FINISHING THE INLAID WOOD BOX

FINISHING THE BOX:

After a good sanding (remembering the veneered surface is under 1mm thick and therefore sanding machines are not a good idea), and a cote of oil the box is almost finished. 
While I was making the inlays I noted a few problems.

        1). Where the router came off the track and gouged a hole in the middle of the piece. At the time I cut a new piece of veneer into the damaged area. Although, at the time the colour seemed to match, as you can see once the oil finish was applied it became really noticeable, probably because I have the grain running in the opposite direction, therefor the timber is reflecting light differently.

        2). I notices a crack in the veneer, at the time it wasn't visible to the naked eye, but as you can see,  once the veneer is glued, and the timber shrinks as timber will, the crack is now visible as can be seen in the picture. I personally don't mind, as this gives the piece some character and makes it look a little rustic. 

     3). With the light colored border, when I planed it flush, the plain took out a large chip, this is why I'd rather use a scraper.
In a later post I will attempt to fix these problems. Also I could have done a better job of the mitered corners.