Work

The walnut used for this project came from my friends at Horizon Lumber in Pennsylvania. There is nothing quite like starting a project with an amazing piece of wood in front of you.

The requirements for this commission were fairly simple: the piece had to hold a small, but very specific, collection of CDs, and be able to store (and charge) an iPod. The idea was to keep the design both simple and modular (just in the off-chance that iPods change size in the future), and let the wood speak for itself.

The solution was a fairly straightforward Krenov-style dovetailed box with frame-and-panel lid.

The real challenge to the piece was getting all the components to fit just right.

The interior components are pearwood. The boxes are dovetailed, and the removable inserts are shop-made plywood.

Another brick.

I learned this trick from Greg Smith at CR. The brass standoff holds the cord precisely in line with the receiver plate in the lid. Plus, it looks cool.

September 14, 2008. One day before the box had to be delivered, and one day after Hurricane Ike hit Houston. The box was completed on-time, by candlelight, in a basement. (We got power back at the shop the next afternoon.) Probably not such a big deal in the scheme of things, but I am proud to have finished it on time.