Terry Achey, Hershey, PA
A gift in itself. Woodworker Achey made a pair of these beautiful gift boxes for his wife and daughter. After building the oak box and adding walnut splines for visual appeal and strength, he cut the top off at the table saw. He profiled the top edges with a 3⁄8" roundover bit, then used a cove bit of the same diameter to create a matching radius on the inside of the walnut ribbons before trimming them to thickness at the bandsaw. He glued the ribbons to the box, then crafted a bow by shaping walnut stock on a disc sander. After stacking and gluing the bow parts, Achey finished the box with spray lacquer, then asked the recipients to put their own keepsakes inside. The box measures 51⁄2" square by 43⁄4" high, proving good things come in small packages.
Orrie DuBois, Hawthorne, NJ
Mister Chairman. DuBois first learned the art of Windsor chair-making 15 years ago from renowned chairmaker James Rendi. Since then, he has built three Windsors, including this one constructed of poplar. DuBois used traditional methods, eschewing power tools in favor of hand planes, spokeshaves, and a draw knife at the shaving horse. In addition to the Windsors and a handful of other chairs, the marine veteran, retired police captain, and grandfather of 19 has built five grandfather clocks, three beds, a half-dozen dining room tables, and more. We’d say he’s earned a comfortable seat!
Bill Wiese, Baraboo, WI
Boarded up. Wiese says he enjoyed the wall-hung Mini Cutting Board Trio (Issue 104) so much, he made 9 sets! Template routing made the process quick and repeatable. Most of the birdseye maple and wormy cherry kitchen implements became Christmas gifts for Wiese’s wife, children, sister, and friends. He also donated one to be auctioned off for charity. Wiese says the recipients were wowed by the cutting boards, and the sets have become the focal points of many kitchens. Gifts like these are certainly a cut above the rest.
Bill Parks, Mauldin, SC
Living on the edge. When hobbyist woodworker Parks saw this live-edge cherry slab at his local Woodcraft store, he didn’t know what he’d do with it, but knew he had to have it. A few months later, he had turned it into a hall table at his wife’s request. Parks added butterfly keys to contain some minor splitting, and filled voids with epoxy. He says the slab shape lent itself to three legs, so he added metal hairpin legs to achieve a 30" height. Finally, Parks finished the roughly 14 × 60" slab with polyurethane and wax.
