| Project by Salty | posted 1057 days ago | 1507 views | 7 times favorited | 20 comments | ![]() |
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Here is a small box I made to hold a laser pointer I gave as a gift to a graduating PhD student of mine. I constructed the box of leftover smooth clear redwood that I used to build my fence. The splines are made of maple. I used rare-earth magnets, which are super powerful and hold the lid shut pretty well. One is hidden behind the maple handle. If both touched (metal-to-metal) you would never get the lid apart. Powerful magnets I must say! The finish is minwax clear statin polyur. I had a lot of fun building this and it was bitter sweet to give it away. One thing I learned is that one needs to handle redwood with care in order to avoid dings and dents in the soft wood. However, the wood choice fits the venue in which my student got his PhD, in the redwood forest at UC Santa Cruz. Cheers!
-Salty
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20 comments so far
Grumpy
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17839 posts in 2019 days
#1 posted 1057 days ago
NICE BOX SALTY, GREAT HIGHLIGHTS.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Monty Queen
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1568 posts in 1420 days
#2 posted 1057 days ago
Awesome job on your box, looks great.
-- Monty Q, Columbia, South Carolina.
YoungestSon
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93 posts in 1224 days
#3 posted 1057 days ago
Nice Box. It looks pretty ding free so you must have learned your lesson well.
-- Don - Rochester, NY
littlecope
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2329 posts in 1670 days
#4 posted 1057 days ago
This has got some quiet elegance going on, my Friend… Nicely Done!!
-- Mike in Concord, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.
Ken90712
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12660 posts in 1357 days
#5 posted 1057 days ago
Great looking box! Very nice finish.
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
a1Jim
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87110 posts in 1745 days
#6 posted 1057 days ago
Cool box very nice work
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
yarydoc
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417 posts in 1313 days
#7 posted 1057 days ago
Sharp box.
-- Ray , Florence Alabama
BertFlores58
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1529 posts in 1090 days
#8 posted 1057 days ago
Excellent use of wood combination.. red and white .. I like the supermagnet but on second thought it may affect some electronic equipment per say like cellphone or maybe the pointer itself… just my opinion not a proven fact. Nice finish too.
-- Bert
CharlieM1958
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14856 posts in 2386 days
#9 posted 1057 days ago
Very slick! Wish I could get redwood around these parts.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Kerux
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812 posts in 2052 days
#10 posted 1057 days ago
Really pretty. I like the corner ‘key’ slots. And hinges… why do I have so many problems with hinges?
-- http://caledoniachurchofchrist.yolasite.com/
bigfish_95008
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250 posts in 1271 days
#11 posted 1057 days ago
Very nice.
-- bigfish "I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it." Vincent Van Gogh
bigfish_95008
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250 posts in 1271 days
#12 posted 1057 days ago
Well done with such dissimilar woods.
-- bigfish "I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it." Vincent Van Gogh
Salty
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73 posts in 1215 days
#13 posted 1057 days ago
Thanks for the responses. This was technically my first “real” box made out of unmanufactured wood (i.e. ply).
Bert—I had similar concerns about using such strong magnets. We’ll see if there are any long-term effects with those on the laser pointer.
I also realized I like making boxes. There are so many great LJ’s that have made some awesome boxes. I’ve got lots to learn.
-Salty
Eagle1
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2043 posts in 1233 days
#14 posted 1057 days ago
Great looking box. Never thought about using leftover redwood from a fence. Was it hard to get smooth?
-- Tim, Missouri ....Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the heck happened
Skylark53
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2265 posts in 1228 days
#15 posted 1057 days ago
Very nice. The maple really accents the beauty of the redwood.
-- Rick, Tennessee, John 3:16
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