Synopsis: Matt Monaco chose cherry for this turned box because he plans for it to be well used, and cherry is both beautiful and long-wearing. The ebony finial that tops the lid adds a dramatic touch. Here, he covers shaping the outside and excavating the inside, creating the foot, making the lid, and finishing.

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This simple container, perfect for storing keepsakes, is designed to draw the eye and hand with the appeal of form, line, and detail. I made the lid and base with black cherry and turned the finial from ebony. Although exotics can offer highly figured grain and an array of colors, a domestic hardwood such as cherry is ideal for a piece that will see frequent use. With greater fiber elasticity, cherry is less likely to fracture over time than many exotic woods with their hard, brittle fibers. For aesthetic reasons, I prefer  to make the lid and base from the same species, similar in grain tone and pattern. But most important is that both pieces be air- or kiln-dried, so that the snug fit of lid to base will remain true over time. 

Getting ready

After selecting my base and lid blanks, I cut them round on the bandsaw and marked the top of the lid and the bottom of the base. On the marked sides I’ll turn a tenon that will mate with a four-jaw chuck for much of the turning.

I started with the base, mounting it between centers with a worm screw in the headstock. After truing up the blank’s face and perimeter, I began shaping the exterior with downhill push cuts using a 3⁄8-in. deep-fluted gouge. As I refined the exterior curves, I switched to a 3⁄8-in. spindle gouge and downhill bevel-rubbing cuts.

If I need to achieve specific dimensions, I use a parting tool and calipers to establish various diameters before shaping the curves of the container. But most of the time, as I did here, I turn by eye—designing as you go is one of the great pleasures of lathe work.

When it was time to turn the tenon on the bottom of the base, I set dividers to the inside span of the four-jaw chuck, and transferred that dimension to the base. I cut the tenon with a 1⁄2-in. deep-fluted gouge in sweeping passes; then I cleaned up the tenon with a 3⁄8-in. shallow gouge, being sure to create a 90° shoulder so there would be no gaps between the workpiece and the jaws of the chuck.

Share the interior

Exploring the interior

With the tenon turned, I removed the base from the worm screw chuck and ­remounted it, inserting the tenon in the four-jaw chuck. After truing the face, I drilled a depth hole into the center of the blank. I wound tape onto the bit to ensure the hole stopped 1⁄4 in. shy of the chuck’s jaws.

Next, using a 1⁄2-in. deep-fluted gouge, I took hollowing passes toward the middle of the container’s interior. As I enlarged the excavation, I made sure to retain a wall thickness of 1⁄2 in. or so. I continued refining the interior with 3⁄8-in. and 1⁄4-in. deep-fluted gouges, establishing the final wall thickness with bevel-rubbing push cuts. Then I finished hollowing the interior by making finish cuts with a 1⁄2-in. deep-fluted interior gouge, going just slightly beyond the depth of the hole I drilled.

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From Fine Woodworking #297

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