I love all the great designs here.
I stayed close to Steve's original design but added a false bottom to the top tray and an ornate onlay to the lid. I also carved the back plate in two parts along with the drawers (but a little bit taller), mainly for grain matching.
It was a Christmas present for my daughter, so I made it with 6-year-old appeal in mind, but with the hope that it will have more lasting appeal than all the toy cars. She says she loves it, which put a big smile on my face.
I designed the onlay using the Celtic Weave gadget in Aspire. The wood is zebrawood. I carved both the onlay and the lid pull out of maple and then gilded them. It was my first experience with gilding, and I'm happy with how it came out. I made the central inlay using InLace. That was also my first experience with non-wood inlays. I'll probably redo the lid pull at some point, which is why it's attached with screws. I used Glenn's idea of putting little neodymium magnets in the backs of the drawers as catches. I used a drag knife to cut out the felt lining for the drawers and trays. I could have cut them out by hand, but then I wouldn't have had the excuse to buy a new toy.
There are more details about the project at my blog (
http://cncdad.blogspot.com/). I don't pretend to know what I'm doing -- just having fun. If anyone's interested, I can post the files once I'm back home.