Just a Plane Box For the Shop

This is my first real hand tool project. I did use a table saw to rough size the stock and to cut the hinge groove but other than that not much noise was made. I rather liked the experience.

When I decided to try hand tools I built some wooden planes and they became the purpose for this "box full of experiments". I have never tried to match all four corners in a continuous pattern before nor had I ever cut full blind dovetails but after the smoke cleared and the dust settled (figuratively of course) I think I'm pretty happy with the result. I will go the hand tool route again, perhaps often …. who knows.

Features include a "stealth" version of my integral wooden hinge design where I bent the veneer around the curves of the hinges and added a bits of veneer to follow into the hinge pockets, marquetry of my cypher and complete veneering to hide every scrap of the Poplar body of the box. (I've been combining my initials like this since I was about ten years old. Only last year did I discover that this is called a cypher and is a commonly used artists' signature. .... Thanks Patrice !)

Veneers are 1/32" commercial sliced variety and include Zircote, Curly Maple, Cherry, Holly and a few bits of Amaranth and Osage Orange. All gluing is with hot hide glue and the finish is French polish. Marquetry was cut on my Az. chevalet.

I notice that I neglected to take a finished photo of the back view of the hinge. Here's one during construction that will illustrate the above description.

Here is a build blog  (where you can see that I did actually make the FBDT's and that all four corners really do match up).

Thanks for looking in.