This is a small jewelry box made out of Sapele. I found a small wide board of this wood in the "shorts" box at a local hardwood dealer. I was intrigued by the striped grain pattern of the wood which was very symmetric and uniform over the length of the board.

I stretched the single small board into two boxes by using Ash for the secondary wood.

The design is a little unusual in that I first built a rectangular box with splined miter joints. I then cut concave curves on all 4 sides on the bandsaw. This was a little nerve wracking, but it turned out nicely. I smoothed out the rough bandsaw marks with a spokeshave, rasps, files, and sanding.

The edge of the box is contoured to follow the shape of the sides. I added an inlay of spalted maple to the top as well. The box has a lift out lined tray and is finished with shellac and wax. It measures about 4 1/2 " high x 10" long and 7" wide.

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