Holiday Diversion

Last week, a small diversion from the entry hall mirror had me working on this pencil holder. With a quick sketch, an even quicker mock-up and a couple scraps of wood, I found this to be an enjoyable little project with few complexities.

It was a simple design that allowed me to focus all my energy on the dovetails. I enjoyed getting back to cutting dovetails... it had been a while. This was a good warm-up to the joinery I'll be using on the entry hall mirror cabinet drawers.

The sides of the pencil holder are made of kwila off-cuts that came from the Building a Mystery buffet cabinet project.

It is a beautiful wood, but can be a challenge to work, especially in the small pins and tails of the corner joinery. When you least expect it, the wood fibers tend to break away from the corners of the pins and tails. A patient and steady approach with a sharp paring chisel is the answer.

The bottom is made from an off-cut of western big leaf maple. This wood planes nicely and provides a pleasant contrast to the dark tones of the kwila.

The new owner of this piece may be hesitant to drop pencils and pens into the holder for fear of dents and scratches, but I hope not. It was made to be used. Perhaps the pens and pencils will enjoy being held in this way.

Hej då!

Craig