"Intake"

The first box that looks like it has 1000hp and is going 200mph. I get many design ideas from objects we are surrounded by.  One thing I have always been drawn to is automotive design and mainly different air intakes.  They usually flow so beautifully with the lines of the vehicle....be it hood intakes, side intakes, roof intakes, etc.  The “Intake” box design was inspired by these objects.

The main sides are made from curly maple with a slight bark pocket.  It took two routing fixtures to get the intake portion to a rough shape.  I used a compound cut technique on the bandsaw to get them to a rough shape and then used a rasp to blend in all the curves.  The black inserts you see are made from Ebony.  I made a fixture to cut shallow lines and then fine tuned them with a needle file.  The small sides of the box are made from highly figured birdseye maple.  I used mortise and tenon joinery to create the box. There are Ebony supports in the box to support the tray.  There is also a small Ebony leg that holds up the back of the box.  I turned that on the lathe.

The lid is made from Padauk.  To make the grooves I first cut away a majority of the material using the table saw.  That made bringing the slots to final shape using a rounded ¼” slot cutting router bit much easier.  Once the grooves were all cut I flipped it over and made a sled to hold it at an angle.  I fed it through the precision sander until I had it sloping at around 1.5 degrees. I then cut the curve on the front.  The back of it is cut to blend in perfectly with the small back portion of the box.  It took a lot of rasp work to smooth out all the curves.

The tray is made from the same birdseye maple that the small sides of the box were made from.  The corners are mitered but I added 1/8” maple dowels to pin all the joints.  The handle is made from Ebony and is the shape of my makers mark.

The ‘Intake” box is lined with white micro suede.  It was finished with four soakings of Danish Oil and then waxed twice.  It is roughly 12” x 8.2” x 7”. 

"Intake" is available for $2200

Please contact me if you're interested in purchasing this piece.