Aspen box


Bombarde16

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Found a few aspen boards at the big box store and decided to make them into a box. a.) The boards had some interesting brown streaks to them, b.) I'd never worked with aspen before and c.) I needed some dovetailing practice. The result, after a coat of linseed oil and shellac:

0625120826.jpg

Still waiting on some hardware, but the woodworking portion is done. Debriefing the project in no particular order:

  • I managed to feature the streaks (do we dignify this by calling it "figured wood"?) on the front and keep them running around the box.
  • Aspen isn't a particularly rewarding wood to work: It has soft, reversing grain that tends to turn into a fuzzy, stringy furball. Several coats of shellac helped to stiffen up the fibers and keep things solid during final sanding.
  • Nothing takes a project from drab to fab like an inlay.
  • I still need more dovetailing practice.
  • Sawing the top off a box after you've invested hours and hours in it is mildly daunting, but less so than the first couple of times I did it. Practice doesn't always make perfect; but it does reduce stress levels.

Should be ready in time for an anniversary gift on July 1st, assuming the hardware arrives in time.

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