Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Box pictures

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Carlsbad, CA
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    2

    Box pictures

    I'm not a very creative guy and most of my woodworking involves building various kinds of "boxes" and putting them together to occasionally make furniture.

    Often I enjoy making relatively small boxes as standalone pieces:

    * They don't require a lot of lumber (which can allow the luxury of matching grain patterns etc. to feature particularly striking figure in the wood).

    * There an opportunity to try out new techniques like carving, veneering, marquetry etc. on a relatively small scale where the cost of failure isn't horrible.

    * Because are small, you can put them almost anywhere. For me, this means moments of unexpected joy when you walk through the house and happen upon an object that is appealing to both hand and eye.

    * Lastly, because there relatively small/shippable they make great gifts, which is opportunity to share my enjoyment of woodworking with people who would otherwise never see it. For example, prior to our current quarantine, I ate breakfast most days at a local diner that's a real dive. The grill is right behind the counter, the owner Scott does all the cooking and I have no idea how it ever passes health inspection. All the locals sit at the counter, order read the paper and "discuss" all the issues of the day. Scott already knows everyone's order and everybody knows everybody – you know the place.

    Couple Christmases ago I made the 4 mahogany boxes in the picture below as gifts for Scott and a couple of the other locals. It wasn't a big deal, but was a nice surprise. What surprised me was how much it sparked an interest/conversations about woodworking. Ever sense, people asked to see pictures of my current projects. One of the old-timers, Craig a retired carpenter, brought me a giant 6' long two man timber saw - I guess he figured it had to do with wood so I would like it!

    Sorry for the digression, I guess our current isolation has me thinking about community/friends I took for granted that I don't get to see now. God willing, hopefully this too will pass.

    Anyway, back to boxes – I was talking to my sister about what kind of box my brother-in-law might like. I couldn't really describe over the phone ideas I was considering so I gathered up some of the boxes in the house and took a picture to give her some ideas. Thought I would share with my fellow Creekers to help pass the time.

    Thanks for looking and be safe, Mike

    2 (2) - Copy.jpg3 - Copy.jpg8.5 - Copy.jpg8.jpgIMG_0326.jpgIMG_0328.jpgIMG_0329.jpgIMG_0331.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Carlsbad, CA
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    2

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Posts
    1,048
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Allen1010 View Post
    I'm not a very creative guy...
    I think you're selling yourself short! Thanks for the eye candy during this boring period.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Big Bend/Panhandle, FL
    Posts
    122
    Definitely selling yourself short! I love boxes--there I said it!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Very nice work Mike.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    Show Off! You did good.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Austin Texas
    Posts
    1,957
    As ever always, great work Mike. In addition to your exquisite joinery work, you have blown past most of the rest of us with your string and inlay work. Nice story on the morning diner - I can see and smell it now. And all of the problem solving taking place at the counter? Thanks for sharing.
    David

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    Beautiful boxes, Mike. You’re right, small boxes helped me through the anxiety of veneer and inlay. Great projects to learn from for the all the reasons you stated. This was my practice on a radial match prior to a larger project. Besides, when the practice is over, you end up with some very nice gifts.

    0969AD29-567D-44EB-8CB4-5E95F8340F33.jpg
    Last edited by Phil Mueller; 03-26-2020 at 7:07 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    olmsted falls,ohio
    Posts
    484
    Nice work mike they look great.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Hammond, Indiana
    Posts
    84
    Mike and Phil, beautiful work.

  11. #11
    Lovely work, I will steal the ideas. The world is always making more stuff, and the stuff needs to be stored. You can never make too many boxes.

  12. #12
    That is some real nice stuff! Quite a variety of ideas. Awesome display!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •