Making wooden boxes is one of the best ways to develop overall proficiency in woodworking. Boxes are relatively quick to build, require only a small amount of material, and can be made in the smallest of woodshops. And, of course, they make wonderful gifts!   In this all-new collection of boxes from one of America's premier box makers, Doug Stowe shows how to design and build eight distinctive boxes, in a variety of styles, sizes and techniques. Each chapter illustrates a key design principle--such as harmony, rhythm, texture, or contrast--and includes one or two design variations intended to help box makers grasp their own creative potentials.   The focus of the book will be on giving the reader creative license to make boxes that are more personal in design. But all design issues aside, this will be a book of beautiful boxes that woodworkers of all levels will be eager to build. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: Lift Lid Rectangular Box Chapter 2: Veneered Box Chapter 3: Finger-Jointed Chest Chapter 4: Bracelet Box Chapter 5: Jewelry Box Chapter 6: Sliding Top Jewelry Presentation Box Chapter 7: Swivel Lid Box Chapter 8: Magnetic Tower Resources Index This book was inspired by my adult students and their curiosity concerning the design of beautiful boxes. As I teach and as I do my own creative box making, I find the principles and elements of design to be useful, helping me to think through the various design opportunities each box presents. It is my hope that this book helps my readers become more comfortable with their native design skills as they also develop greater technical proficiency in their work. The projects in this book should do the trick... helping woodworkers to become better designers as well as better craftsmen. It is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on design. There are not enough projects for that. But I believe this book will encourage readers to become more courageous and effective in their box designs. Doug Stowe is a professional furniture designer and box maker. He is the author of 8 books: Beautiful Boxes: Design and Technique, Rustic Furniture Basics, Building Small Cabinets, Basic Box Making, Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Box Making, Creating Beautiful Boxes with Inlay Techniques, Simply Beautiful Boxes, and Making Elegant Custom Tables. He also writes for Fine Woodworking and other woodworking magazines. In 2001 he started a pre-K through 12th grade woodworking program called "Wisdom of the Hands", recognizing the importance of hands-on learning for all children. Two of Stowe's books have been translated into German. Complete Illustrated Guide to Box Making is available in German as Kästen Schachteln: perfect knostruieren und bauen . Building Small Cabinets has been translated and published as Kleine Schränke: 8 faszinierende Modelle . Stowe teaches adults at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, and for various wood working clubs throughout the US.