Rotten to the Core

A couple of years ago, I cut down an apple tree in my yard. It wasn’t dead it had just blown over in a storm. It was approximately 9” in diameter. I was impressed how light colored the wood was inside and thought I’d keep a piece to make a box. I roughed out a rectangular hunk from the trunk and set it under my bench to dry. I was surprised how bad the piece cracked and checked in just a couple of months, but yet it took on some character that made it more interesting. After about four more months I cut a section for the lid and roughed out the inside then set it aside for six more months to dry. When it seemed like it was dry and finished cracking and checking, I cut the outside to a finished size of about 4’’ x 7’’. I cut the inside pocket so the wall thickness was about 1/2’’ thick then set in a cherry liner and cut the lid to fit. A few of the large splits and cracks I filled with epoxy to help hold it together while machining, but most of the stability comes from the cherry liner. I wish I had taken more pictures of the box before I gave it to my mother for Christmas last year. Even with all its faults it was still a nice looking chunk of wood. A simple little project that didn’t cost much but seemed to turn out nice. Thanks for looking.

-- Doug