My latest project, a stepstool featured in Fine Woodworking with a few minor changes.
I started with a mission of hand-cutting some dovetails. While I *could* have done it
that way, it might be several months before completion. Hard maple really is hard.
I abandoned that endeavor and opted for box joints instead and am happy with the end
result. I also added the walnut inlay and decorative pieces, I'm sure there is a name
for them, to the front of the steps.

Here's a link to the SketchUp file if
you would like to download it.

Sides glued together but the rest of it is just dry fitted together to get an overall
visual on what it looks like.




Glueing up the box joints was pretty tricky since it was my first attempt at these.
I used a piece of scrap that was left over from setting up the box joint jig and covered
it with tape so the glue wouldn't stick. The picture is of a practice run.




Another view of the glue up...




Glueup done except for the pieces on the front of the steps.




How I held the decorative pieces, while shaping them against a belt sander, that are
seen in the next picture on the front of the steps.




Just needs some final sanding...




How it looks with 2 coats of finish. Still needs several more coats before it's complete.




Close-up of the box joint...