I’ve been working on setting up a new CNC machine, and this is one of the first projects I did on it. It is a variation of the epoxy and wood heart boxes I did a while back. I like working with epoxy, but I want to also do some pure wood projects. Wood is so much more sustainable than a plastic like epoxy.

This box is currently available (March 2023):

• Etsy: Cherry and Madrone Wood Heart Shaped Box
• Corbin’s Workshop: Cherry and Madrone Wood Heart Shaped Box

The hard part of doing a wood design is that it requires a lot of precision and careful planning to make sure the two wood pieces can be glued together with no gaps. The typical machining bits have a defined radius, and I usually use 1/4″ diameter bits with 1/8″ radius, and sometimes ones with a 1/16″ tapered radius. This value is the circular limit that I can machine; any inner corners that have a tighter radius can’t be machined. This becomes a problem when the matching outer radius can be machined, resulting in a bad fit.

I like working with domestic hardwoods, so I picked cherry as the main wood and used madrone as the middle accent. The madrone came from a dying tree that I harvested in the Santa Cruz mountains with my chainsaw mill, and I don’t have a lot of the wood left, but I wanted to create a design where it would complement the cherry. I have a maple and cherry one in the works, but I was worried the woods might be too contrasting. I’ll find out soon when I get to the finishing stage of that box!

I’m quite pleased how the wave came out in the box!

Previous in box

Walnut Spatula and Spoon

Next in box

Heart Box Wood Variations