Simplicity. I like boxes clean and elegant. I tried for that with this one. The sides are cherry, the top and bottom are softwood that I reclaimed from studs, and the lift is ebony.
Well, it’s finally done. It took me less than a month to get it made and finished (Of course, I’m not counting from when I actually cleaned up the reclaimed studs and glued up the panels for the top and bottom. Then it would closer to eight or nine months!) That might seem like quite a while to make a box, but I also made a wall cabinet during the same time.
At any rate, I’m happy with how it turned out. I’m still not great at applying a finish, but I’m not terrible either. The finish is shellac. I applied numerous coats with a good quality Taklon artist’s brush (more on Taklon brushes), sanding between coats after I got a good base down. Then I padded on several coats and wet sanded between them. I rubbed out the shellac with auto polishing compound that I applied with an old cloth diaper (see a better way to do it here). Lastly, I went over everything with a very fine Scotch-Brite pad.
I’ll be boxing it up soon and mailing it to my mom.
If you want to follow along with me as I make the box, check out these other blogs: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
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Simplicity. I like boxes clean and elegant. I tried for that with this one. The sides are cherry, the top and bottom are softwood that I reclaimed from studs, and the lift is ebony.
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No one wants an empty box. I made three trays for the interior. I especially like the slightly arced dividers on the two top trays.
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Shallow trays are good for notions. My mom is a quilter. Quilters must have small little notions and whatnots, right?
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Trays on display. All three trays can be taken out of the box.
Comments
turned out nice. I'm impressed.
That's dandy! Seriously...
Matt, this is an inspiring project. I admire your desire to use reclaimed wood, to see the knots and flaws as "beauty marks," and the attention to detail that makes such a simple design elegant. I'm just beginning to master fine boxmaking, and youre provided a great benchmark.
Question: Did you take any steps to strengthen your mitered corners - such as a hidden spline? Can't tell from the photos.
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