Shaker Boxes

Not only do I love baskets, but I also love Shaker boxes. I have a number of finely made boxes that I have purchased at art fairs. I would love to make a set myself and keep promising that I will take a workshop sometime from the "father" of modern Shaker boxes, John Wilson. Of course my schedule has yet to match up with one of his classes, but one of these days...

I ran across this blog describing a woodworking group that gets together every year to make the boxes. It is a good primer on the steps it takes to make a box and a handled carrier. While box making would seem to be fairly different from basket weaving they do share a number of similarities. They both utilize bending and drying wood around forms. Much of what you would learn in a box class could be translated into making basket rims and handles or vice versa.