His & Hers Magazine Caddies

The Wife and I have long had some kind of basket on either side of our loveseat to hold our iPads, magazines, catalogs, tissue, and what-not. A while back, my faux leather basket exploded, spewing candy wrappers and unread junk mail everywhere. Tragic. We looked high and low for replacements but they seem to have gone out of fashion locally, what with hardly anyone reading print magazines anymore. So I decided to make something different.

The design was intended to coordinate with our somewhat-mission-style decor, and included features such as a mirrored layout and a lidded tissue compartment that holds two standard size boxes, one atop the other. I also used this as an opportunity to try my hand at fuming and while I was at it, making an old school wax finish.

Construction: QSWO & baltic birch plywood
Joinery: box joints, sliding dovetails, stopped dadoes, bottom grooves
Hardware: Brusso 95° stop hinges, #JB-103
Finish: blend of beeswax, BLO, and turpentine (1:1:1)
Color: fumed 24 hours, using janitorial strength (10%) ammonia

-- Brett — Peters Creek, Alaska