Christmas Boxes

Man these are looking nice!

I can see your woodworking skills are coming right along. I am glad to see you got away from the box store wood.

Boxes like these are harder than most people realize. There are a lot of parts, they are small, and the lid has to line up with the bottom. You did very well on all accounts. I am sure that they will be well received.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://americancraftsmanworkshop.com

very nice work lobo . i was gonna pick my favorite but i gave up they are both too sweet to choose . well done

I like these boxes. Nice work.

-- Krisztian VA My website: www.vacarpentry.com

Hey Todd, thanks for always being here to critique my work. My skills are improving dramatically thanks to this site and people like yourself!

Thanks for the kind words mtrim. I actually have a favorite and it is the walnut and zebrawood. I think I might make another for myself sometime ‘cept maybe I’ll try walnut and cocobolo…

-- Sgt_Lobo -- Aurora, CO

good looking boxes – you done well!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Boy..they are beautiful! I like the style you did on them.
Krum

Outstanding looking boxes Lobo. Your folks should be very happy with them.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

There’s immense pleasure for both the giver and recipient when a gift is handmade, and especially when it’s a box! I think. These are beautifully done Lobo. Those lid joints are unbeatable. Thanks for showing.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

The keys really work nice. Those are two fine boxes.

Those look great lobo. Nice reading how much you enjoyed making them. Thats what woodworking is all about.

-- "The way to make a small fortune in woodworking- start with a large one"

Nice work,Sarge. glad you had fun on them. I can see your skills improving with each post . Congratulations.

-- Thos. Angle, Jordan Valley, Oregon

Thanks again everyone for the nice comments. I have learned a lot about various woodworking techniques making these small boxes. Hopefully I’ll be able to take the skills I have picked up and use them on bigger and better projects in the future.

-- Sgt_Lobo -- Aurora, CO

Sarge, you are a quick study at box-making. These are great!

Your comments about about the Watco Danish oil surprise me, because I find the stuff about as easy to use as falling off a log. It does take several days to dry thoroughly, and you made need extra coats, but I find the end result great, especially on walnut. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong on this, but I know the Danish oil contains some varnish, so it wil eventually dry completely to a protective coating. It is my understanding that pure oils, like tung, never fully dry, and thus leave the surface more susceptible to dirt and stains.

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

Charlie – The tung oil I use is definitally not a “pure” oil. It contains a substansial amount of varnish and dries very quickly making for a very nice protective finish.

The Danish oil on the other hand, well, it didn’t go as well. I applied 3 coats of it per the directions on the container. I then let it set for 4 days. It felt dry to the touch, but did not leave any kind of protective finish. When I applied the wax, parts of the box took it fine, while other parts leached out more danish oil on my wax rag, indicating to me that after 4 days it still wasn’t completely dry.

I will try danish oil again on another project someday, but I think it will need to be a project that I have a long time to finish so I can apply many coats and give them all ample time to dry.

-- Sgt_Lobo -- Aurora, CO

Thumbs up, Sarge. They look great!

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