Sealing The Veneer

After the glue has dried on the veneer, it's time to take it out of the press. Before I seal the surface with shellac, I sand the panel with 180 grit sandpaper to remove any glue on the surface. There's a chance the wood filler may stain the surface of the veneer so I first spray a thin coat of shellac on both sides of the panel to prevent any staining. 

Pore Filling

There are several ways to pore fill, but I used timbermate wood filler(walnut color) for this project. It's a great product that gives fantastic results. To apply it, I thinned it a little with water and used a plastic card scraper (or you can use an old credit card) to wipe it on the surface, making sure to wipe across the grain. I pore filled both sides of the panel. Once the wood filler dried, I sanded away the excess using 180 grit sandpaper on my orbital sander.

Cutting Lid To Size

With the lid pore filled, I put some masking tape around the edges, and using my table saw, cut to length and width. I measured the opening of my box to get the dimensions of the lid to make sure it was a good fit. The masking tape really helps to prevent any tear out on the lid.

Finishing The Lid

For this project, I opted to spray shellac for the majority of the parts and the lid was no exception. I sprayed 4-6 light coats of shellac, sanding in between coats with 320 grit sandpaper. This produced a nice glossy finish that I will later wax down to a semi-gloss sheen.

Hardware

The final piece of this project was to install the knob. I used a 5/8" brass knob from Horton Brasses that looks great on the piece. I mark center on the lid and pre-drill the hole before screwing on the knob making sure to keep the knob straight and true to the lid.

If you enjoyed what you just watched, consider becoming a patron and support SimpleCove.