Ailsa Craig Box Completed

Wow, I’ve really neglected my blog! I feel terrible! But the only thing to do about it is to just pick right back up with it and make some posts, right? Let’s start with the finished Ailsa Craig box!

After the dovetails were fitted and tuned properly, I worked on the lid – shaping it and inlaying the Ailsa Craig stone cabochon. I really like this sort of detailed work…

Centering the stone onto the lid.

Removing waste…

This is the variety of detail tools I use for this sort of task.

Hmmm… I don’t appear to have a picture of the lid with the cab inlaid but no finish yet, so we will just move on. And really all that was left was to inlay my stamp into the bottom, a bit of final sanding, the glue up, and the finish! I decided to go with a blond shellac finish that I knocked back to a matte sheen and then a coat of Alfie Shine, an all-natural wax based on a recipe from the 1800’s, I believe (which also makes a great beard wax).

Dovetail details

More dovetail details

A picture of the interior, with green suede cloth on the bottom and Spanish Cedar lining.

Underside

Underside detail of my signature stamp

The stamp was made into the end grain of a piece of beech I harvested from a defunct Stanley Transitional plane that dated to the late 1800’s. I inlaid it into the underside of the box; I enjoy leaving my mark on the things I create, but I don’t think it should ever be in a prominent spot where it detracts from the overall design of the piece.

Completed Ailsa Craig Box

Clean, contemporary lines and classic construction techniques make for a subtle design that will appeal to many people.

The client contacted me immediately upon receiving the box to let me know it had arrived safely and just how pleased he was with the final outcome. He said it was better than anything he expected and was impressed with my packing skills (I double-boxed it, with foam packing material protecting the box inside the first packing box and between the first and second packing boxes; there was no way this thing was going to get damaged during transport).

This box was a great challenge for me. I was quite pleased with how well the dovetails turned out, especially since the bog oak was such a challenge to work with! I mean, if you think about it, the 100 year old reclaimed white oak I periodically use is more difficult to work with than contemporary white oak. Bog oak is white oak that is 50 times older than the reclaimed barn wood! But it’s still fun to work with and the end result is always worth it.

I believe for my next few boxes, I’m going to be finishing up some boxes I’ve had in my Incomplete Projects box for several years now. And maybe what I will do is try and finish a few boxes and try to sell them with a few minor customizations instead of starting from scratch when I get a commission.

TKW