2020 SurpriseSwap Entry

This was my contribution to the 2020 SurpriseSwap, M.C.d by GR8 Tony. Thanks Tony for running things this time around. It was my first swap, glad I participated, and the thread was quite fun to follow. Great bunch of guys!!!
My entry went to DonW, who is known round these parts as the master tool maker. I also sent Don a sweet chunk of olivewood, knowing that he makes knives, and in the hope that he will pass that knife on to one of his grandkids. hint, hint:)))

To begin with, I have to give credit where it is due, and admit that some of the design elements here in this box I pinched from another L.J. member. That member is Jeff Baenon, also a master at what he does, known here as triumph1. Had I known that Jeff is a member of the L.J. community before this box was done and sent, I would have chosen a different design for my entry.

My progress pic:

Dimensions: I forget
Woods used:
Apple- box top and bottom
Ziricote- box front and back
European elm- box sides
Gabon ebony- pedestal
Ebonized oak- base
Box is lined with Horween leather, not shown in photo
Hidden compartment is lined with velvet
Hinge- 4mm brass pins
Finish is many coats of shellac.

For the box I used simple butt joints reinforced with 6mm brass pins and 2-part epoxy. The intention here was to frame the ziricote so to make it the dominant feature. I meticulously chose the pieces of elm for the sides to highlight the ring pattern in the grain after shaping, which can be seen in one of the photos. The apple wood segments were also carefully considered for character. All shaping was done with Arbortech mini-turbo, and the arbortech sanding discs that fit it. And probably my makeshift sanding station, a belt sander clamped on its side.

The three sections line up automatically with rare-earth magnets. I overdid the rare-earth magnets to secure the box to the pedestal, with the intent that when the unit was picked up it would seem as though they were permanently connected. And thus, no one would suspect there was a hidden compartment in the pedestal. Originally, I was going to glue the pedestal to the base; but it occured to me that whomever my recipient was, they may not like the base, or it may have been too large to fit neatly on a shelf. So, I used magnets instead, to allow options. In other words, designed so the box and pedestal are a stand-alone unit.

Some mention has been made in the thread about the base. I am still refining this porous technique, and I intend to take it much much further, to the level of 3d sculpture, say. I begin by shaping, and am always reluctant to “take it too far.” And when the piece is done, I think, damn, I should have taken it further. When the shaping is done, I use a rotary tool with various bits to do the porousness-nessing.. Simple really, does take some patience though. And it is always a challenge to do it in an orderly way while attempting tp make it appear random and organic. For me, anyway.

The ebonizing was done with India Ink, 2 coats of that to eliminate any holidays. Before sanding, I always lock in the ink with a coat or two of shellac. When ebonizing with india ink, it is important to use quality waterproof ink. All india inks and china inks brands make the claim to be waterproof when dry, but that is not true.

One final note. The european elm is considered to be quite special because we have a plague here that has decimated 80% of the elm; similar to the Ash borer menace in the states.

Again, thanks to ALL the participants of the Swap, it was a fun ride. And you too, kenny, and duck, and the other jocks who were along for the ride.

Thanks for looking, and have a GR8 day.

-- WWBBJ: It is better to be interesting and wrong, than boring and right.