Hi folks. I apologize in advance for the long-winded post. I’ve been mulling over the design of a large jewelry box project for some time and am almost ready to start drafting this up and getting started, but wanted to get some feedback on some of what I’ve got in mind.

The box would have a top till & lid and front doors opening up to reveal an interior set of drawers. Frame and panel construction on the back/sides/doors. Dimension are still TBD at this point, but roughly 9″ deep, 15″ wide, 24″ tall. I’m tentatively calling this my ‘M-box’ project due to the materials I’m planning to use: Mesquite (bought 5 yrs ago on a trip to AZ and haven’t managed to use yet) for the top till & lid section, plus the panel frames and base. Maple (something highly figured) for the panel fields. Macassar Ebony for door/lid/drawer handles (too good to pass up at a 1/2 price sale yrs ago and haven’t managed to use it yet – and yes I’m cheating a bit on the ‘M-box’ theme). 

Here’s some of the things I’d like some feedback on.
1) I’m planning on slicing the maple for the panel fields and gluing it to Baltic Birch ply. I was thinking 1/8″ thick but after searching posts on this site it seems like I better plan on no thicker than 1/16. I’ll be starting thicker, then sanding down to finished thickness on the drum sander after gluing to the ply. Can I get away with using 1/16″ Mahogany veneers on the non-show side of the panel? Or am I asking for trouble by not using the same species on both sides? My only previous veneering used thinner paperbacked veneer – same type on both sides. I’d just rather use something cheaper where it won’t show, as long as it’s not likely to cause warping problems.

2) I think I’m supposed to glue the Maple (and/or Mahog) to the ply so the grain runs perpendicular to the outer plies – effectively just creating a thicker sheet of plywood. Or am I wrong? Should I go parallel to the ply?

3) I’m tempted to use flush applied mesquite framing of the panels instead of the more traditional panel floating in the slot. I just kind of like the flush look plus it would let me keep the frame thickness from looking too bulky. Should the BB/veneer sandwich be stable enough that I could get away with the flush approach? Or am I asking for trouble by not using floating panels? Everything I’ve read on mesquite says that once it’s been dried it’s very stable, with little or no movement. Am I tempting fate? Or is it as stable as I’ve heard?
If I go flush, I’ll probably start with 1/2″ BB ply before veneering, for finished thickness of 5/8″. If the consensus is that I really need to do floating panels, I’m torn as to what ply thickness to start with. 1/8″ BB would mean 1/4″ finished thickness and would fit in the groove that most rail/stile bits would cut. But 1/4″ panels just seem like they’d be a little too thin for this. If I start with 1/4″ (3/8″ final) thickness, then I’d probably have to dado a custom slot, use a separate router bit to shape the frame, and start with even thicker frame stock like 7/8?

4) As far as gluing the veneer to the BB-ply, the easiest (laziest?) approach would be to just use Titebond or some other PVA glue. With 1/16″ thick veneer am I beyond worrying about any glue bleedthrough that would muck up finishing? Wadda ya think? I’ve also got some Urea resin glue left over from a previous project that I could mix up. Seems like several  posts I saw when searching this site recommended epoxy for gluing thick veneer. I can go this route, but just wonder if it’s really necessary. Does the small/flat nature of the panels for this project negate the worry about glue creep with PVA glue? As for hide glue, at this point I’m just trying to stay away from the additional expense of glue-pots, thermometers, etc., but I’m certainly willing to do it if everyone’s opinion is that this is the only way to go.
I don’t have a vac press, but I have veneer press frames & can get pretty consistent pressure applied every 3-4″ across the panels. With cauls under the press screws I should be able to completely cover the panels.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can give me.

Doug