# My Buddies Boxes



## routergieck (Feb 11, 2013)

Saw where Jerry had asked for some photos of jewelry boxes and thought I would post some pictures of boxes that my friend has made. Only wish that I had some of his skills working with wood. He was a back hoe operator and upon retirement picked up his woodworking skills by reading, practicing and infinite patience. 

The first box (2166 - 2170) is a box made to hold a piece of meteorite . Note the joinery and the care taken in selecting the wood including the meterotie type pattern on the top of the box. The piece of meteor is held in place with a magnet so it can be easily removed to look at closely. The second box (2171 - 2175) is a box made to hold the reel, hook, weight ,etc used to land a 48 pound salmon. Note the inlay of a salmon (2172) in the front of the box and the unique handles to carry it as it is relatively heavy. He also mounted a picture inside the lid of the box and left room for mounting tyee pins. The third box is also a fishing based box(2176 -2179).Note the inlaid logo on the lid (ebony and holly) and the fine corner joinery. He lines his boxes with a high quality felt and most of the finishes are french polish. The last box is one he recently completed for his wife (2155 - 2161) This is truly a work of art with curved sides and top. The crotch walnut was resawn in 1/8 pieces on the bandsaw from a rough board and veneered on solid material to achieve the book matching and curved surface. Note the mitering again and the edge inlays. The fine line inlay just in from the edge was made by joing three pieces of wood together making a total width of 1/8 inch - ie, the wood pieces are cut on a table saw at a width of 1/3 of 1/8 or 1/24 inch thick!! Note the 3 way curved miters at the corners. He also inlaid mother of pearl with edge trim around the keyhole. Think he got a small piece of it from a luthier and did it by hand. The hinges on these boxes come from England and in addition to being very strong and realatively easy to install because they run with the edge of the box have built in stops to allow the lid to stay open at just the right angle. They are very expensive - I think 20 some pounds per set! 
Hope you enjoy this workmanship as much as I do as it is truly inspiring and shows what is possible to achieve in the shop - at least by some people!
Dennis


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Those are excellent boxes and workmanship. Thanks for posting , 
Herb


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

Those are truly amazing and exquisitely done.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

whew!!!
.... those are way above my pay grade...
most excellent...


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Wow that's some major skills


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

Dennis,
The quality of your friend's work is along that of Neville's, by that I mean "OUTSTANDING" and give me the desire to keep trying. Like other members I sure thank you for taking time post the photos.

Jerry


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I guess there is some better made boxes but I haven't seen them. I am thinking his back hoe work was the best also.

Don


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Dennis, your friend has some serious skills in box making... Design is one thing, execution is another...he has managed to blend the two beautifully. Most impressive..


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## routergieck (Feb 11, 2013)

You are right about his back hoe skills Don. He could dig a basement without a level or laser and it would be within an inch. His equipment was kept in immaculate condition. Interesting how the traits carry over to all aspects of ones endeavors
Dennis


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Beautiful work! His craftsmanship is second to none. Thanks for sharing. He needs to get on the forum! Sign him up!


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## ksidwy (Jul 13, 2013)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Herb
_Those are excellent boxes and workmanship. Thanks for posting , 
Herb_

+1.
Sid


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Beautiful design and built.


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## PaulH (May 30, 2012)

Beautiful,I can but dream to get to this level.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

WOW! THOSE BOXES ARE MOST IMPRESSIVE!



> You are right about his back hoe skills Don. He could dig a basement without a level or laser and it would be within an inch. His equipment was kept in immaculate condition. Interesting how the traits carry over to all aspects of ones endeavors
> Dennis


Speaking of backhoe skills, many years ago I had a job selling masonry products: Block, brick, mortar, sand and protective coatings. At the time I was 23 and was number 2 in sales of a group of 5 sales reps, the boss came to me asking, "Who should I lay off?" - because the economy was going into a slump. After a weekend to think and pray about it, I came-back and suggested that he lay off ME. I explained that I was young and could easily find another job, whereas all of the others were 30 years + older than I. I assured him that I would make the transition smooth in order that his company could retain all of my customer base. 
Since a big part of my work had involved Demonstrative Sales, I was already fully capable of doing the work necessary to begin a basement waterproofing company. Within a couple of days, I had several months worth of work lined-up. I also acquired all of the tools, etc. required to get off to a good start. 

Several years went by and I developed a STELLAR reputation for quality, dependability, bla, bla, bla. I gravitated into wet basement repair work and found one particular BACKHOE OPERATOR to be OUTSTANDING! His name was Oscar and he was always there when I needed him and was perfect to deal with in every way! I think Oscar could probably untie shoelaces with his backhoe - he was so good! Anyway, I landed a huge basement leak repair job. The homeowner wanted an itemized quote that showed how much each step of the process would cost him - so without any question, I provided him with that. Soon, he got back to me and said, "My brother has a backhoe and he can do this work and bill me separately - so take that part off your proposal!" _Without question, I did as he requested and let's just say: I was in for some big surprises!_ BIG LESSON LEARNED!

After the first 5 or 6 "scoops", the brother that was operating the backhoe announced that he had "left his glasses at home!" Quickly, I sent him home to get said glasses. While he was gone the homeowner drove up to see: Brick stripped from the back of the house, an 8 foot sliding glass door reduced to pieces and two windows blown-out! Needless to say, the homeowner and his brother had a brief chat - which I did not overhear, but my guess was that it wasn't real nice. A couple of days later, after the brother had moved his backhoe; OSCAR appeared and things went smoothly from there forward. LESSON LEARNED


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, Dennis

I am envious about your friend´s skills


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## P.A. Gosselin (Aug 24, 2014)

I had to look up the word 'craftsman' to be sure of the definition. There are many ways to look at the work a person does, but to see the meticulous way your friend has gone about in building these boxes, I think he may be the definition of a craftsman. When I looked at the picture of the box he made for his wife and noticed the details on the tray itself, I was simply taken aback with the attention to detail. It is a joy to appreciate his work and a goal to one day emulate it.

craftsman: "a person who makes beautiful objects by hand"


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

There is a lot of work in making small cases but you can come up with very nice ones like these. N


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## billyjim (Feb 11, 2012)

Beautiful 

Green with envy


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

All has been said and well said on these superb boxes. I hope your friend continues to share his work! It would be even better if he would be willing to share the build on one step by step.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

He has some amazing skills.


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

Such beautiful and amazing workmanship!! I can see I have much to learn, even at any age! Thank you for sharing these treasures.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Very, very nice. As Stick says way above my pay grade.


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## OttoW (Feb 13, 2016)

Maybe someday I can make a box half as good as those.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

OPG3 said:


> WOW! THOSE BOXES ARE MOST IMPRESSIVE!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Otis there is a video on utube where an excavator operator undresses a young woman with the bucket on the end of a 60foot arm, at the end she did still have everything she was born with. N


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