Walnut Box

Okay, I have been working on something besides the brick patio the last few weeks. This is a gift to a co-worker who is retiring next week. The primary wood is black walnut, Baltic birch for both the bottom and top, with a slice of a splatted wood attached to the top piece and finally a carved myrtle wood handle.

The sides are joined with miters, with a groove on both of the ends to hold the Baltic Birch plywood. After assembling the box, I cut the top off to separate the lid from the bottom. I went with brass hinges this time, so I routed matching locations on the lid and bottom to fit the hinges. Only they didn't match. So I cut another 3/64" off the box bottom and carved a place for the hinges by hand. This time they matched perfectly. I drilled holes and inserted the screws, and the lid didn't close evenly. I drilled out the screw holes under one hinge, inserted oak dowels and re-drilled the holes, perfect fit. I made a handle for the top with a dovetail type fitting to help it hold and attached the top.



The finish is a combination of mineral spirits, varnish and a touch of BLO. After that dried a layer of walnut wax on the outside.