| Project by Mauritius | posted 111 days ago | 638 views | 16 times favorited | 12 comments |  |
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Finished these guys two days ago. One was given to my dad for his birthday, the other I’m keeping. Since these involved a lot of new techniques for me, I did everything on my box first in the event of a mishap (and there were a few) so that I’d make sure my dad’s turned out alright. They measure 12” square, the area to the right of the box is meant as a cell phone charging station, the drawer slides out to reveal a little “hidden” section. The joinery should be fairly obvious from the pictures, the hinges were the only metal used.
My dad’s box is made of zebrawood, walnut and maple. My box is made of cherry, leopardwood, ash with a bit of maple and purple heart in the lid. First time working with zebrawood, and I will say that it was a pain. The grain runs in two directions on all the boards I have which lead to an excessive amount of sanding, and it tends to chip easily which made cutting the miters an exercise in patience. It sure did finish nicely though! I even managed to match the grain on two of the corners.
The inside of the box is flocked, and the rest was finished with a few coats of danish oil (thanks to all who gave advice in my earlier forum post). I ended up adding a coat of wax at the last minute which I think was a good idea.
12 comments so far
Ben Kahmann
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232 posts in 168 days
posted 111 days ago
Super looking valets. I’m sure it will be a greatly recieved gift
-- Ben Kahmann Dayton, OH
Mauritius
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95 posts in 122 days
posted 111 days ago
Thanks Ben, he actually got it two days ago and was really happy. He promptly instructed me to quit my day job and start a woodworking business…and then I informed him what my hourly rate would have been on a project like this.
ND2ELK
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6202 posts in 670 days
posted 111 days ago
Beautiful valet boxes. You did a very nice job on them. Thanks for posting.
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
renaissance_guy
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46 posts in 456 days
posted 111 days ago
Very nice. I really like the contrasting woods. Your Dad will proudly remember his talented Son every day as he uses this super nice valet.
-- Life is about experiences. http://www.laughton.com/paul/paul.html
Mikeyf56
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103 posts in 117 days
posted 111 days ago
Beautiful work…...
-- Powered by Smith & Wilson~~~
kcrandy
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85 posts in 328 days
posted 111 days ago
I want one! I must make one! My son is clothe’s pony. He needs one!
ChrisN
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155 posts in 669 days
posted 111 days ago
Very Nice!! Something I could definately use.
-- Chris N, Westford, MA - "If you won't eat something from your fridge that turned green...why would you eat something that started out that way?"
cwdance1
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186 posts in 155 days
posted 111 days ago
What a nice job,
a1Jim
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16910 posts in 473 days
posted 111 days ago
Thiese a great valets wonderful design,super woods and fantastic build
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
Kerry
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131 posts in 686 days
posted 110 days ago
Those look great, and what a nice gift.
Kerry
-- Alberta, Canada
Kevin83
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56 posts in 264 days
posted 109 days ago
Very nice valets. Now I want to make some!
-- Kevin, Wisconsin
majeagle1
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430 posts in 392 days
posted 102 days ago
Beautiful Valet boxes…...... job well done !!!
I really like the design, gives me food for thought and the wood combination is fantastic.
Yes, Zebrawood “can” be a challenge sometimes, but well worth in IMO…............
Love your projects and a big welcome to LJ’s, the most addictive site on the internet !
-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/