You did it guys! In particular Woodbloke, one of the most generous souls I have ever met. A sincere and public thanks to you Rob. You are a real star.
Woodbloke recommended beeswax for refinishing my plane handles. It works well but once I found how hassle free beeswax is I couldn't resist refinishing our entire bedroom set in beeswax. That took a while. Never the less, here in all its nose blowing glory, is the tissue box cover that started this thread ....
The grain follows itself around the sides of the box and I managed to achieve what almost looks like a book matched top.
The wood itself is from Focus' premium strip wood section. I didn't know they had one until I stumbled upon it. They sell virtually knot free true and straight bits of wood. It doesn't cost any more than their junk wood. Don't worry, your advice has been headed regarding wood from the 'sheds'. I have a steadily growing pile of reclaimed sapele / mahogany and a bit of beech. Just have to think of something to make from it.
You'll notice I have strayed a little from the plan and ended up using some kind of open mortise and tenon arrangement which is, engineering wise, probably not the best of choices for this. It was quick and dirty as I was quite eager to test out Woodbloke's idea for a box clamping system using some little corner clamps he produced on his band saw for me.
As you can see, they worked a treat. The clamping force that can be induced in this way is quite impressive. It was nearly possible to play a bit of Jimi Hendrix on that string :lol:
When it came to the top of the box I needed to clamp up two skinny boards to make a board wide enough to bridge the box frame. I don't think that many of the commercial arrangements for panel clamping would be suitable for such thin wood, nor would the cost of a suitable one be justified on this small project so
I borrowed an idea from a book called, "Woodworking Joints" that I found on project gutenburg.
Materials used: Pine, Beeswax, Glue
Tools used: Gents saw, coping saw, pencil (I tried a marking gauge but prefer the pencil), try square, 12mm chisel for fine tuning the joints, Woodbloke's clamps, improvised panel clamps, an 8mm drill bit for starting the slot at the top, the smoother that Woodbloke sorted out for me, and a bit of sanding.
I'm happier now that Miss Robinson's box of tissues no longer shouts out advertising and branding to me as it's safely tucked underneath this cover. Nobody, but nobody sneezes or blows their nose more than her so I am certain this project will see significant use!
) is gratefully received. 
