I finished milling the wood to size by machine, then joined the sides with hand-cut dovetails. Not exactly the way it was done in the magazine article, but a good skill-building exercise nevertheless. When I got to the interior, I deviated from the plans even further. What this box needed was trays! And making trays gave me an excuse to use some aromatic red cedar I'd been saving and learn how to make box joints on the table saw. My journey continued.
The curly grain on the lid was so dense I doubted it would take an oil-based finish, so I tried something new there too. I layered on five or six coats of shellac, then applied several coats of wax to protect the shellac. It's an old-style finish that is quick to put on and easy to repair, but I'm not sure I'm sold on it. It seems too delicate for a box like this. I would rather have used my old standby--a mixture of turpentine, boiled linseed oil, and bees wax.
The final stop on my journey took me to the hardware store to find just the right hinges and handles. I picked out several styles of hardware and took them home to see how they looked with the schoolbox, but none of them felt right. Finding just the right handles to go with that bullet was going to be tough. Ultimately, I packed up the box and took it with me to the hardware store and only then, with box in hand, was I able to settle on the hardware: Rustic, but not too rustic and a color that blends well with the wood.
