Project Information
I recently met women who makes a living faux finishing/painting small boxes and then selling them. Long story short, the folks who had been providing her with her "blank" boxes were no longer able to make them for her. Therefore, she needed someone to supply her with well made boxes of various designs and, as it turns out, I was the guy to do it. Good news for me; I actually got paid to woodwork. Awesome!!!
These are the first two which I made for her. The design, which my client refers to as a "Tea Caddy" was based on a box built by one of her previous box makers. The larger, lighter colored one is soft maple and the smaller darker one is cherry. Even though she typically paints over the entire box, she requested that I use either or both of these woods, as they are fairly hard and tight grained. She also requested that I use Brusso hinges to attach the lid. The joinery is nothing fancy, but is tight and strong. The sides are joined with a rabbet in a dado and reinforced with brad nails. I sunk the brads in with a nail set and then filled the holes with CA/Krazy glue and saw dust from the same piece of wood. While the brads may have been unnecessary, my client spends a lot of time painting her boxes and sells them for A LOT of money so I wanted to make sure these boxes would last a life time.
Anyway, my client was very happy with my work and is requesting that I continue to provide her with blank boxes. Maybe, if I'm really lucky I can actually make as much money as I spend on woodworking (not likely).
One more thing… In case your cringing at the idea of that beautiful cherry being painted over. My client has informed me that she likes the look of the wood so much, that she will not be painting over it entirely as she normally does, but rather, will simply do "penwork" on the box, and then put clear finish over the remainder of the exposed wood.
These are the first two which I made for her. The design, which my client refers to as a "Tea Caddy" was based on a box built by one of her previous box makers. The larger, lighter colored one is soft maple and the smaller darker one is cherry. Even though she typically paints over the entire box, she requested that I use either or both of these woods, as they are fairly hard and tight grained. She also requested that I use Brusso hinges to attach the lid. The joinery is nothing fancy, but is tight and strong. The sides are joined with a rabbet in a dado and reinforced with brad nails. I sunk the brads in with a nail set and then filled the holes with CA/Krazy glue and saw dust from the same piece of wood. While the brads may have been unnecessary, my client spends a lot of time painting her boxes and sells them for A LOT of money so I wanted to make sure these boxes would last a life time.
Anyway, my client was very happy with my work and is requesting that I continue to provide her with blank boxes. Maybe, if I'm really lucky I can actually make as much money as I spend on woodworking (not likely).
One more thing… In case your cringing at the idea of that beautiful cherry being painted over. My client has informed me that she likes the look of the wood so much, that she will not be painting over it entirely as she normally does, but rather, will simply do "penwork" on the box, and then put clear finish over the remainder of the exposed wood.