Cherry · Maple · Leather
La Herradura
The Commission
Derby Day
While juggling my usual projects, I got approached by the parents at my son’s school. They were organizing Rowland Hall’s annual Derby Day and needed a special prize for the silent auction — a horseshoe game set. Not a plastic bucket of horseshoes. Something handcrafted, with the derby logo and the kids’ signatures, something worth bidding on.
Despite my packed schedule, I couldn’t resist the chance to dive into this small, detail-oriented project. The brief was simple: build a horseshoe game box that holds four regulation horseshoes, two steel stakes, and looks good enough that whoever wins it never actually uses it for horseshoes. A box that earns a place in the house, not the garage.
The Design
Lincoln Log Logic
The sliding lid came from a childhood memory — the original Lincoln Logs box by John Lloyd Wright. That satisfying wooden lid that slides into grooves. No hinges, no latches, no hardware. Just wood guiding wood. The finger hole doubles as the only ornament.
For materials, I chose cherry and maple to create a sharp contrast between light and dark — balancing strength with portability. Cherry for the frame, warm and rich. Tiger maple for the lid and interior panels, light and figured. Together they give the box a refined but sturdy feel.
Inside, every piece has a home. Maple dowels hold each horseshoe upright. Hidden neodymium magnets keep the steel stakes from rattling. The interior is divided into Team A and Team B — laser-engraved labels so there’s never a question about whose horseshoe is whose. Every detail was intentional — from the proportions to the wood selection.
The original Lincoln Logs box — the sliding lid that started it all.
The Build
Cherry Frame, Maple Soul
The Reveal
Ready for Derby Day
Cherry frame with tiger maple lid. The Derby Day 2025 logo laser-engraved on the sliding panel — Rowland Hall’s rose and horseshoe crest with the year. A leather handle on top for carrying it to the lawn.
Four regulation horseshoes, two steel stakes, six maple dowel holders, hidden magnets, and zero rattling. Everything snug, everything in its place. The kind of box you open slowly.
More than a prize, this was something meant to be played with, carried around, and passed down. A piece that looked good sitting on a shelf but was even better in action.
Specifications
The Details
