Cedar Box

Having an abundance of cedar, and a dearth of places to secure loose baubles, I decided to make a box. My goal was to make something unique and with the materials at hand.

While I love the seemless look of a tight miter joint, the joint is, unfortunately, one of the weaker unless secured by splines, nails, or some other type of reinforcement. Nails look crude but I did not have the tools to affect any other method of reinforcement, so I decided to use driven pins which could then be ground flush with the wood. Steel would obviously rust in time, and stain the cedar, so what you see are copper pins made from straightened 12 gauge wire.

As I also did not have any hinges, I decided to make my own. Like every "original" idea I have ever had, I am certain someone has probably made the exact hinges I devised here, yet I am still proud of them. Copper flashing provided the material which fits snugly into slots cut in the back wall of the box. The hinges pivot on, and are attached to the lid by the same copper pins which strengthen the miter joint. The result is that the box lid rotates backwards, entirely out of the way, yet the hinges fit perfectly flush with the outside of the box.

I left the inside of the box unfinished in order not to seal in the trademark cedar aroma, though the bottom is lined with wool flannel. The exterior wears multiple coats of tung oil emphasizing the iridescence of the wood.

Created by Sean Corron, April 2, 2011.