Keepsake Box out of Brazilian Cherry-this turn is finished

Good Morning All,

Well, it snowed again last night! Honestly, I don't think spring is going to arrive until August:

The patch of green grass under the cherry tree is gone:

And this is a wooded area nearby:

Even though spring hasn't arrived, I did have a good morning in the wood shop and I've just about finished the keepsake box. Here are today's photos:

I took the box back down to the wood shop and gave the top and lid their final sandings to 400 grit. Here is a photo of the box attached to the lathe:

Next, I reverse chucked the bottom and I'm getting reading to remove the waste wood with a thin-bladed parting tool:

This is the parting tool I use. I bought this on impulse (something I never do) but I haven't regretted purchasing as it is a very strong tool and it parts off waste wood very easily and swiftly. No turning shop should be without one:

And here is the box with the waste wood having been removed:

I then took a roughing gouge (affectionately named Bob after the father of a friend of mine) and shaved the bottom until it was smooth. Then I took a 1/4" bowl gouge and gently created a concave surface so the box will sit squarely on it's bottom edge and not spin or rock on flat surfaces:

And here is the box with the lid. The turning portion of this project is complete:

I've taken the box upstairs to be varnished and I'm photographing it with a tangerine for size comparison:

And here it is with a coat of wipe on polyurethane. I'll give it one more coat after this dries and then I'll let it dry and buff it:

I think we can stick a fork in this one and call it done!

Well, with the completion of these last two projects it's time to clean out the wood shop and get it organized for spring turning. So stay tuned and drop by the wood shop. There's always a new adventure ahead!

See you soon,

VW