It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words so I’ll save you reading and just share some pictures of my latest valet. Zebrawood and Black Walnut, my design featuring hand cut, houndstooth dovetails. The tray and dividers are European Beech, and lined with pigskin.

This was a piece of wood that really caught my eye when I went to Woodworkers Source here in Phoenix — just went there to pick up some finishing material and it just jumped out at me and I couldn’t resist! The hinges are solid brass stop hinges from Horton Brasses and accent this project nicely. The finish is platinum shellac and wax.

For me, woodworking is all about the process and as I was working on this project couldn’t help but think about the time required to create this when compared to the relative ease and automated process used in commercial endeavors. As an example, I wanted to elevate how the dividers in the bottom of the box are inserted. When I was a carpenter doing roof framing there is a joint called a “birds mouth“. I thought that would add some interest even knowing many won’t even notice. I began by cutting a V-groove in the side piece. This was more than wide enough for both sides and fit snugly. It was cut to required width and marked so the V-grooves would have the right orientation. Next I needed to make a new “donkey ears” fixture to plane a matching V for the dividers. It was a long and probably boring process to read about so I’ll do a slide show to illustrate it. I enjoy the process and I’m curious to know how many of you fellow woodworkers feel the same way. Do you enjoy the process of figuring something out or do you just want to get it done the quickest way?