This small, one-of-a-kind bench is a playful take on a traditional Shaker bench design.

The two stretcher pieces are joined with half-blind dovetails. While I was working on this piece someone remarked that the reveal in the top of the bench looked like a mail slot. The next morning I came into the shop and found my mail (or more specifically, my bills) tucked gently into the "slot." Hence the name.

Both dovetail and mortise-and-tenon joints are cut by hand.

The stretcher connects to each side of the bench with three small through-tenons.

This cabinet is the younger brother of "10 Small Boxes Huddling Together for Warmth." It is constructed from one large plank of black cherry, and features hand-cut dovetails, solid brass hinges, and applied beading for the finger-pulls.

Detail of the mitered, applied beading on the finger pull of the cabinet door.

Each hinge is carefully fitted to the piece before final installation. This requires careful preparation, as the mortises for the hinges must be laid out and cut before the cabinet itself is assembled. The hinges shown are solid brass, offset knife hinges. Although more difficult to install, they are both elegant and unobtrusive.

Each box starts as a solid "length" of cherry, which is carefully marked, cut, mitered, splined, and reassembled. This gives the grain a clean, "wraparound" effect.

The top and sides are joined with hand-cut dovetails, and the stretcher is joined with through wedged-tenons. The top is "scooped" and the front edges are relieved to make for a surprisingly comfortable seat.

The piece is finished with four coats of a Tung Oil / Varnish mixture and three coats of natural bee's wax. This finish brings out the natural luster of the wood, while remaining both durable and satin-smooth.

Detail of the the wedged through-tenon. The wedge mechanically locks the tenon in place, ensuring that the joint will remain tight should the glue ever fail.

Detail of one of the dovetail joints. Although significantly thicker than the average dovetail joint (most are between one-quarter and one inch thick), the process for cutting these dovetails is still largely the same: lay out and cut the "tails" (the lighter section in this photo), then use the tail-section to lay out and cut the "pins" (the darker section). The catch is that with stock this thick, you only have one shot at assembling the piece. Layout must be extremely precise, or hundreds of dollars in lumber and hundreds of hours of labor are headed for the scrap bin.

Front view of the desk. The two outer trays are mounted onto solid aluminum posts, allowing them to pivot out towards the user.

Each of the three drawers is curved, beveled, and joined with hand-cut half-blind dovetails. The drawer fronts and desk face were cut from a single board, which was then resawn, laminated, pressed, and shaped. The drawer pulls are carved into the drawer fronts.

The desk was designed around a crescent shape, the thought being to place everything within arm's reach. Jewelry-making requires concentration and a focused eye; therefore, the outer work surfaces pivot in toward the center, making the furthest reaches of this seven-foot desk within immediate grasp.

One of the original specifications for the desk was that it have storage for two dozen purpose-made boxes. Each of the eight spaces have slots for three small, hanging boxes.