MWP Magnetic Jewelry Holder with Mirror

While none of the materials I used were from Inventables, you can get silver acrylic mirror and 3/4" thick mahogany from them.

Here’s what I got, and where:
+2’ of 1×8 mahogany (3/4″ × 7-1/4"), from Home Depot.
+3/16" lauan plywood, from Home Depot.
+1/8" acrylic mirror, 24″×24″, from Amazon.
+Thick adhesive or epoxy to glue magnets to mahogany, I used E6000 craft adhesive (Link).
+220 grit sandpaper.
+Finish as desired (I used Tung oil).
+Rubber feet.
+28 magnets, ~11/16", from a pack of 100 from Amazon (Link).
This project was designed around these specific magnets, magnet pocket sizes and depths will need to be changed if magnets of a different side or thickness are to be used.

I used a 1/4" 2 flute upcut flat endmill for the roughing cuts, and a 1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill for the finish cuts. Any registered Inventables user can request access to the two-stage cut program while it is in Beta testing. I highly recommend using it, using thicker mills allows deeper cuts and faster stock removal.

I provide the speeds and feeds I used for each cut in the relevant steps. I use the Dewalt 611 router, your speeds and feeds may vary.

Good News: The Easel project contains all the necessary drawings for the magnetic jewelry holder project.

Bad News: Since only one Easel project can be linked as the primary file, the Easel project only has one material, while the magnetic jewelry holder consists of three different materials.

There are multiple ways of attacking this, but here is what I suggest:
1. Make 3 copies of the project file, for a total of 4 Easel files, and name them “TOP”, “BOTTOM”, “COVER”, and “ACRYLIC”.
2. In each copy, erase everything that isn’t specific to that part and position the remaining items as a group at 0,0.
3. Erase the text in each copy, since it is only there for identification purposes.

There are notes specific to each cut profile in the step to perform it. Read those notes carefully, since material thicknesses may change.

Clamp down the main wood stock (in my case, mahogany) and load the “TOP” profile in Easel. Either use tabs, double-sided tape, or some other method to ensure the piece doesn’t move around during the final pass of the outline cut.

Be sure to offset the cut file as needed to avoid hitting clamps with the outline cut.

I cut out the pockets using the two stage cut program, using a 1/4" 2 flute upcut flat endmill as the roughing bit and a 1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill as the detail bit.

These are the settings I used for my Dewalt 611:
Roughing: 1/4" 2 flute upcut flat endmill: Dewalt setting ‘1’, .100" depth of cut, 60 IPM feed rate
Detail: 1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill: Dewalt setting ‘2.5’, .030" depth of cut, 60 IPM feed rate

Be sure the detail bit is sticking out farther than the thickness of the material, and that collet nut will not hit the clamps at full cut depth.

One good way to get a clean bottom in a pocket is to do a cleanup cut that is about .005-.010". This may require you to adjust your cut depths a little bit. A final cleanup pass adds time, but it’s time you can use with a refreshing drink in your hand instead of sandpaper.

Profile Notes:
-Material I used was .765" thick. You want about .090" of wood between the magnets and the jewelry, any thinner and you may end up tearing through the pocket when you cut the magnet holes.
-Based on the material thickness, and the thickness of the magnets and lauan plywood, these pockets are .275" deep.

Remove the jewelry holder from the main stock, and clamp it face down so it is the same direction as shown on the “BOTTOM” profile in Easel. Clamp it along the edges and ensure the endmill won’t run into the clamps.

I cut out the pockets using the two stage cut program, using a 1/4" 2 flute upcut flat endmill as the roughing bit and a 1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill as the detail bit.

These are the settings I used for my Dewalt 611:
Roughing: 1/4" 2 flute upcut flat endmill: Dewalt setting ‘1’, .100" depth of cut, 60 IPM feed rate
Detail: 1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill: Dewalt setting ‘2.5’, .030" depth of cut, 60 IPM feed rate

One good way to get a clean bottom in a pocket is to do a cleanup cut that is about .005-.010".

Profile Notes:
-Material I used was .765" thick. You want about .090" of wood between the magnets and the jewelry, any thinner and you may end up tearing through the pocket when you cut the magnet holes.
-Based on the material thickness, the large cover pocket is .200" deep and each magnet pocket is .400" deep.

Remove dust and loose fibers that are in the magnet pockets.

Use small dabs of thick epoxy to hold the magnets in place. You can use a thin glue, like super glue, but it may soak through the pores and become visible on the inside of the top pockets.

The magnets I chose have the north poles marked on them. The magnets will need to be installed with magnets in a north-south-north-south position. This way, they will be attracted to each other and will stay in place while the epoxy cures. Don’t fight the magnetic field if you don’t have to!

Clamp down the lauan plywood and load the “COVER” profile in Easel. Either use tabs, double-sided tape, or some other method to ensure the piece doesn’t move around during the final pass of the outline cut.

Be sure to offset the cut file as needed to avoid hitting clamps with the outline cut.

After the cover is cut, it can be installed directly over the magnets in the bottom. I made it tight enough that I didn’t have to use glue to hold the cover in place, but feel free to use glue to ensure it is permanently affixed.

These are the settings I used for my Dewalt 611:
-1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill: Dewalt setting ‘1’, .030" depth of cut, 60 IPM feed rate

Profile Notes:
-Material I used was .195" thick.

Clamp down the acrylic mirror and load the “COVER” profile in Easel. Either use tabs, double-sided tape, or some other method to ensure the piece doesn’t move around during the final pass of the outline cut.

If you choose to use double-sided tape, test it on a small piece of the acrylic mirror first to make sure it doesn’t peel the reflective backing.

Be sure to offset the cut file as needed to avoid hitting clamps with the outline cut.

I used double-sided carpet tape to hold the acrylic mirror down, and clamps to secure the edges.

These are the settings I used for my Dewalt 611:
-1/8" 4 flute upcut flat endmill: Dewalt setting ‘1’, .020" depth of cut, 50 IPM feed rate

Profile Notes:
-Material I used was .112" thick.

Using 220 grit sandpaper, sand the project to remove scratches, dings, and rough edges. Round over all sharp edges, especially if this project will be given to children.

Finish the jewelry holder as desired. I used a couple coats of Tung oil, but any oil or even spray finish (polyurethane, varnish, etc.) will help make the project look better.

After the finish has been applied and is cured, apply little rubber feet to the bottom of the project to keep from scratching up any nice furniture that the project is placed on.