A Box for a Plane

I finally made it back to Atlanta this December, and while I was there I was given this beautiful little block plane.  It seemed appropriate to build a box for the plane, using the plane.

Here's the plane on top of the block of oak from which I made the box.  It's solid, but made from a few pieces glued together.  I think it's a section from a post on the staircase of our old house.

I started by sawing off a slice of the block to make a lid from.

I squared off all sides roughly with my larger block plane, after I spent a good long while sharpening it.

I finished the sides with the little plane.  No sanding needed.

I began chiseling out a recess for the plane using some small chisels and gouges.

I slowly carved deep enough to fully submerge the plane:

I chiseled a dovetail into the sides of the edge around the box, and beveled the lid to match:

I sawed a thin slice off the bottom of the box to finish the lid:

The two pieces of the lid were glued together and planed square with the rest of the box.  Here it is after a couple coats of tung oil:

The finished cavity of the plane.  I carved it as close to the actual shape of the plane as I reasonably could: