Rough-milled parts for the interior boxes, set aside to dry for a week.

Planing a curve in the top edge of one of the CD dividers.

Chopping out the pins for one of the interior boxes.

Laying using the pins to lay out the tails on the mating piece. The main reason I cut the pins first is to make this step easier and more reliable.

Chopped and pared dovetails, ready for assembly.

Sawing out the dovetails for the outer walnut box.

Chopping the pins for the outer box.

Test-fitting the one set of dovetails…

Test-fitting around two of the completed interior boxes.

All the interior parts, laid out and ready for photography.

Disheveled woodworker, one day after Hurricane Ike, one day before deadine.

The walnut used for this project came from my friends at Horizon Lumber in Pennsylvania. There is nothing quite like starting a project with such such an inspiring piece of wood in front of you...

The box is a actually a set of four boxes: the outer box (in walnut), and the three inner boxes (in pear.) The inner boxes all have removable inserts to maximize storage options.

Part of the design criteria was that you be able to both charge and play an iPod without removing it from the box. A set of removable, shop-made plywood inserts allows the player to either be stored flat of plugged into the Dock. Cutouts in the back of the box allow wires to run where they need to.

Detail. Dovetailed construction for the boxes, frame-and-panel for the lid.

This piece was built as a commission. The requirements were fairly simple: the piece had to hold a small collection of CDs, and be able to store (and charge) an iPod. The idea was to keep the design both simple and modular (just in the off-chance that iPods change size in the future), and let the wood speak for itself.

Dimensions: 24″L x 12″D x 8″ H
Materials: Walnut, Pear
Finish: Liberon Oil (Walnut), Shellac (Pear), Wax

Click here to see more pictures of the box, as well as construction photos.