Clock/ Passive iPhone Amp

[Klappco]

I saw a project on Woodsmith's Shop that intrigued me. Didn't like it as it was (not my style of decor) but I thought I could play with it. Here is the original design. I decided to lose the decorative tile, add a port in the top, and a curved chute to direct sound out through the hole where the tile was in the original. Used cherry with maple for the clock face with walnut little accents and some oak veneer stained black for the chute. First mortise and tenon work I have done. Hand cut. Held the top on with rare earth magnets so it could be removed for clock adjustments and battery replacement. Back is 1/4 inch Baltic birch. I altered the shape of the top a bit to give it a touch of Asian look as Arts and Crafts doesn't work in our house. Finished with Danish oil and wipe on poly, then wax. Not at all pleased with the finish. Blotchy like crazy although cut offs used for tests and the interior did not have that problem. I hope it will even out from light. My first use of cherry. So much to learn. The color isn't really as orangey weird as it looks in the pictures. I think that was a trick of lighting. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Klappco]

Clip of it in action from my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/john.klapp.7/videos/1256507774363112/

[wtnhighlander]

Cool idea, and I like your design changes. I would not have guessed that to be cherry, at least at a glance. The grain is more distinct that the cherry I have worked with. One thing that helps with blotchiness is to sand a few grits finer than you normally would. This burnishes the wood fibers, forcing them to absirb finish more evenly. Works on end grain, too.