My mother-in-law is getting unsteady on her feet and needed a cane, so I made her a nice one out of sugar maple. I had to cut it down a couple of times while I was making it because it seams like she’s got shorter everytime I saw her. I had to round the cane using hand planes because I don’t have a big expensive lathe. That would be sweet—but I don’t have one. Oh well, maybe some day. I chose to use water soluble dye because it produces an even color. Well, I was wrong about that, I didn’t expect the end grain to darken as much as it did. Live and learn. This is my first attempt to produce a complex shape using rasps and files—its fun. The shaping is relaxing and you really don’t know what you’ll end up until your’re finished. I have to say the cane doesn’t look like much in these pictures, but I can assure you, it still dosen’t look like much in person. Anyway, I enjoyed it. I actually got a compliment—whew! My head is spinning!

I’ve made eight of these jewelry boxes from Philippine mahogany
and bubinga. The brass latch is Brusso. I made the feet,
lid support and inlays from brass bar stock. I wanted these
boxes to be special for my daughter and her cousins, so I made
cutouts and placed flash drives inside to hold family pictures
and short videos. It also contains a list of cousins and their
numbered box. My intention is to make family heirlooms that
my daughter and her cousins can enjoy for years to come; long
after I’m gone. I hope they will bring back fond memories
and encourage them to stay in touch through the generations.
It would be interesting to know how long these boxes last and
where they wind up. That’s something I’ll never know. I hope
my intentions are understood and appreciated.