Box Swap 2023 - Hi Guys, it was a fun experience being part of this creative exchange.
I was selected to send Hairy my box, I do hope he enjoyed it, haha! I wasn't too sure what to include as a gifty item, though I understood that it wasn't compulsory, I figured I would spend a bit of time and add an easy locking system. I figured that would be fun, haha.
As for the name... Its called 'The Truth of Us', and I do like to give something meaning if possible. This box was crafted form materials in the off cut bin, but all very useable bits that should never get thrown out. Much like us really, just looking for that second chance in life. The locking mechanism is in itself fairly easy once we know how to solve it, but then don't we all have a little guard up or a wall that keeps us safe behind it? At the end of the day (ok, maybe a few days) we are left with something of real value as we put the work into ourselves. Ok, maybe too deep for a Wednesday, lol.
The box itself is made from offcuts of a puzzle run I am working on. As you guys would know, making frames makes for a lot of little 45 degree offcuts, well, since I was looking to make an interesting lid for the swap box, I thought hey why not? The woods in the lid are Lacewood, Bloodwood, Birds Eye Maple, Ziricote, Tigerwood, Chakta Viga, Rosewood, and Black Limba, and in the bottom is the golden yellow Pau Amarello.
I would just glue up the little offcuts, trim, sand and add to another little group of offcuts until I had a nice size. There was no pattern to follow, and definitely not worried about symmetry.
Since the tiny pieces were too small to run through the thickness sander. I then squared the piece then I added a wood strip along each side that I would trim shorter after. The wood strip stays after sanding.
The lid came out looking good AND it didn't explode in the drum sander, ya! After trimming, I would add lacewood to the other remaining edges.
The mechanism is super easy, where a piece of the inlay is removeable, but held in place by a magnet. The long rod reaches in and secured the lid from being able to be opened by threading through the lid block and the block attached to the inside of the box.
One of the things that make it easy when building puzzles is to add the bottom last if possible. This allows you to make sure all of the angles and fit are all in alignment. One of those details to be sorted out 'before the glue dries' is the exact placement of the lock blocks.
I learned lots form this experiment, one I would do again. I am not sure about the way I hinged the lid, might have been too late at night when I decided on that, but once its glued....
You must have an awesome collection of wood varieties, Kel - and resultant offcuts. But I bet you dont have any Mexican Kingwood! I dont either, and would like to. The Top is just fun to look at. Isnt Chakta Viga like, super poisonous, or something?
Well Done Kel. a great random pattern on the lid and bottom. A well-crafted box, and the lock mechanism is wonderful. I had to look back in forth at the photos to see how it opened. I am like you save some of the smallest drops, all sorted by species in a large cabinet of drawers, one never knows when something small will work.
You all can thank me for not being part of the box swap... one of you would have been very disappointed. Way out of my expertise. Another beautiful box.
Hey thanks guys! Pottz - Hey thanks man! Dutchy - Hey thanks! YRTi - Thank You! RyanGi - Thank you kind sir! Hairy - Glad to hear you enjoyed it! Eric - Thanks for inviting me, it was a blast to try something different. Corelz - Haha. thank you! GR8Hunter - Thank you good sir, your box was amazing as well! Not to mention the off the charts cool bonus items, wow! Scrappile, hey thanks good sir, I have had my fair share of woodstove donations too, lol. LittleBlackDuck - Thank you good sir! Jeffswildwood - Too much fun for little bits I reckon. SplinterGroup - Thanks, well I did try to surprise you. : ) WildBrianWood - No Mexican Kingwood here either, and not sure about Chakta Viga, could be and I didn't know it! gDaveg - Thank you, easy once ya see it right? DavePolaschek - Thank you! Shipwright - Hey thanks man!
