Hidden Hinge Candle Box

This box is made from Bubinga and Curly Maple for the box and tray carcasses, Wenge for the lid tab, and Birch Plywood for the bottoms.   I used a box joint to assemble the carcass for no particular reason.   The interesting thing about this box is the hidden hinge feature using a wooden dowel.  The dowel (3/8" diameter, here) is made of the same species of wood used on the carcass and lid (Bubinga, here).  The dowel is cut into sections, which are connected to each other by short lengths of 1/16" brass rod embedded into the centers of the dowel sections.  This assembly allows each dowel section to rotate independently of each other.  The dowel assembly is sandwiched between the lid and carcass, resting in a groove routed by a core box bit (you guessed it, 3/8" diameter).  Using a router table with this bit, the trick is to precisely align the fence and router depth to cut grooves along the edges of both the back face of the box carcass and the rear underside of the lid.  When done correctly, the dowel assembly sits in between these two grooves with part of the assembly extending beyond the rear of the box-lid.   The dowel sections are then carefully glued alternatively to the box carcass and lid.  When dry, the extended dowel end is planed smooth to the box carcass-lid.  If it's done well, you won't be able to see the dowel sections from the outside of the box til the lid opens.  This approach has been popularized by the professional woodworker, Rob Cosman.