Descending Ashtray

Well, Santa Claus has come and gone, and I can now reveal another project that’s kept this elf pretty busy in December: this Australian Lacewood jewelry box I made for Sarah.

The top and sides are solid lacewood, with alder used as a secondary wood for the bottom (not shown). I bookmatched the top, splitting a thick board in two as you might open a book, which leaves the grain of the wood symmetrical on both sides. Hard maple was used for the edge banding. Finish is 3 coats General Finishes Clear, with 3 more coats of TopFin on top of that. I hand-rubbed each finish with 0000 steel wool between coats, with the exception of the last two. The oil really pops the distinctive, shimmery lacewood grain, and the TopFin gives it a nice tactile feel, something like very hard butter.

Here’s another view of the box when open. I used two solid brass hinges from Woodcraft, $30 for the pair! They do look really nice, though, and are very easy to install. I also created some half-lap dividers that slip into the box, also made with maple, about 1/8-inch thick. This is where a planer really comes in handy. As far as I know, you can’t buy lumber that thin! I lined the bottom with some paper-backed velvet from Portland-based Woodcrafters. I like to spread my woodworking purchases around.

This was my second finely-crafted box, and I think I am improving. Perhaps I’ll make myself a humidor in 2007 with the leftover lacewood.