This is a box I made from solid Tasmanian Oak that was being thrown out from a construction site. It is a very tough, straight grained timber that is native to south-east Australia and popular for building. However, it is quite splintery and prone to tearout if not worked correctly so this was a real challenge to plane smooth. I found I had the most success when I used a bevel-down block plane with a minimal depth of cut. This made for slow work, but reduced the tearout so there was less sanding to do. 

The steel edging was made from 3mm mild steel flat bar and angle sections. I had the pieces cut to length for the most part, and only had to do minimal trimming with the angle grinder myself. This was then welded together and the welds ground back so they wouldn't show. Holes were drilled and the studs were simply hammered in. The studs are purely decorative as the steel frame was tightly press-fit to the wooden box.

Inside the box is lined with green felt, and the bottom has felt pads attached so the steel frame does not damage anything the box is laid upon. The finish is 3 coats of oil based polyurethane with very gentle sanding between coats.