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Cherry and maple keepsake box

Project by BANick posted 148 days ago 394 views 5 times favorited 21 comments Add to Favorites
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BANick

36 posts in 339 days


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box cherry maple walnut veneer

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Cherry and maple keepsake box Cherry and maple keepsake box Cherry and maple keepsake box Click the pictures to enlarge them

This is a keepsake box that I just finished. It is made from cherry and maple, with a walnut veneer panel in the lid. It is inspired by this box from our master box-maker Don, but without the dividers and trays since it’s not for jewelry. Dimensions are 8 1/2” x 11” x 3”, the bottom is lined with black felt.

I was worried at first that the walnut would look funny in the cherry and maple lid but it turned out really nice and I’m now glad I did it, the figure looks great!

The finish is BLO, followed by 5 coats of clear shellac, then hand-rubbed with #0000 steel wool and wax.

This is my first “real” box. Before starting on this one, I made a mock-up from a scrap of redwood 2×4 and some poplar to check the proportions and try out different finish recipes and I’m glad I took the time to do so, I ended up making quite a few changes to my original plans.

-- Nick, Fremont, CA.


21 comments so far

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

8589 posts in 274 days


posted 148 days ago

Nick,

This is a beautiful box. You used a nice selection of woods on this and the mitered keys add visual interest to it.

Thanks for the post.

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

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

3993 posts in 671 days


posted 148 days ago

Beautiful box! Remeber….walnut goes with anything! :-)

I especially like the contrasting miter keys.

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

View thetimberkid's profile (online now)

thetimberkid

1515 posts in 155 days


posted 147 days ago

Beautiful work, love the miter keys!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- Look great, get your TTK merchandise now! http://www.printfection.com/thetimberkid/ Check out my site http://thetimberkid.blogspot.com/

View Bob #2's profile (online now)

Bob #2

1825 posts in 474 days


posted 147 days ago

Nick that’s a great looking box. I really like the proportions.
Nice mix of colors and wood grains too.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

View BANick's profile

BANick

36 posts in 339 days


posted 147 days ago

Thanks all for the nice comments. I wasn’t too sure about the choice of wood but the BLO made a big difference, it really added a nice warm tone to the walnut.

-- Nick, Fremont, CA.

View trifern's profile

trifern

3435 posts in 219 days


posted 147 days ago

Great looking box.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

View jm82435's profile

jm82435

180 posts in 194 days


posted 147 days ago

very nice. good looking project thanks for sharing it with us.

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever... - Keats

View davidtheboxmaker's profile

davidtheboxmaker

306 posts in 258 days


posted 147 days ago

That’s a great box – the wood tones compliment each other really well.

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

2613 posts in 432 days


posted 147 days ago

Hi Nick;

Great job, and I’m glad to hear you made a “mock up” first.

This sometimes is the only difference between a successful project like yours shown above, and one that ends up as a big disappointment.

Beautiful work and choice of woods.

Lee

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

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8414 posts in 440 days


posted 147 days ago

That is a fantastic looking box. Great choice of woods.

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

View USCJeff's profile

USCJeff

795 posts in 520 days


posted 147 days ago

I’ll second Lee with the Mock up kudos. Pine and poplar have kept my limited “nice” wood out of the fireplace many times. If you’re going to copy a box, Don is the guy as you’re obviously aware. I just finished trying one of his serving trays. This box is much more ambitious. Well done.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

View BANick's profile

BANick

36 posts in 339 days


posted 147 days ago

Thanks again for the kind comments, I’m glad you like it.
This was a fun project, I got to try a lot of new things. First time using veneer, first time finishing with BLO and shellac. And at the same time, this was a great project to cut my teeth on since it’s pretty small.

-- Nick, Fremont, CA.

View Joel Tille's profile

Joel Tille

200 posts in 696 days


posted 147 days ago

Nice box Nick, and following Don’s footsteps will lead you in the right direction.

-- Joel Tille

View brianinpa's profile

brianinpa

531 posts in 175 days


posted 147 days ago

Nick, That is one fine looking box: something that you can be very proud of.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

View Blake's profile (online now)

Blake

1902 posts in 326 days


posted 147 days ago

This is great. I like your unique interpretation of Don’s box a lot. The wide frame around that top panel is really nice. I also like the black undivided bottom. Really nice execution… very tight and clean. All around a really handsome box.

-- Dust collectors suck.

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1738 posts in 449 days


posted 147 days ago

That’s a beauty!

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

View BobR's profile

BobR

132 posts in 437 days


posted 147 days ago

A very nice box. I like the lid design and choice of timber.

-- Bob

View jeanmarc's profile

jeanmarc

1693 posts in 168 days


posted 147 days ago

ta boite est superbe joli travaille

-- jeanmarc manosque france

View BANick's profile

BANick

36 posts in 339 days


posted 147 days ago

Thank you everyone.
Don is a great source of inspiration when it comes to boxes and I really liked the design of the box he blogged about. Plus I have a bunch of small veneer pieces and that was the perfect project to give that a try, the lid panel being so small.
And you know how it goes, my wife saw the finished box and wants one too now, so I guess I’ll be making another box soon. Gotta keep her happy, she parks her car outside so I can park my tools inside :-)

-- Nick, Fremont, CA.

View Nils's profile

Nils

106 posts in 316 days


posted 137 days ago

Beautiful box, as everyone has said. I think the walnut looks excellent – you have a very subtle set of colors that blend nicely, unlike some combos that knock you over the head.

BTW, I work in Fremont and live across the bay in Menlo – we’re neighbors!

-- Nils Davis, Menlo Park, CA

View Billp's profile

Billp

199 posts in 652 days


posted 126 days ago

Great box I like the balance all of the colors of the wood have.

-- Billp

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