My One Year In Project.... Cornerstone

Its crazy how time flies when your busy making sawdust and enjoying good friends here on Lumber Jocks. This project was officially completed last week, but I was so close to my one year…. Well, I had to save it for the occasion. We all have had those projects where we where are like “Humm It’s Ok”. Then we have a project that we can see clearly progress in who we are in our shops. I personaly look at this piece as a big step for me as far as my work goes. My oh my…. what a wild, fun, and educational year it has been.

This was originally going to be a gun box for my Father In-Law, but it evolved into something else (it is still big enough to fit his Springfield 1911 if he so chooses). The main box is walnut, and the stones & lining are from a killer piece of curly maple that my bride helped me pick out. I remembered seeing a cabinet that had stone like pieces in it a while back. That made me think to make the center of the box have the feel of a stream or a creek running through using similar “Stones”. My big disappointment was not popping the grain on the maple to enhance the feel of water running over stones. We live and learn… I am definitely trying this again.

The rest is sort of cut and dry as far as lining the walls and the pain in the butt hinges. I really love these hinges, but let me tell you… “They Fought Me All The Way”...lol. The bottom is lined with a leather matched up from a local leather smith shop. I have a funny story about my new friends down at the leather shop I will have to share later. I finished the box out with 4 soaks of Danish oil, and a ton of hand buffed Renaissance wax.

I am going to wrap this one up with the reason I named the piece “Cornerstone”. I was in a pickle as to what to name this piece when I happen to see a documentary of sorts about cornerstones, and their structural importance. I reflected about who I was building this piece for…. My Father In-Law. I will have to say he is one of my biggest fans and supporters. When I felt I couldn’t cut a board straight to save my life he was telling everyone I could build anything. Every time he comes over we always have shop time to go over what all I have my hands in. He is truly interested, and cares about what I do, and how I do it. When most your friends think you are nuts for the countless hours in the shop, constant rambling about wood, etc…. It is good to have a “Cornerstone” of support. It is good to have people believe in you…..

Thanks for checking out my latest project, and reading my ramblings…..

-- Dan ~ Texarkana, Tx.