Several years ago I got some holly from a tree a neighbor was cutting down. The wood had a lot of knots, but I was still able to find some clear pieces. It was very easy to work with.
Glue up, with box joints and a floating bottom:
Drilling pilot hole for the hinge pins:
Finished the holes using the long bit on the hand drill, then put in some steel rods for pins:
Then spent a bunch of time shaping the lid so it could open up to about 95 degrees. The mechanism works well enough. It’s relatively tight, and when the box is closed it leaves a tiny gap in front. If I do this again I’ll make sure that the protrusion in the back for the hinge is exactly equal (or slightly longer) to the thickness of the back, so the hole can be right in the center.
Finished with spray lacquer