shut the box

My two sons played a game at colonial williamsburg called “shut the box” and enjoyed it very much. I commented to LOML that I wanted to make them one.

Well, it came down to the wire… but I got my sons’ present done in time – because of customer orders (some quite late) I didn’t get started on this until yesterday (23 December)

The box is Mahogany and the box joints were done with an incra ibox (wow does that thing ever make box joints easier) The gaps are my fault, not the jig’s :) I glued the corners with hide glue.

The hinges were made using an incra hingecrafter and are set so that the box lays flat when open.

The top “roll area” is lined with heavy suede leather and makes for a very satisfying “feel” when you roll the dice…

Speaking of which… the dice are kingwood, 1 inch square, and were made on my carvewright. The dots were created with a white paint pen in the divots.

The top and fold-down keys were of course carved on my Carvewright and the lettering is gold leaf (genuine real stuff I put on… not paint)

The whole thing was finished with 2 coats of thin shellac, rubbed down and then buffed with wax.

Thanks for looking, and I hope my boys enjoy it!

Lawrence