Over the past few years, I've become very fond of the look and figure of quartesawn Lacewood (and it's kissin' cousin Leopardwood). It's something of a pain to work with. It's a little soft and brittle compared to most hardwoods and you have to be very careful when working with it to avoid chipping it. I've decided that Lacewood is about impossible to work smooth with handplanes and even when sanding it, you end up with a somewhat "rippled" surface due to the different hardness of the spots and rays from the surrounding wood. But once the box is together and it's finished, it's spectacular stuff. Shown here are three Lacewood jewelry boxes.
I had several nice boards left from a large Lacewood binge purchase made several years ago. It's difficult to find quartersawn Lacewood wide boards, so these boxes are a little smaller than my usual sizes. They measure roughly 7 1/2" W by 9" long and 7" high. On boxes of this type the top and the box itself are made from a single wide board, not edge glued pieces. So on these boxes the size was determined from the width of the boards (~7 1/2") used to make the tops. The rest of the box dimensions follow using proportions I've worked out over time and have found pleasing.
Two of the boxes have the single curve sculpted sides and the "pagoda" style tops that I've been perfecting over time.
The third box has double curves on the sides and a different style of top:
I thought a handle on the top would ruin the lines, but I felt it needed something to contrast with the Lacewood. So I added an oval inlay of imbuia which I think contrasts nicely with the Lacewood and adds some interest to the top.
On the other two pieces I used hand carved handles for the tops. One is a single piece of carved walnut:
and the other is a three piece handle made from cocobolo:
Each box has a removable, velvet lined tray constructed with small handcut dovetail joints.
This is time I used an orange shellac which seemed to enhance the natural color of the wood and brought out the figure nicely.
For availability, prices, questions or comments, please email me carl@harvestwoodworks.com and I'll get back to you soon.