I built this keepsake box from white oak and walnut. My wife asked me to build a simple box to store my two year old sons certificate from his recent swimming lessons. 

I started by resawing the oak for the sides and the walnut for bottom and top panels. I cut one short and one long side piece from each oak board so I could get continuous grain wrap around the box. For the panels I glued them back together to make a book match. Passing the panels through the drum sander is the safest and easiest way to work with thin material.  

I mitred all the box pieces and cut grooves for the top and bottom panels. Then I cut the top section off the front panel of the box as this will be attached to the lid. Then I pre-finished the panels as well as the inside surfaces of the box. I glued the box together with the bottom panel installed. Once the glue was dry I cut slots across each mitred corner and glued in walnut splines. The last step was to glue the remaining panel to the top section that was cut off the front side of the box. This will make the lid of the box. I epoxyed two pairs of rare earth magnets into the front and lid to keep it closed.

Next I finished the remainder of the box with shellac, sanding lightly between coats. 

I added paste wax to the perimeter of the lid as well as inside the slot the lid slides in.  

Box complete!

#whiteoak #walnut #spline #keepsakebox #shellac #bookmatched #grainwrap