Phil and Martha Baerreis have cut bandsaw boxes by hand in their Western North Carolina shop since 1972. Each box starts as one solid block of hardwood. Phil draws the shape, cuts the drawers free on the bandsaw, and the two of them shape, sand, and finish it with their own blend of oils and waxes. Every drawer is lined with removable felt. No two boxes come out the same, even in a design they have made for years. Every one is made to be used, not just looked at. That is true of everything Phil and Martha make, from hair forks to kitchenware: function is part of the beauty, not an afterthought.
Every box on this page is made to order, so the one you get usually isn’t the one in the photo. Please allow up to three weeks before shipping. If you need one sooner, send us a note through the contact form on our home page and we’ll tell you what is finished and ready to go. Shipping in the US is free.
Embrace
Embrace comes from a sketch Nathan drew in high school, and Phil and Martha make it with his permission. The design speaks to people on many levels. To Phil and Martha it represents unconditional love without bounds, and the drawers follow the curve of the two forms.
About 9.75 inches tall, 7 wide and 4 deep. Made in walnut, maple, or cherry from North Georgia and the Southern Appalachians.
shown in maple
$550
Pip
Pip is a simple oval with three shallow drawers, the right size for rings, cufflinks, and the small things that collect on a dresser. A good first bandsaw box.
About 6 x 5 x 3.75 inches. Choose the wood when you order.
shown in walnut
$160
Three Trees
Three Trees is one of a kind in a series. Phil cuts the trees freehand, so the trunks and branches come out differently every time, and the drawers are shaped by the trees. Each one is sold as the one of a kind piece it is.
shown in mahogany
$895
Owen
Owen is a tall, handsome box with four drawers, each lined with removable felt. It comes in two sizes. The Owen Tree version adds a freehand tree motif across the front, and every tree is different.
Large is about 10 inches tall, 8.5 wide and 4 deep. Made in several wood species.
shown in maple
small $185, large $325, Owen Tree $595
Onward and Upward
A tall box with an upward lean, cut freehand in the shop in Western North Carolina, so each one comes out a little different.
Two sizes. shown in sapele
medium $295, large $348
Arch
The Arch is about simplicity and symmetry. Three shallow drawers hold rings, cufflinks, and the special little things we all accumulate. It sits well on a nightstand.
About 7 inches long, 5 tall and 3.5 to 5 deep. Made in a variety of woods.
shown in spalted ash
$160
Penelope
Penelope is a sweet design: a vertical oval with a tree motif that defines the drawers. The design repeats, but Phil cuts each box one at a time, so the tree is never the same twice. Made in three sizes.
shown in ambrosia beetle maple
$225 to $350
Rhoda
Rhoda is a low, wide box in the Lowboy family, shown here in walnut. Ask us about ordering one.
shown in walnut
Lowboy
Named for the piece of furniture it calls to mind. Five drawers across a low, wide case. Three sizes, from 8 x 4 x 4 up to 12 x 6 x 4 inches. It makes a good jewelry box for someone who has outgrown a small one.
shown in maple
$225 to $395
Frieda
Frieda is one of the Sisters series, a group of small boxes with feminine curves and the same clean lines. About 4 x 4 x 4 inches, sized for rings and cufflinks. A very nice little box.
shown in ash
$160
Retro
Mid-century modern furniture inspired this one. Clean angles, contrasting pulls, and a small footprint. About 5 x 4 x 3.5 inches.
shown in maple, also made in natural cherry
$180
Steadfast
One of a kind. Steadfast has sold, and there will not be another exactly like it. We leave it here to show what a one of a kind box from this shop can be.
sold
Resilience
Santos mahogany with a bent tree. One of a kind, and sold. Ask us about commissioning a one of a kind box of your own.
How a bandsaw box is made
A bandsaw box is cut from a single block of wood rather than built from boards. Phil draws the outline on the block and cuts the drawer shapes out of it on the bandsaw, following the pencil line by hand. The drawers are hollowed, the box is closed back up, and every surface is shaped and sanded until the saw marks are gone. Then the oil and wax finish goes on, coat by coat, and the felt goes in. The whole box, drawers and all, comes from the one piece of wood, so the grain runs through the front without a break.
Because every cut is freehand, no two boxes are the same. That is the point. A box from a template looks like every other box from that template. These do not.
The woods
Most of the wood comes from the forests of North Georgia and Western North Carolina: cherry, walnut, maple, and ash, harvested sustainably. Spalted and ambrosia maple show up when the forest provides them. A few boxes are made in mahogany, sapele, or padauk when a particular design wants a particular color. The drawer pulls are usually a contrasting wood such as walnut, cocobolo, or ebony. Each listing in the shop lets you choose the wood where more than one is offered. Read more about the woods we use.
Made to order, and worth the wait
Phil and Martha make a few boxes a week, by hand, and they make each one for the person who ordered it. That is why the wait is three weeks. When your box is cut and finished, we email a photo so you can see it before it ships. Shipping in the US is free, or you can pick it up at one of the places we sell in person.
If you have a design in mind that is not on this page, write to us. One of a kind boxes like Three Trees, Steadfast, and Resilience started as conversations.
Caring for your box
Dust it with a soft cloth. Keep it out of direct sun and away from heat vents. Once a year or so, a light coat of furniture wax or a drop of mineral oil rubbed in with a cloth brings the finish back. The felt lifts out for cleaning. The box should outlast all of us.
Looking for something different? See the puzzle boxes, or read about Phil and Martha and the fifty years behind the work.