The Box

This is a recreation of a box made by Mike Pekovich of Fine Woodworking magazine. I saw it in his book “The How & Why of Woodworking” and couldn’t resist making myself one.

The Wood

The main body of the box is quartersawn Wenge which is an exotic hardwood from Central Africa (per the wood database). One of the characteristics of wenge is that the light bands are softer than the dark bands which results in a unique texture when you hit it with a wire brush.

The liner of the box is African Mahogany to offer a decent contrast to the dark exterior of the box.

The clasp is made of Gaboon Ebony, another exotic African hardwood. The clasp has tiny rare-earth magnets inside of it to hold itself together when the box is closed.

The Joinery

Dovetails hold this box together, and they do a fantastic job of it. The proud dovetails add to the elegant yet rustic look that pairs well with the textured finish of the wenge.

The mahogany liner uses miters for it’s joinery producing a clean and refined look.

The Finish

The box, and liner have a base coat of amber shellac. The whole thing including the clasp has a top coat of Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax to give it a low key shine and a tad more protection than the shellac provides.