The Music Box features the song “Imagine” by John Lennon.  The 18 note movement is from TheMusicHouse.com.  It is a Swiss made movement by Reuge.

The basic design for the box was chosen by my client from a previous jewelry box I designed and made.  This was my first attempt at a music box.  It was a very fun learning experience.

The first issue was choosing the best wood to use as the base for the box.  I found that different species produced very different acoustics with the movement. After trying all the different wood species in my shop, I choose hard maple for the best tone.

I also found that proper mounting was critical in creating a good look and optimal location to install the lever spring that turns the movement on/off and to get the winding key exactly centered in its hole in the bottom of the box.  Ron at The Music House was very helpful in helping me in resolving mounting and installation issues. He also warned to never overwind the key as doing so can damage the movement.

The box is made of glued up hard maple and walnut.  I placed the walnut so that when the lid is open, the walnut shows as a shadow line tight to the top, inside the lid.  The top is of spalted maple and inlaid ebony.  The miter joiners are also of ebony.  The maple’s grain continues, unterrupted around the box.  For the music box, I created a 3/8″ roundover on all edges so that when the box is held for winding, there is always a smoothness to the box.  I finished the box with solid brass legs and matching lid lift.  The box is finished with two coats of shellac and five coats of wipe-on polyurethane, followed by a light coat of wax rubbed in with 4/0 steel wool to create ultimate smoothness.

I also installed a three side enclosure for the movement, including a Lexan window. The enclosure is a very tight pressure fit inside the box.  The open side of the box has a red felt bottom liner to keep valuable keepsakes comfortable in the box.

Launch Gallery