Box beginnings...

So i've had a band saw for years, but only used it for the most mundane of tasks. tired of years of making beds, cabinets, book cases etc. I decided i wanted to go much smaller.

I've always loved boxes, small tins, hidden compartments in things. working with wood, I love it when someone wonders, how did you do that? almost as if there is some magical mystery involved. i want my pieces to be touchable, for people to want to touch, to see the pleasure on their face as they enjoy holding the work that i have made.

with this in mind late last year I set about practicing making small boxes with well documented band saw box techniques. using pine scraps I had lying around i quickly discovered what makes a good box and what ruins a good box. I was eager to move on to hardwoods and to combine species of wood highlighting their rich grains and tones. below is the first small 2 drawer box I

 made with  a hardwood. it was actually wood I got off of my parents. I had built them a new fire place and got to keep the wood from the old one. the wood sat for years with no purpose. im glad the old fireplace can live on in a new form. in fact i gave this box to my mother and it now sits next to the fireplace in her living room.

My sister got wind of me making small boxes and after seeing the one I made our mother she was quick to donate a piece of wood. Mahogany, as it turns out, it was a piece left over from when she had a fireplace built for her. I could have the wood... but would I make a box for her??? So this was her box...

I have a tendency to go big! I find it quite a challenge to make anything small, so of course I would next have to make one with four drawers!

Reminding myself I was supposed to be making small boxes I slowed things down...

a few single drawer boxes if you please! I even played around with polymer clay when making this box for my daughter...

not likely to do that again it was so much work, such high maintenance, so much effort for such a small package. it became somewhat of a metaphor for person it was made for...  ;)

talking of which, my daughter wanted more!! so I gave her a choice of boxes, naturally she choice the one requiring the most work. it is beautiful though and im glad i got to make it...

made from ash it really brought out the carver in me. you really got to love sanding to make this one!