Maple Wedding-Ring Box from a Twisted Root

Today's project is a wedding-ring box I made for some good friends of mine. This is sort of a sister-project to the sign-in slab I made from them in the last video.
A couple of years ago I felled a big maple tree and as I was cleaning it up I noticed this crazy root had grown out of the stump above-ground and twisted back on itself before heading down, then as the tree got bigger the twist had grown together into one chunk. I cut it off and stashed it away waiting for the right project, because there's just no way the grain in there isn't going to be wild.
This seemed like the perfect application, so I cut up the root, dried out some appropriately sized blocks, then set about machining a really simple little two-ring box to show off the amazing character of this wood (and, y'know, the wedding rings).
Enjoy.

[@MASI_forging]

Great work on your project 👏👏

[@timviering9559]

I use it myself sometimes, and I agree with the ease of use. The hardest thing for me is choosing what to use on a project. I have so many options.

[@ocelotpurr]

Wow, look at the grain on that thing! And you got a gorgeous finish on it. It looks silky smooth.

[@stabilityball]

That tutorial saved me hours of frustration on my future jewelry box build.

[@UncleMikesCustomThings]

Wow, thanks! That's always nice to hear.

[@michellafleur5655]

What you did is a real piece of art. So beautiful. REMARK: Your fingers were much much too close to your blade--please think about that so you can keep making much more beatiful things for us to watch.

[@UncleMikesCustomThings]

Thanks for the comment. Kind and thoughtful words.

[@timviering9559]

Did you like the Odies? Or would you rather use a different product next time?

[@UncleMikesCustomThings]

Yeah, the Odie's Oil was super easy to work with and I think it came out great. And this little box only used a tiny fraction of the jar, so I'll absolutely be using it again.

[@PsychedelicSerenade]

Why get your hands so close to the blade when you had the sled handy? Serious question, not trying to be a jerk

[@UncleMikesCustomThings]

I used the crosscut sled for every crosscut. If you know a trick to safely fixture a block this size to the sled for rip cuts, I'd love to hear it.

[@PsychedelicSerenade]

@@UncleMikesCustomThings maybe make a box jig that rides your fence and has toggle clamps on the tail and side applying downward pressure.
Personally, I try to avoid the table saw for any small cuts because it scares the crap out of me. I made a flattening table jig for my router recently. You can make one that clamps to the top of your table saw to save space. My router was $20, the wood was scrap from work, and the bit was maybe $30-40.

[@UncleMikesCustomThings]

Good tips, and props to you for actually engaging in a constructive discourse about woodworking safety. The vast majority of such comments on TH-cam are people who seem far more invested in complaining and high-roading than actually sharing knowledge, which is frankly tiresome. You're one of the good ones.