Trish's Box (first box attempt)

Very nice first attempt! She should love it

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

What a great first attempt or any wow

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Very nice looking box. Neat & clean keys.

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Dylan,
Great job on the box, the wood combination really goes well together. I’m sure she will love it.
.

-- Scott, Colorado

In spite of a somewhat generic design, this box looks very special to me. The contrasting wood colors go very nicely together. The handle opening is nicely formed and actually different than any I have seen, and it greatly enhances the appearance. Besides being well proportioned, the box also has very clean lines. The interior is very special. The curly maple gives it a wow factor while remaining true to the overall design. Your work looks highly skilled and you should be really proud of this box Dylan. I didn’t notice any imperfections, so they certainly didn’t have any impact on the overall piece. Lucky Trish!

-- Mike, American in Norway

Very, very well done Dylan. Nice wood choice, very clean lines and good craftsmanship for your first box.
Using the bloodwood for the bottom of the box and tray is a really nice touch!!!

Look forward to seeing more…..............

-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/

Very nice looking.

I only counted 3 things Wrong with the box…major things anyway… probably lots of minor imperfections too…
next box will be certainly better..

-- Drink once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au

Dylan,

That is an awesome box, especially for your first attempt. My early work is absolute crap by comparison. You already sound like any seasoned woodworker. You beat yourself up and point out mistakes that most people won’t notice – even when you point them out. Only other woodworkers will notice most of the mistakes you mentioned… that’s because we’ve all made them, and we know where to look for them! Even so, the first time I looked through your pics, I didn’t catch any of the mistakes.

After reading your post, I can see one or two of the things you mention. But the only one that sees nothing BUT the mistakes will be you. That’s the curse of being a woodworker. Especially when you start filling your home with your own projects. Every time I look at a piece of furnituer I’ve made in my house, all I see is room for improvement. Everyone else that sees my stuff acts like they’re floored by it. We’re all our own worst critics.

you mentioned 6 things ,
i wish that was all the mistakes i made .
it seems that like Sisyphus ,
i am destined to make every mistake possible .
again and again !

i’ve been doing this for 45 years ,
and i still feel like a beginner .

every time i do something new ,
it is uncharted territory !

well done .

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

Dylan,

Nicely crafted. I am sure the lady will appreciate your gift. What I really appreciate in you post is your “Self-Critique’, identifying what you feel are flaws in your work. You should not be too hard on yourself. That’s why we are here! Just kidding. Recognizing what how you can do things better ‘the next time’ is that which will make your work even better.

Bruce

-- I love the smell of sawdust in the morning....

Beautifully designed and executed box. As someone else said on this site… those “unusual issues” make it a one of a kind potential heirloom. Relish the little errors as only you will notice.
The wood combination is beautiful and the design of the inside is particularly nice.
Ellen

-- Ellen on Cape Cod

It’s perfact. BZ

-- Dudley Young USN Ret.

Looks pretty good to me! I like the wood choices and the simple lines of the design. If your old fiance sees the post she’ll want to come back, don’t let her…. it just wouldn’t work out. She had her chance.
More than a woodworking site, advice for lovers also.

-- Paul, La Center, Washington

You are off to a very good start. As others have pointed out, just call the things you see as mistakes “design features”. We do tend to be our own worst critics, so keep on working and make sure you have fun !!

-- Rowdy in Kechi, Kansas

I can’t believe it’s a first attempt. I’ve made dozens, and yours is as good as any I’ve done.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Thanks everybody. =)

(Particularly Paul, thank you for the excellent morning laugh, I wouldn’t dream of it! haha)

I went to school as a musician long before I started woodworking, or doing the computer work I call a living now. I used to tell my fellow musicians (who were all as critical of their performance as I was of mine, its the curse of an artist) that the audience doesn’t come to see you perform to be disappointed, they come to enjoy it. All the minor mistakes that we can see in our own art that may add up to a poor performance won’t even be noticed because while we’re turning a critical eye to our work, others turn an appreciative eye.

So it is as well with the art of woodworking. The nice thing about a community of people of all skill levels who also practice the same art is that you can be self-critical as a learning process and point out these little flaws that would never be seen, both because they will smile and nod having made similar silly little mistakes, and because it gives an outlet other than the recipient for these hyper-critical observations. I think in a way it frees one to allow the audience to use that appreciative eye and just enjoy it without any blathering from the artist about how much it didn’t turn out as intended. =)

So, thanks again for being a sounding board. As a first effort, I’m pretty proud of this one. I’m sure the next will have fewer silly little mistakes, and the next after that fewer yet.

-- Dylan Vanderhoof - New woodworker in training. =)

Llarian; What a nice box. The outside is traditionally nice but when opened looks fabulous.
Nice work! I think we will be seeing some very nice projects from you in the future.

very nice dylan – perfection is strived for yet never achieved – if it was we would stop trying

-- -erik & christy-

This is a very nice box, well designed and executed, particularly for a first go. You are much too hard on yourself; no matter how experienced anyone gets, mistakes will still show up – I make the same ones again and again.

On the burn marks, did you try a cabinet scaper, which I find is the most effective thing if you can get in there?

-- Stanley generally struggling

Really nice work, I hope my first box attempt is half as good. I particularly like your choice of contrasting woods.
As far as any flaws…..I didnt see any, however I have old eyes. Anyway, if there are mistakes/flaws, learn from them and incorporate that learning into your next attempt.
Your gal Trish is a fortunate lady.

Doug

-- Doug, New Mexico.......the only stupid question is one that is never asked!........don't fix it, if it ain't broke!

I am impressed Dylan!
You really did a nice bit of work crafting this box.The flaws are seen by you but not by me.
Thats important though…to be honest with yourself,that way we keep improving.

I like elegant simplicity of the design,the proportions are spot on, and the woods compliment each other.
What more could one ask?
Well done.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon

Honestly , the only thing that stood out right away to me was the snipe in the Bloodwood.If you hadn’t pointed out the other issues , I might not have noticed them for at least another minute or two !!!
We are our own worst critics, so live and learn , my friend : )
I think I’ll name my next project “What’s wrong with this picture”? LOL.
Anyway , that is one gorgeous box for your first time at bat and I would love to tell people that I made it !

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

nicely done…...remember, we are always our own worst critic! It looks very good from here.

-- Measuring twice and cutting once only works if you read the tape right!

Even from a thumbnail photo I could see that this was done with a good eye and a focus on craftsmanship. Every step in every box is a chance to mangle everything you’ve done to that point. You and your box came out the other side looking pretty damn good, and only you are aware of the flaws that are really just an artisan’s approach to challenges of working wood. I like this box a lot.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

This is a great box Dylan. Very clean, sleek and elegant. Perfect combination of woods. Well done!

-- Brad, Oregon- Wood, it's what's for dinner.