Sunday, February 20, 2011

Ian's Small Carved Box

$500.00

This small wooden box measures 5" deep, 11" wide, and 3" tall. (Dimensions to come...) The distinctive feature of this box is the hand-carved circular insert inlayed into the top of the box. The box sides and insert are made of mahogany, in this case a cut off from a previous project where the client had specifically requested that wood (we normally prefer to refrain from using non-local woods). The top and bottom are made out of a straight-grained cedar.




The most difficult part in building this piece was the carving. Securing rectilinear pieces of wood for carving can be tricky, and trying to secure a round piece of wood for carving is quite a bit harder. One of the most difficult aspects of fine woodworking is trying to devise ways to clamp odd sizes and angles securely and accurately for not only carving but also for glue-ups and to facilitate safe work in general. While this may sound unbelievably boring, it is actually where a great deal of creative thought is born. Sometimes the process of problem solving leads to unexpected designs you couldn't dream up of using pen and paper alone.

You may notice that a guinea pig has been included in this picture for scale.


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