Art Deco Wine Box

This was finally given to a dear friend today for her Christmas gift. She’s a single mom who rarely has any time to relax. She recently moved into a new apartment with a nice big soaking tub. So I decided to get her a nice bottle of wine along with some gift cards to a couple of her favorite stores. But I needed a way to present the items without using a traditional gift bag or wrapping paper.

Having recently purchased an Incra I-Box Jig and having used it to make some simple box joints I felt it was time to try my hand at some splined, center-keyed box joints. I had on hand a nice piece of walnut that had deep rich color, some soft maple, and several longer narrower pieces of jatoba. The I-Box Jig made short work of the joints and splines. The real work came when I had to get the splines in the corners to fit and look right with the sliding door front. I wanted to make certain the joint was barely noticeable so patience was the order of the day.

After I completed the box I decided I wanted to personalize it for her with a monogram. A Google search revealed numerous monogram generators But one jumped out for me. One of her favorite movies is The Great Gatsby and when the movie was released they had a monogram generator that created the center circle with her initials, AH. I then found the rest of the design among other pictures of the movie poster. I cut the inlay from some leftover 10-mil paper backed birdseye maple veneer. Finally with a combination of router, chisel, and X-acto knife, I created the recesses for each of the 12 individual pieces. Finish is several coats of Formby’s Tung Oil Finish (low gloss).

I think she liked it because she told me, Best Christmas Gift ever!

Thanks for looking