Pontillo Furniture Concepts custom made hardwood fly boxes, travel jewelry boxes and stash boxes

The design for these boxes is a simple but elegant one that lets the wood speak for itself. All of these boxes are handmade using shop built templates and jigs with a router. Because of this, every box will be a little different in one way or another; a true sign of handcrafted workmanship. More and more there is an increasing use of CNC machines to produce exact copies on an unlimited basis when the only human interaction is behind a computer screen. My goal is to bring back an appreciation for handcrafted woodworking.

These boxes start out as a piece of wood 4 x 6 inches and 5/8 of an inch thick. The final shape of the box and the rounded corners are formed by using a flush cutting bit on the router table with a shop made template. After this, the edges are rounded over using a 3/8 inch roundover bit on the router table. Using another shop made template, the inside of the boxes are routed out using a handheld router and a 3/8 inch spiral carbide cutting bit. The holes for the magnets and mortises for the hinges are formed with additional jigs and a handheld router. The rare earth magnets are epoxied in and the brass hinges are installed. The ripple and flat foam are then inserted and secured with contact cement. These foam inserts are a standard size sold by Cabelas and can be replaced if necessary. If choosing a travel jewelry box, the foam inserts are replaced with felt inserts in the color of your choice with a foam fing bar. The stash box includes the felt lining only. Standard and custom laser engraving with or without text is also available for an extra charge.

The finishing process is a multiple step process. A mixture of tung oil, polyurethane and thinners is brushed onto the boxes and left to sit for thirty minutes. This is then wiped off and left to dry overnight. This combination is used to make the grain of the wood stand out as the oil soaks into the wood. This step is repeated four times over a four day period and left to dry for 48 hours. The final topcoat is a combination of tung oil, boiled linseed oil and shredded beeswax. This mixture is applied to the boxes and vigorously rubbed to create a sheen to the wood. This step is repeated three times over a three day period. This finish is not as durable as a straight polyurethane, varnish, or lacquer, but it eliminates the sometimes plastic look of multiple coats of finish that sit on top of the wood. Any paste wax or wax based furniture polish can completely renew the finish if fading does occur with use.