Heart Ring / Keepsake Box
Instruction
This box is designed as a rival to a ring pillow. While this heart box can hold various keepsakes, it is designed to hold a pair of wedding rings. The design can be personalized to include the wedding date, couple's initials, and more. If the rings are thicker than others, add an additional level to the side.
- Once you have uploaded the file, feel free to personalize the dates, words, even the design on lid of the box.
- Arrange your items on the cutting area. I used two pieces of 12 X 12 3mm basswood.
- The circle spacers, heart spacers, hearts with letter engraving, and the two hears for the lid knob all fit inside the wall hearts where negative space would be.
- When you cut the wall hearts (hearts with the interior removed), save one of the interior hearts for the lid. The other pieces can be saved for scrap or other projects.
The two large hearts, 5 wall hearts, interior heart, two medium hearts (including one with the design), and spaces are should all be set to cut.
On the base or bottom heart, two small hearts should be scored on the wood as a guide for where the heart spacers will be glued to hold the rings.
*Note - if you want to use the box as a general keepsake box, feel free to skip the scoring step and do not but the heart spacers.
Heart flower design, letters on the small hearts, and date are engraved. This step can be set run at the same time as the other steps. This step, however, is the one that takes the longest cut/print time.
Once all pieces are cut, you can paint the colors you want. I used a dark brown to set off the engraving where it almost looks gold. Painting does take some time, particularly the engraved lid just because you are trying to be careful and not paint the engraved parts.
I painted the edges of the heart wall and then all of the top wall. I also painted the edges of the spaces. Once painted, assembly begins!
Assembly:
- Place the smaller circle in one of the heart walls. Place glue on the smaller circle and place the lid piece on the set, aligning it with the heart wall. This makes sure the lid lip piece is aligned properly on the lid. Once aligned, clamp the lip and lid so the glue can set and remove the heart wall.
- Glue the solid small heart to the small heart with the two birds cut out. Clamp for a few minutes while the glue sets.
- Glue the circle spacers together, clamp for a few minutes while the glue sets.
- Glue the Heart Spacers together making sure the hearts with the engraved letters are glued to the top and facing out. Clamp for a few minutes while the glue sets.
- Glue the heart wall pieces together. Clamp for a few minutes while the glue sets. If the box will hold thicker rings, make sure to add additional heart walls to adjust for thicker rings.
- Glue the circle spacers to the center back of the small heart (solid piece of wood).
- Glue the heart spacers over the scored heart designs on the bottom piece of wood. Make sure the engraved letter is showing.
- Align the heart walls on the bottom heart and glue. Clamp for a few minutes until glue sets.