We've had three cats depart us over the years and since then, they've been eternally napping in the decorative tins provided by the vet cremation service. More recently, The Wife and I have discussed me making urn boxes for them. Just as we were finalizing the design, a friend of hers lost her dog of 12 years and my wife asked if I would make her a box first.

She lives in Homer (at the end of the Kenai Peninsula) where we're spending the next weekend and we plan to meet her for dinner. So, there was my deadline. After adjusting the dimensions for an 80-85 lb dog, I grabbed some wood on hand and got started. Here's the finish project, uncharacteristically completed with plenty of time to spare:





Details: curly maple with purpleheart trim. Finish: I sanded back three coats of clear spray shellac for a base. The graphic/inscription is an inkjet-printed water-slide decal. Two more coats of shellac went over that, carefully sanded with 320g. Finished up with satin lacquer and wax.