Our daughter wanted a small box to keep some "treasures" in. I made one out of wood, went with her to the paint store, and it's been painted orange. I loved making it, I loved painting it with her, and I can't wait to see her use it.

Like many folks when I look at my own projects I tend to see the flaws first. So I wanted to try to make a box again, but this time do better.

So I did!

I've been taking Steve Ramesy's Weekend Woodworker course for a while. He also has a video on YouTube just about making a basic box. That's what I used to make both the original, and my updated version.

Here's the "slightly more experienced woodworker" version, you might notice much tighter joints:

Here's what I did different:

• I payed close attention and noticed that some of the pieces I'd cut weren't square. This led to the discovery that my mitre gauge wasn't square to the blade. Fixing that made a lot of things better.
• I re-cut boards when I discovered problems, rather than hoping it would work out.
• Tested the finish I wanted to use out before using it. Which was great because I didn't like my original plan of india ink.
• Applied a small bevel to the lid, which I think looks great!