Sometimes I forget the unwritten rule of woodworking blogging: If you don’t show the finished project then everyone assumes you failed and threw the thing in the trash.
Earlier this year I wrote about some Japanese sliding-lid boxes I was building for a forthcoming article in Popular Woodworking Magazine that were based on a 20th-century example I’d found in Australia.
I wrote about the box design, the wood and some difficulties I had finding the right dome-head nails. And then, nothing more.
No, I didn’t burn them. I finished them up, wrote the article and shipped them off. One went to my dad; the other to one of my favorite customers. And then I dove back into “The Furniture of Necessity.”
Above is the photo that Al Parrish took of the finished boxes. Look for the plans in an upcoming issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine (and stop spreading those nasty rumors).
— Christopher Schwarz
looking forward to that build, those are gorgeous! Well done
They look great. Beauty in functional simplicity.
What, if any, finish did you use on them?
No finish. Like the original, they are straight from the plane.
Any divisions/ inside? Or just a cool box?
Nope. Built it to the exact specs of the original. Empty box filled only with the smell of Port Orford cedar.
This article pushed me over the edge to order the digital magazine. I look forward to this box article
Well now I have to run it.
Thank you 🙂
What keeps the lid shut? Is there a peg or wedge in there somewhere?
Friction alone. The friction between the top of the lid’s panel and the cleats installed at the ends of the carcase.
Do the handles just attach with just a couple screws? I really expected to see bolts going all the way through.
Absolutely Fantastic!
It may just be a trick of the photo, but the ends of the forward cleat and the top look very dark. Actually that is an interesting contrast to the box and a match to the dome head nails. is it just shadow or is it something more?
Just a shadow.
That wood is gorgeous. I can’t wait for an excuse to order from that company.