This is a gift box I made for a friend’s birthday. It’s in cherry ply with a mineral oil/beeswax finish (still curing). I bought the files on Etsy.
Inner dimension of box is 2.6" square; outer dimension of lid is 3.13". Making the bow is very fiddly; I had to use a small mallet to get everything to fit…and plenty of glue to fix the uh…errors.
Charming! I love it.
Well executed, and the finishing completes the project so well. I tend to skip or scrimp on sanding, waxing, and finishing time. Your attention to finalizing the item show me I should pay more attention to the fine details.
I love the bow!
I generally hate the finishing part because it’s hard on my fingers (small pieces). Well worth it though–the top would not fit smoothly except that I sanded all the corners (along with the rest, but concentrated on the hand-feel of the corners) and used the oil/beeswax finish.
If I don’t want to finish stuff too closely, I use acrylic. Wood use includes a conscious decision to do the sanding etc.
Something that really helped was to size the piece for a tight fit in the finger joints…no glue = no glue mess.
@geek2nurse The bow is really cool, but it’s the hardest part!
Very nice! (And yeah, the bow makes it!) 
So cute!
This looks great! I, too, skimp on the finish work! Inspiring!
This box is a keepsake for sure! It’s lovely.
This is simply lovely, what an innovative design on the bow, I’m sure your friend will treasure it. I need to make more boxes, it’s one of the reasons I got my 
and I have been procrastinating on the box-making. Beautiful ones are not so easy to make (at least not for me!).
Beautiful!
Take a bow for that bow. Great idea. Nicely done.
Great execution on that. Is that the first wooden bow like that on the forum? Nice!
and @MakerMatthew I didn’t design the bow, it was in the file I purchased. Much as I would like to, I can’t take the credit for this design, just the execution.
For anyone who follows the link to the etsy files, keep in mind you will need to make corrections…have on-hand a vector editing program.
Love the bow. Awesome box!
I too appreciate the finishing work. It’s an area of weakness for me because I have no training in woodworking, and few supplies. I don’t even know what you mean by mineral oil/ beeswax finish, or why you would choose that over a polymer based finish—if I did my wood pieces would probably look better!
The older I get, the fewer 1-use things I want in my home. Mineral oil can be used in the garden and on your skin; beeswax has many home uses. Mixed together in the right proportion and with gentle heat, I can make a cheap and quick substance that’s great for using on wood.
Both beeswax and mineral oil can be used on items intended for food use: cutting boards, platters, plates. It puts a gorgeous finish on wood that leaves no greasy after-effect once cured (a day). It’s also a good lubricant for pieces that move next to each other (the lid and inner corners of the box).
I’ve finished a wood shuttle with a spray sealer and another with the wax/oil mix. I much prefer the feel of the wax/oil. The richness of the wood seems greater with the wax/oil. The mix proportion I found via internet search was a bit too rich in the wax for my preference, so I added a bit more oil. Can’t do that with a commercial mix!
They’re not errors, they’re features! Very nice
That bow!!
The bow makes for a big impression. Lovely finish work.
