Not just any box.....(It's all about the inside)

A great looking Box. And what figure in the wood. You made a great snatch when you bought it. And then saved it until the right time.

Good job and congratulations on finishing.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Beautiful …I hate to even call it a box. She will love it !

-- A duck that brags on his own pond, soon swims alone.

Excellant work!!!

-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)

Wow, great story, great piece of wood and a romantic ending! Excellent workmanship. Thanks for posting this.

-- Bob A in NJ

wow id give my neighbors right arm for some of that wood !! lol exellent work ryan . and congrats on the new addition as well

-- if you aint the lead dog the scenery never changes

This box has the wow factor. Very nice work.

Dalec

That is some very special wood, and you did a great job with it!

Down here we have a similar situation with old cypress logs. They call them sinkers.

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

very impressive craftsmanship. the maple figure you chose is explosive. masterwork.

-- ..... art for lifes sake

SWEET!

Congrats on the soon to be addition to the family! The box is simply amazing. There’s no doubt your wife will love it and cherish the thought put into the gift.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

Very very fine. This is truly a wonderful piece and your craftsmanship is ourstanding.

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Amazing box. It is dazzling actually. Great details too. Good luck with the contest.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Wow you have to be busting with pride. Very, very nice!

-- Just another day in paradise.

Thats some box Ryan! Just beautiful. Dazzling!

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

That one is a dandy!! I don’t know though, it seems you are spending too much time with your clients. LOL
Excellent craftsmanship. I hope you bought the whole tree.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Holy cow….does anyone here ever say anything mean? Seriously…I have to get my head through the shop door tomorrow, and if you guys keep it up it’s not going to fit :)

Thos…..The whole tree? Not likely. Just the board that was on the Disovery Channel….and I could have probably just bought the band-saw with what it cost. (God knows I should have…my old bandsaw gave up the ghost 6 months ago!) The bulk of that tree was sold to a veneer mill in Germany for somewhere north of 10K! What can I say…I fell in love with a piece of wood.

Thanks again everyone…you are far too kind.

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

Congratulations on the jewelry box. The birdseye figure is absolutely gorgeous. Just working with wood of this caliber would be intimidating enough. But to produce something of this quality is a testament to your craftmanship.

I am sure that your wife will love it. Maybe, if you ask her just right, she will let you get a new bandsaw in return for the jewelry box. Congratulations on the new baby as well.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Just a wonderful piece!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Congrats on the Baby….The box is absolutely beautiful. The wood is stunning.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Great box and the story behind it.

-- Check out the live video stream from our shop. http://wwbeds.com

Very beautiful Your wife will love it :) Congrats on your upcoming addition to the family :)

-- Dana,Texas

gorgeous and all the thought put into the design. Awesome.!

The story: priceless!!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Absolutely Amazing!!!

Oh… and Congrats to you and your wife.

-- Chris

First of all conrats on the new addition to your family Ryan
The box looks beautiful !!! , it shines like a bar of gold.
What type of hinges are they?

-- John in Cranbrook http://www.extremebirdhouse.com ....http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

Wow. Wow. Wow. Nice work. I like the creativity with the neclace challenge too. How about a picture of the profile and front?

Excellent design, functionality and execution!

i love it. wow! great work

-- making sawdust....

Stunning piece of lumber and an exemplary box. Congrats on the upcoming family event!

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

Beautiful box – looks like you did not waste that special piece of wood. I can’t think of anything that you could have added to this beauty to make it any better. I trust the wife was pleased? Congrats on the upcoming addition to the family.

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

Without a doubt, the inside is gorgeous, but that outside is nothing to sneeze at. It’s a beautiful box and a fantastic gift. Very nicely done.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Amazing box. Beautiful wood.

-- Jiri

Wow, that is very pretty. Congratulations on your new baby girl. They’re lots of fun.

-- Being nice gets you stuff!

Congratulations on your new addition! I don’t know if this is your first, but you have a lot to look forward to. Kids are soo much fun!!!

The box is awesome! You did a great job and it looks like you found the right project for you wood! Personally, I think the story is very nice and not cheesy at all! In fact, my introduction to woodworking started with making a music box for my wife when she was giving me twin boys, so I can definitely relate (not that my box was anything like this, but I was happy for my first project! :-) )

Again, congratulations and beautiful work!

Chris

-- Antiques made, while you wait

Geez, that is magnificent. This is really going to be a tough contest for people to judge.

-- Maplewood, MN

SUPER SUPER NICE!!!!!

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

ummm… WOW

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

Man, that is one beautiful box! The wood and finish are amazing as is the workmanship that went into it.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Great looking box! One of the best I’v seen here.

-- It's better to have people think you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

That’s one heck of a story about a stunning piece of maple Ryan and you’ve crafted a most exquisite box. We hope the next three months goes well.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

Wow is to easy a way to describe this Ryan. It’s a museum piece, that is for sure. She’s really gonna love it. I’m also gonna have to take up SCUBA again!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

That is one amazing piece of wood. What a finish . . . it looks like gold.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Love the hinges Ryan :)

For the top, why didn’t you do all four sides in cocobolo?

Good work.

Congrats to you and Chantelle….

Cheers, Don.

-- Don Kondra - Furniture Designer/Maker

forget the box—-CONGRATS on the baby!!! The box is “pretty good” too…(just trying to help you get your head through the door…great box!

-- Matt, Napa, CA...177 days to sanity...

LOL @ Don…I was WAITING for you to comment on that hinge….I know how much you love them ;)

The lid: The cocobolo only wraps around three sides because of how it’s constructed to allow movement. The sides are like breadboard ends, but glued only at the back 1 1/2”. The front cocobolo piece is attached to the side cocobolo pieces, but sits in a goove in the front of the birdseye panel with about 1/8” of space behind it. That way, as the maple panel expands/contracts all that changes is the amount of the front cocobolo piece that is visible. Besides, I like to leave an exposed edge to show that it’s not veneer :)

Thanks again everyone, you are far too kind.

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

I was confident that your entry would be phenomenal Ryan, and it is. Special wood, special box, special occasion.

And congratulations on the new baby!

Kerry

-- Alberta, Canada

This box is exceptional in every way. I am awe struck.

-- Express creativity with wood, Dewayne. Vacaville CA.

You guys certainly are good for a person’s ego!
Chantelle says thank you for all the baby wishes….(I think she just wants it OUT!) LOL.

Cheers everyone,

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

Frantastic work. I love all the little details that you left to search for.

The artistic design, than the perfect wood, than the perfect craftman and than the perfect workmenship, than the perfict finish. Put it all together and you get a gift that will passed on from mother to daugther to granddaughter to great granddaughter.

-- Dominic, Trinity, Florida

This is beyond words.

From the wood, to the design; to the craftsmanship!

Fantastic.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Wonderful work and story behind it Ryan! – stunning! and congrates on your addition to the family! – a great woodworker in the making!

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

Inspiring work, wood and story!!!!!!!!!
I’cve got some nice burrput to one side – I may try that lid configuration so that I can use a large piece for a lid.

Ryan a fantastic box. And definitely not just any box.

Congratulations on the contest results.

Very beautiful.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Beautiful work. I am sure your wife, daughter and generations to come will enjoy it.

-- I think, therefore I am confused.

Shoot, ...WOW, ...um, ...shoot, ...WOW!!!

Favorited!

-- Dust collectors suck.

Absolutely stunning work – and a beautiful piece of wood / history – love it!

-- Currently-from-Grand-Rapids-but-looking-to-move-to-beautiful-Traverse-City ... :)

Thats outstanding! I hope you signed it because thats what you do with a piece of art.

-- Richard http://www.LearnFineCrafts.com

That box is just something else. Great work. Just love that timber.

-- Bob

This box is breathtaking to say the least. The figure in the wood is absolutely amazing. I put it as a favorite 22 days ago. I didn’t know what to say then.

-- inspiring those who inspire me ~ I welcome constructive criticism! ~