The lid's handle is another opportunity to get creative by adding a personal touch to the project. I made my handle by laminating a piece of 1/4"-thick wormy maple between exterior layers of purpleheart, then I cut a gentle arc and rounded the top edge with sandpaper. To complete the design, I drilled a 3/8"-deep hole on either side using a 1/2"-diameter Forstner bit, then filled the openings with maple plugs made using a plug cutter installed in my drillpress. After sanding the plugs flush, glue the completed handle to the top of the lid.
I finished the box by applying three coats of wipe-on polyurethane to the exterior only. Leave the inside bare to avoid odour buildup when the box is closed. The natural finish does a nice job of accenting the dark purpleheart inlay so it stands out prominently.
Once the finish is dry, you can add your bottle of wine, then proudly present this gift box with its delicious treat inside.
Adding stripes
These steps duplicate the inlay pattern I created for my gift box. You can follow my lead or create your own design. Or you can skip this step and leave the box sides plain.
First, create four 1/8"-wide x 1/8"-deep connected grooves around the sides and ends of the box to accept the wood inlay strips. A standard saw blade makes a 1/8"-wide swath, so all you need to do is set the blade height and position the fence to prepare for these cuts. Locate the fence 1 5/8" from the blade and complete the first pass on all four sides of the box, with the bottom face running firmly against the fence. Relocate the fence 2 1/8" from the blade and repeat the procedure to form a second set of four connected grooves parallel to the first.
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