What to do with a Shaker box: Part 3

I leave the insides of my boxes unfinished or use a food-safe finish, making them perfect for serving things like nuts, crackers, or wrapped candies (though using them as chili bowls is definitely not recommended).

I’ve added leaving-the-inside-of-the-box-unfinished to my growing list of things about Shaker boxes that defies conventional woodworking wisdom. Any woodworker will tell you that you should have at least some level of finish (shellac, poly, lacquer - something!) to all sides of a completed project so that as the wood naturally expands and contracts according to room humidity, it does so evenly, thus mitigating warping and cracking. But I was recently told by someone most would consider one of the foremost authorities on Shaker box making that he leaves his boxes unfinished on the inside, and that the boxes get away with this because they usually have a lid on which helps regulate humidity variations. I also expect the thinness of the wood might moderate the humidity changes as well.

Which still won’t help you serve chili or a nice bowl of cereal, but for dry things Shaker boxes work great!