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What is a Shaker Oval Box? How do you make one? Shaker Oval Boxes have been called by some the “Tupperware of the 1800’s”. In the kitchen they held food items, such as salt, flour, sugar, baking soda, herbs, and spices. In the sisters’ workrooms they held sewing notions and in the brothers’ workrooms they held fasteners, such as nails, screws, as well as dry paint pigments and other items. Today they are often used as decorations, a single box or a stack of graduated boxes. While they make a great gift, they can also serve as a gift box for a present, storage of a treasure, for a young child’s first “tooth-fairy tooth”, a sentimental lock of hair, or a piece of jewelry. The list goes on and on.
In this two-day class, you will learn how to prepare the bands, cut the “swallowtails”, how to make ready the bands for bending, bending the bands and securing them. Once forms are placed in the bands and the bands are dry, you will learn how to size the bottom and lids and attach them to the bands. Final finish on the boxes will be done by the participants at their leisure. Tools and materials along with information and tip sheets will be provided.
The first session will be spent carving and bending the bands. The second session will have the participants complete the boxes by adding the bottoms and lids. Three different size boxes will be made, #1, #2, and #3.

There is a $30 materials fee payable to Bill Keller on the first day of the workshop.