Walnut & Cherry Keepsake Box

This keepsake box is made using only wood glue, no screws or elaborate joinery!

I start by rough cutting some Dark Walnut to width at my table saw. This will allow the pieces to fit on my jointer for milling.

I mill the Walnut at my jointer to create flat faces on each side of the material.

Next I re-saw the piece at my table saw. I cut roughly half the depth through the piece, leaving a small section of un-cut material in the middle.

I finish the re-saw at the band saw to fully cut this material into 2 separate pieces.

I then use my planer to remove that small middle piece of raised material and get these pieces down to a smooth, uniform thickness.

I then rip down the material on the table saw to be the correct height of the box.

I use my cross cut sled on my table saw to cut the material to the width and length of my box.

I then begin gluing the sides and bottom piece of the box together.

I put the assembly in clamps and let dry.

After the glue dries, I use my belt sander to flatten and cleanup the sides of the box. This will allow the sides to be installed more uniformly.

I then apply glue and install the sides of the box, letting dry in clamps.

While the glue dries, I cut the outer decorative sides of the box to size using a scrap piece of Cherry.

I use a chamfer bit in the router table to give the sides a decorative edge profile.

I then apply wood glue and install the Cherry wood sides of the box.

I cut down a piece of Cherry at the table saw that will become the lid of the box. I cut rabbets on the edges that will allow the lid to sit within the sides of the box.

I apply a chamfer to the edges of the lid as well.

Using my belt sander and a small piece of Dark Walnut, I shape a box handle.

I sand the entire project, working through grits from 60-grit up to 220-grit.

I install my dark walnut handle to the lid using wood glue and CA glue.

I apply a Tung Oil finish to the entire project and let dry.

This project is now complete!