The Woodshop Shed

Wedding "Puzzle" Box

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


About five years ago, a dear friend came to me and asked if 'Papa' could make a box for her upcoming wedding. She said she/they wanted something they could maybe “assemble at the service, to signify the 'coming-together' of their two families”. Sounded like a challenge, but I couldn't tell her no! Threw out a bunch of ideas that didn't work and then decided what this puzzle called for was, well… a puzzle. Hence, this box was born!She picked out the beech board from our local Woodcraft (then Midwest Woodworkers) in Omaha, because she loved the grain & knot pattern you see on the front. That and a general idea of the size and basic design was what I got to work with.This lid is one of my favorite creations! There are 5 people in their new, blended family – so, 5 pieces for the puzzle top. Each fits in one spot only. They have a small rare earth magnet set in their backs, which attach to some steel washers embedded between the two sheets of 3/16” birch ply that make up the lid base. The woods are purpleheart, yellowheart, redheart and paela/chakte viga. The centerpiece is a slice off a figured walnut chunk I'd had around for over 6 years; waiting for it to tell me what it wanted to be. The barrier strips on the sides of the puzzle are bands of each of the five woods in the top. They also kept me from having to fit pieces to match those convoluted corners! The pictures don't do that beech front piece justice… the colors and grain are gorgeous! Cutting the top off was kind of a sphincter-clenching moment for me, but it worked almost perfectly. It's a simple lift-up lid and brass hinges, like she wanted. Interior is soft red velvet – my idea, because I thought it looked good. Basic dimensions are about 12” wide / 8” deep / 5” high (-ish…) Finish is 3 or 4 coats of Minwax satin poly.There were a few joyful tears and a lot of hugs when I delivered it, along with a lot of looking and touching and ooh-ing and ah-ing at the wedding party! I think it was a hit. Hope you like it, too!

P.S. I got a Delta 10/20 drum sander for this project, so that's another bonus!
P.P.S. It was a gift, so no price tag on it, or even an estimate

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