This elm plane cabinet was built to house a small treasure – one of James Krenov's last hand planes. Its carcase is American elm, with a holly drawer front and panel, lilac pull, and a Port Orford cedar drawer bottom.

The small drawer is dovetailed at all four corners, and sized to house other small trinkets from my time at The Krenov School (formerly College of the Redwoods).

The carcase is joined with half-blind dovetails, chosen here to accentuate the grain wrapping of the sapwood coloration around the four sides of the cabinet. The edges and drawer front are pillowed, a process done by hand and eye with a sharp block plane.

The plane is a special gift, made in 2009 by Krenov. It was picked up when he cleaned his shop out, only a few months before he passed. It's a smoother, made in mesquite.

The holly was chosen for its beautiful blue hue, which offsets the yellow sapwood nicely. The finish is super blonde shellac, in a thin mix – this thin shellac is what Krenov called “polish.”