The “English Box”

English Box, Thuya root burl
English Box, Thuya root burl

The design of this piece can be traced back to one of my earliest turned boxes. That piece took its inspiration from my close connection to traditional furniture that I worked closely with in my restoration work. We still own the original box, made all those 30+ years ago in brown oak though the form has evolved since then to be more generous in its curves.

I still make this box from time to time, larger than the original and now made from thuya burl. This burl grows on the root system of the trees and originates in Morocco. It has a distinctive cedar smell, which remains through the years so that when the lid is opened, a smell reminiscent of pencil sharpenings is still present.

The box is 4″ in diameter and 3″ high. 

27 Responses

  1. Oh my. What +Ellie Kennard said. Grabbed my eye immediately.

    +Steven Kennard, you say you still make this box. Does this mean that when someone sees a piece of yours that they like but that has been sold off elsewhere that you can recreate it? (I assume you must keep pretty careful notes and other documentation on techniques you use?)

    We bought a stained glass piece once like that. We passed through an art fair in Jerome, Arizona one day when were were taking a long weekend up north, saw this piece that an artist had created, and I liked it. I wanted to buy it to put into a light box, i.e., we had a friend (an accomplished carpenter) build a frame for it with lights that go inside so that the box could be turned on and off. We hung it above my mahogany Steinway piano. Anyhow, not being the type to make an impulse buy of an item of that type, we decided to think about it and see if he still had it when we came back through town on the way home. He'd sold it, but was able to create a new one very close to the original. It's hung above the piano ever since.

  2. Thanks a lot +Lynn David Newton
    In answer to your question, it is a bit like the stained glass maker of your story. I will recreate a piece very similar to but not identical to the original. As each is made by hand and comes out of my head, I don't need to keep a careful note of sizes and techniques. This means each piece is unique, especially when it comes to pieces made from figured woods such as this. Each piece of wood unique.
    In fact I do have one of these at the moment, not the same one that was photographed, but very beautiful with lovely figuring as well.

  3. Your work is beautiful. I looked through your posts and could not decide as to which one of your pieces I like most. Each one have something special. From the idea, to the wood combination all the way to the finish. Did I say the finish is outstanding?

    Great work Steven!

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