GG's,

"Hogging" a whetstone case out of a chunk of Oak did occur to me.  However, I
have not one but two _other_ old monolithic stone boxes with an end grain piece
split out and MIA.  I surmise the absorption of oil greatly reduces the
resistance to splitting along the grain.

You've helped me to discard the piano hinge concept.  It will either be a lift-
off lid or have a hinge on one end.  Alternately, perhaps a pair of those
"pintle and gudgeon" hinges to allow the lid to be easily detached.

Will definitely get the beading plane into the act!

Ed-

The circles with the small center dots look like they were made with a Forstner
bit.

Somewhere, I have a set of NOS Forstner bits with bitstock heads to fit a
carpenter's brace. They were made in Connecticut.

When was the Forstner bit developed? That might give you a data point for the
earliest possible date for that box.

The stone, of course, was made in the year "1" by Almighty God & Co.

John Ruth
Ducking and Running!
P.S. Let's just say that the art of the drive-by gloat is still very much alive
in Albion, NY.