This.
For absolute cutting control in finishing there is no substitute for doing it by hand.
I learned this in automotive body work and lapping softer minerals. When you are close - put the power tools down.
That box is jewelry man. How you oriented the grain of the inlay, everything about it. Excellent craftsmanship. 
I will! I actually have already done the prototypes and after a couple changes I’m pretty happy with the design.
Wow. Setting the bar high once again. Glad you got your machine back too.
Your work is always incredible!
As noted elsewhere your experiment and mock-up pile is more amazing than a lot of folks finished work. As usual your work is amazing
As any Jeweler would tell you (that was worth their salt) doing the work by hand is usually nearly as fast and far more control than power tools, especially when the work is small. If I need to take off a quarter inch on a large box I have such tools, but a dowel or several or paper towel centers with different grades of sanding paper (and of course the scraps and angles) pressed on with wood glue make short work and smooth flow of any such sanding you wish to do. Stepping from 60 or 100 grit on down a size as a time works a lot better than rubbing 400 till you are blue in the face when a moment at 100 will do the job nicely and step down a size at a time. If things are already close or too fragile for 60 grit I might start at 220.
Knowing how much you favor quality finishes, if you ever go to 2000 or more I doubt that you would be satisfied with doing less. Even when I use lacquer I give it a rub with 2000 as it will not cut all the way through but really bring out the smoothness you can feel even more than you can see.
I find this very true in extremely tight-grained materials. Yellowheart and walnut are a bit more open grained, so there’s a bit of diminishing returns… and I knew I was going to have to finish it with polyurethane, as it would be handled. As such, I find that 600 grain works very well, the surface quality of the urethane dominated the surface far more than the higher grain would allow.
Now, if I were going to use briwax… 2000 grit would have been a really good option… but I don’t have a buffing wheel, so briwax was right out – not to mention that there are hard inside corners that the wax would have gummed up.
I totally agree, 1500+ grit is great for really tight-grained maple pieces.
As always. Very beautiful and unique. The magnets gave me an idea to add more magnets on the base and flip the poles so as you turn the cover it would go from holding it closed to repelling and assist in opening the box.
I am wearing a pendant I made of walnut that I have polished to 2000 and where I had been going to 600, the 2000 is very much more sensual to touch like those worry stones. and as noted the 1200 grit on the lacquer brought that out as well. not so sure of the urethane.
I like this idea, in theory this works when you have an even number of magnets on each half, which I did not.
In reality, I find the magnet addition to be fiddly and error-prone, so I always go for “as few magnets as are needed” 
Two would be an even number. I really like the idea as well, mixed with a bayonet lock would be terrific!
True, but it’d require a 180 degree twist to see the effect. I’d think 12 would be better in this case, a quick 30 degree turn and you’re set. But its a lot of work.
As for the lock, yeah, that’d be cool, but it’s also fiddly and hard to get right with changing humidity etc. The box stays closed as it is with magnets, I’m not going to add complication where it’s not warranted. There’s not really anything to break or wear out here, I think this is a good solution for my needs.
Absolutely
MotherFatherSisterBrother! That is fanfarkintastic!
I want to say, “I aspire,” as this is truly inspiring. But I know I do not have the patience for such artistry. Simply stunning.
Beautiful work!
This is amazing and I want one in every color!
That is funny, i just made some dice boxes for the other day for a friend of mine who plays D&D weekly and wanted something nice to carry his dice. You definitely took it to the next level though, I only engraved his character on top. This looks way better. Nice work it really turned out great. I’ll have to remember the alignment rods that is a nice touch. I did a prototype of a client gift the other day that was made up of a bunch of layered walnut. Keeping them all aligned while clamping was a real pain.
That is truly a work of art! Love that!
This is truly beautiful!