[kywoodchopper]

I communicated with the director of Down Syndrome Society of Louisville, Ky and she said she had to let 17 employees go. I asked if I could make each one a box and put chocolate candy in them.

I started last Thursday and finished this Thursday. I made 19 boxes and 2-baskets that are 8-sided - that have one inch corners.

I made 5-boxes that are 8-sided out of ambrosia maple.
I made 7 boxes that are 4-sided out of ambrosia maple.
I made 4-boxes that are 8-sided out of eucalyptus.
I made 2-boxes that are 4-sided out of Kentucky coffee wood.
I made 1-box out of curly maple with a blood wood top.

I made two baskets out of ambrosia maple.

Speaking of eucalyptus, did you guys hear the story of a guy visiting New Zealand and came upon an accident. He called for EMS and the operator ask the location. He told her on Eucalyptus Street. The operator asked how to spell eucalyptus. The guy said to hold on a minutes. Then the operator heard a lot of noise then the fellow came back on the phone said the accident is on Oak Street. He had moved the fellow to a street he could spell.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Malcolm / Kentucky USA

 

[honesttjohn]

Great gesture!!

 

[DesertRatTom]

How about making more of them and having the center do a fundraiser, with the kids/clients participating fully? Invite the high mucky mucks in your area to the box auction Put $1,000 in one of the boxes, seal them all and let people bid. It's a donation and a kind of hardwood lottery. Tax deductible and it will drive prices way up.

You can do a silent auction as well. Put out each box with a number and have a bank exec. put the winning number in a sealed, registered letter, to be opened when all the boxes are sold. Then one of the kids comes out and presents each box to the winning bidder, then the center director opens the sealed envelope and hands over the $1,000 to the winner. Heck, see if the bank or other sponsors will donate the cash. Those boxes are great and you have a good heart.

Show the director this post and ask if she'd like to manage this. She probably has all the necessary connections to start putting this out there to draw a crowd. Have the kids in all the promotional pictures and stories and posts. Make sure every doner gets a picture of them with the kids in the newspaper and every facebook group for that area. Many local papers have fb pages that would gladly carry such items, and the director could even get them to co sponsor this, and if there's a local radio and TV station, they can be invited to participate as well, especially if it's a nonprofit center.

I have trouble speaking these days, but if the director would like to do this, I'll expand on it in a long email. Just let me know by private message. This kind of project if made public and promoted only a little bit, takes on a life and energy of its own. Not hard to do at all, and it can generate a number of long term contributors to the center.

I used to coach a course where people learned to carry out this kind of project, and it is amazing how many wonderful projects got done. Some persisted for a decade since then. We considered a project a success once it was taken over by someone else. We all quickly learned how easy it was to get big things done in an almost effortless way. You make the boxes, someone else does what you don't know how or are uncomfortable doing. You know me, always thinking of opportunity.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Very nice Malcolm.

 

[RainMan 2.0]

Wow do I like how the grain goes from the top to the side on the first one . Fantastic work as always Malcolm

 

[OutoftheWoodwork]

I love the baskets. Got a plan/template?

 

[old55]

Well done Malcolm and a nice gesture.

 

[sreilly]

You certainly know your way around a box and basket. I would have been happy with just the chocolate. I really need to do some boxes and need to start simple. These are great and I keep thinking about making some for my 3 granddaughters. This certainly is incentive.

 

[DesertRatTom]

I ordered that book and it will arrive in about a week. Looking forward to making a few. I have a lock miter bit and (somewhere) have a tiny magnetic jig for setting it just right in the center of the workpiece's thickness. A lock miter produces a perfect miter, with a small offset ridge to hold the pieces perfectly in place and give a lot more glue surface. I'll try it out anyway. I think I'll make the first one out of pine, I have a thoroughly dry 2x6 that I can resaw, joint and plane. I'll save the maple for later.

 

[sreilly]

Tom what book are you referring to?

 

[dman2]

Beautifully done! How did you join the octagons and the baskets? You inspired me!

 

[Barry747]

Absolutely beautiful! I don't know how you do it. It takes me a month to make one box.:lazy2:

 

[MEBCWD]

As always Malcolm these are great boxes and baskets. Very thoughtful of you to give these away filled with chocolates to people that are falling on hard times, I'm sure you have brightened their outlook with their current situation.

 

[MEBCWD]

I fogot to mention that I like your eucalyptus joke!

 

[Roy Drake]

Hold on while I run down and try to get laid off!! Rats! I'm retired.

 

[Nickp]

Beautiful, Malcolm...and your thoughtfulness is even more awesome...

 

[1fizgig]

Speaking of eucalyptus, did you guys hear the story of a guy visiting New Zealand and came upon an accident. He called for EMS and the operator ask the location. He told her on Eucalyptus Street. The operator asked how to spell eucalyptus. The guy said to hold on a minutes. Then the operator heard a lot of noise then the fellow came back on the phone said the accident is on Oak Street. He had moved the fellow to a street he could spell.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Malcolm / Kentucky USA

Hey now, that street name is much more likely to be in Australia! I New Zealand we'd have really taxed him. He'd have been in Waikikamukau on Heretaunga St!

Beautiful boxes, and a lovely gesture in these trying times for people affected, well done.

 

[chessnut2]

Holy cow, Malcolm. Now I know what that plume of smoke rising in your end of the county was. You were overheating your equipment! Nice, nice, work.

 

[jj777746]

Fantastic boxes & a wonderful gesture Malcolm.Can you tell us how long it took to make these beautiful boxes? James.

 

[papasombre]

Beautifully done! How did you join the octagons and the baskets? You inspired me!

Hi Malcolm.
Those boxes are magnificent.
Like Dave wrote I´d like some details about the octogonal boxes specially the one at picture 2.