What fun we had making this little guy! This non-traditional bandsaw box was created from a stack of two pieces of bald cypress, and was not initially envisioned as a pig. But after we cut out the center and re-glued the pieces that would form the exterior, that magical creative leap happened and something we never saw before became completely obvious. From there, we trimmed off the outside portions to form the main box, glued on the bottom, and formed a slightly arched top via a great deal of hand rasping and sanding to give the look of the pigs back. We then cut the abstract, inverted pyramid legs from a separate piece of bald cypress, and followed that same line when creating the snout. We hand carved the end of the snout to give a slightly more ‘realistic’ nose shape, and the pieces that were trimmed off the sides of the snout made perfect shapes from which to form the ears. To complete the look, we attached a little twist of copper wire to serve as the tail, and lined the bottom of the interior with a faux ‘pig skin’ fabric for fun. Last but not least, we applied a tung oil finish by hand in order to deepen and enhance the color and graining of the bald cypress, giving the finished box a perfect crispy bacon look.

 

Bald cypress is a soft wood and is easily dinged and dented. Further, all of this pigs appendages—legs, snout and ears—are attached with glue only. These factors combine to create a wonderful, whimsical product, but one that is intended for light duty only.

 

The box measures 17” long (tail to snout) x 7” high x 9” wide (ear to ear), with an interior measurement of 12” long x 5” wide x 4” deep. At this size, it can sit on the floor in a protected spot, but we also like it on a large table or desk, where it can hold keepsakes and treasures.