? I am new to this and I have the Cron Craft cnc machine. It also makes use of easel and inventables.
Johan