I got really into tea about a year ago, and there is a plethora of tea box examples throughout woodworking. I was intrigued by one I saw that had deep grain texture down the sides. So I used white oak, which was tough enough, but grainy enough, to sustain a few seconds with a sand blaster.
I cut the lid from a spalted piece of sycamore. It’s color and softness contrasted nicely. I bored and glued the oak knob with some difficulty (there was tearout I had to resin fill). For finishing, I used danish oil and coated it with paste wax.
