hand carved round wooden box with pivot hinged lid

This round box appears to have a finish on the outside that is very old and worn, hand carved with tool marks showing outside and on the unique inside. The box is 6 inches wide with two 1 inch handles the depth of the box, the handles being the same piece of wood as the box, a total of 8 inches wide and 2 1/4 in deep with lid. The lid is of the same piece of wood as the box. The lid has a pivot hinge mounted by a small nail on the handle, the top of lid has a small ring in the center mounted by a piece of tin the goes through the lid (like a cotter pin). The box's lid locks in to place by a flat looped 3/8 inch wide piece of tin (mounted by smaller nails), going from the box handle with a loop to fit over the lid's matching handle. The lid has a flat bottom, slightly angled 1 inch wide edge going all around, the lip being about 1/8 inch and the center of lid being 1/2 inch thick. The inside of the box intrigues me. It has seven hand carved out sections about 1 1/4 inch deep. The center section is perfectly round and 1 7/8 inches across. The six other sections fit around the center, the sections divided by 3/8 inch thick wood. Inside the carved out sections has a tool mark in the center, and appears to have been charred... or possibly darken by what was put in it. It has no decorative carvings. The seller had no idea what it was used for. I do not have the ability to send a photo and hope my description will do.