4 posts tagged “small wooden boxes”

This box was made at the request of a friend. Its

dimensions were dictated by the location in which she plans to place it.
I believe that the red wood is Queensland Lacy Oak. The box trim is Victorian Ash and the dividers are American Maple.

After two solid weeks in my shed making them, I need a break. These are the last of the batch that I made as Christmas gifts. Each one is different, although naturally, there are similarities. (For a fuller explanation of each box, click on the pictures.) All are finished in oil that is burnished into the timber. This produces a high gloss sheen that really shows the beauty of the wood. It's not at all plastic-looking like some polyurethanes.
In previous boxes I've made, I used MDF in the base

arguing that I lined the box with velvet and that a timber base couldn't be seen anyway. But I always felt like I was cheating, so now I use a 4mm birch ply for the base. I selected this because it is easy to dye match the colour of the birch to the primary timber in the box. To my eye, it's a much better result.

These three boxes are the first of about eight I am making for Christmas gifts. There is no specific use behind my designs; I've decided they stand on their own right as artistic creations intended to feature the beauty of the timber from which they are created.

The deep red wood is Australian River Red-gum from old fence posts. This timber used to be the wood-of-choice for this purpose as it is resistant to rot and insect decay. It's a very dense wood and a challenge unless one has very sharp tools.

The yellow wood is Huon Pine, perhaps my favorite Australian timber species. It's also a wood resistant to rot and was logged in the early part of the twentieth century for boat building. It has a beautiful aroma and mills easily. This particular piece of timber is rare in that it features "bird's-eye" speckling throughout. The large black knot-hole has created some spectacular grain making this truly a one-of-a-kind box.

 This box is also from River Red-gum. It features wooden hinges. If you would like to see more of my woodworking, a complete pictorial record of my projects can be viewed at this site.

Tony Lydgate has been an inspiration in my pursuit of artistic expression

through woodworking. (See my version of Tony's Box on Stilts) His excellently illustrated books are filled with beautiful creations in timber. Some of the work he has designed and made himself, others are collections of small boxes from the completely practical to the absolutely bazaar; works done by artistic woodworkers from around the world.

However, one of the most complete books on box making is Taunton Press' Complete Illustrated Guide to Box making by Doug Stowe.
Anyone interested in pursuing box making would not go wrong purchasing these fine books. And even if you only want to learn more about this wonderful hobby, they make good reading.