Handmade Jewelry Box - Black Cherry Burl

        

Most handmade jewelry boxes I've seen have been rectangular, and, while often very beautiful, they're made from "flat wood" (ie, boards). So, being a woodturner (a "round wood" guy), I of course have to be true to my craft and make boxes on the lathe.

The latest piece is this jewelry box of Black Cherry Burl, featuring a shallow lift-out tray for smaller items.

Black Cherry Burl Jewelry Box, w/ Lift-out Tray

 A steamy, sweltering day this summer found me in the Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts, loading a purchase of gorgeous Cherry burls into my truck. The battleship-gray clouds that had quickly rolled in over the hills without my noticing them suddenly burst open, and I was drenched in a flash. But I was already pretty well soaked from perspiration anyway; doing any kind of work in the woods on ultra-humid days like that guarantees you won't be dry, so a little thunderstorm didn't make all that much difference. I was just thrilled to be hauling away a precious cargo of gems in the rough.

The lift-out tray in place

The landowner, who lives in an idyllic forest setting, had taken down some Black Cherries nine years ago to make room for a small cabin home he built, tucked away in a huge forest of Oaks, Hemlocks, White Pines and plenty of those Cherries. He wisely left most of the trees standing, taking only enough to make room for the cabin and a bit of open area to let the sun in.

But the most interesting thing to me about this retreat in the woods was the incredible number of burls that these Cherries produced. Virtually every one of them still standing in this grove (and there were dozens) had at least one burl on it, and many had several. It was the greatest density of Cherry (or any other) burls I've ever seen. I stopped counting at 36 burls on the trees within approximately a half-acre of woods. That doesn't include those he had cut down.

Lid and  tray removed.

It was from one of these fragrant Cherry burls that this box was turned. The lid, tray, and box were one piece of burl wood, so all three pieces share the same color and figure.

 Woodturners often pride themselves on making a box whose lid fits snugly, and makes a little "snap" when closed, and a "pop" when opened. That's nice craftsmanship, but many folks find it a bit annoying that they have to use two hands to open the box. So, my choice is to make the lid just loose enough to allow you to remove it with just a gentle grasp of the finial. It's a detail that eliminates one of life's little annoyances.

As for the appearance of the wood... it's Black Cherry Burl, which is synonomous with "richly colored, highly figured, prized North American hardwood".

This and other lidded boxes are available for purchase at www.bowlwood.com, and on Etsy at www.timberturner.com.

Sea Urchin Ornaments

 

This month's newest turnings are delicate hanging ornaments, incorporating various sea urchin shells and turned wooden "icicles", or finials. Woodturners have been making ornaments for a long time, and after seeing some at a meeting that fellow turners had made, I decided to have a go at it. So, I purchased a sampling of different shells, and turned some hardwood caps and icicles, which are glued to the shells.

Sputnik Sea Urchin Ornament

The shells are hollow, some being very lightweight and fairly fragile. Probably the most intriguing species of urchin shell is the "Sputnik", shown in this photo.

Although it may appear to be nearly pure white in the photo, the shell actually has subtle violet coloring in the vertical stripes between the "spikes", which are nodes where, I assume, there actually were spines attached to the live animal. The icicle in this example is made of maple that has been dyed deep-purple. This shell is 2 inches in diameter; the total length of the ornament is 61/2 inches. The icicle tapers to less than 1/8 inch in diameter.

These ornaments are very light, weighing less than one ounce; so, they would be ideal for use as Christmas tree decorations (it isn't that time of year already, is it??). Of course, they can be appreciated in a non-holiday setting too.

Green Sea Urchin, Bloodwood Icicle

This piece (left) is a Green Sea Urchin, a really attractive shell, mated to a Bloodwood cap and icicle. This species has hundreds of tiny bumps on the surface of the shell, giving it an interesting texture. The color is superb, and lends itself nicely to a Christmas decoration.

Alphonso Sea Urchin Mushroom

                                                              

And finally, while not a hanging ornament, this Alphonso Sea Urchin shell mushroom is, well, ornamental. The shell's shape suggests a mushroom cap, and so its new life is to be as a "mantle mushroom". With a turned maple stalk emerging from a gnarly hunk of bark-covered oak (with lichens still attached), it's the perfect whimsical toadstool.

These ornaments are available for purchase at www.timberturner.com.