dovetail Bubinga box

Reflecting back on my first project :

Bubinga is a very dense wood and was a lot more challenging than the mahogany that I hand dovetailed on the following project.

Hand made dovetails are very time consuming and generally never seen in production woodwork even in higher level craft. I really loved everything about creating the box from laying out and marking the dovetails. Hand sawing the lines as accurately as possible and using a chisel to clean up and create as tight of a fit as possible.

I love opportunities like this to participate in traditions that rely on simple tooling but challenge the skills of the craftsperson.

I used walnut pieces for the lid with a piece of Zirocote extending upwards to act as a place to grasp and open the box as well as add detail to the piece

23 years later the box still remains a very significant object to me. The beauty of natural woods and interlocking dovetails create a timeless box that became the true genesis on my journey in the field of woodwork.