Old Flame Box

Beautiful box….Wow how nature blesses us with such fine materials….Great Job!
Jim

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

The pictures just can’t do it justice. It is a beautiful box!! Great Job.

-- -- Remember, a chip on the shoulder is a sure sign of a woodturner.

That’s a really splendid piece of work. The grain pattern is just beautiful and it looks like you’ve achieved a smashing finish.

-- Stanley generally struggling

Wow! What beauty brought forth!

-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com

Very nice, that is some beautiful wood. Nice job.

-- Glenn, New Mexico

Beautiful wood, I have no clue yet as to what wood it is.

-- Dan Wiggins

Wow that is very nice.

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever...

Amazing wood and a fantastic finish! What did you use on it?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Great job!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

What an awesome box! Good work.

If that’s an old railroad crosstie, it’s probably pine or something. My guess is that the preservative is what gave it the dark streaks and caused the smell. Was the wood hard? Can you compare the hardness to some other type of wood? Was it difficult to work? Did you go back and get the rest of the crosstie out of the yard and see what it looked like inside?

I’m going to go cut up a railroad tie and see what’s inside…

-- Jim

Sweet!!! Beautiful wood.

-- Dennis Zongker

Good eye for grain. That’s some story and an even finer box. I wonder if the smell wasn’t creosote.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

gorgeous wood and box.
I love how something calls to us, sometimes for a long time, before we listen and do something about it!

Well done

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

In my youth I worked for Chicago Northwestern Railroad (CNW), for the bridges and building department (The B&B).

Most midwestern railroad ties are white oak and weight 220 lbs each.

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Wow Wow Wow… what a gorgeous box… and great story!

If you look at the top, it does look like white oak… Doug was probably right about the smell, it was more than likely the creosote. That’s probably what caused the darkening in it.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

I would say by looking at it, it almost looks like Walnut. But If it is Oak Its not white or red Oak. Nice looking box! Great find.

-- Davesfunwoodworking

VERY cool! what is the finish?

You pretty much said what it was as far as where it was cut from the tree. If I was going to make a statement it would be ” that my friend is Crotch Walnut”. The same as if it was crotch mahogany or any other species that was cut from where the two main branches of the tree seperated. It’s certainly walnut, could be claro with that kind of figure. Good find, nice material.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

That is an amazing fine! The finish applied brings out even more. Very nice job.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

That is very nice wood.

-- http://www.riverviewwoodworking.com

Wow ..The box is beautiful. The wood is amazingly gorgeous.
When your wife is out of town again, let me know, we cut a truck load of them. LOL.
Thanks for sharing.

Tahe care and work safe.

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

What a find! You really did justice to that piece of wood, whatever it is. Nice work.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Wow. That’s stunning. If I didn’t know it came from a crosstie, my guess would have been walnut or possibly myrtle but who knows. Whatever it is, it had better be for the missus otherwise there will be hell to pay for sawing up the landscaping:-))

-- Use the fence Luke

just amazing!!!!

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

Awesome piece of timber. Thanks for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Dude! Wow!

-- http://inhisgrip1.blogspot.com/

outputter—- The wood had the working properties of maple

Douglas—- It did have a strong cresote smell, but after all the
coats of poly, it doesn`t smell anymore.

Charlie / Macpiper —- The finish is multiple coats of WOP. Sanded
between coats.

Thanks for all your comments

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

Damn, my driveway is only asphalt. as for your box …. WOW

-- Odie, Confucius say, "He who laughs at one's self is BUTT of joke". http://woodstermangotwood.blogspot.com/ (my funny blog)

Sweeeeeet figure.
I think I would agree about the crotch walnut.

Thanks for posting

-- MISSION FURNITURE-My mission is to build furniture

I am ready to go rip up some railway ties now…your box is incredibly beautiful

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.

could be elm also. does it have a sawtooth interlocking pattern up close ?

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Dan —— I`ll have to appologize, I don`t quite know what
that means. I`ll look at the remaining pieces that have not
been sanded and let you know what it looks like.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

Great wood and woodworking project. I get real excited anytime I see wood like this and like it even more when it is salvaged and comes out so great. Well done.

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.biz/concrete/

Rick,Thanks for the comment. I run the box and the lid thru
the table saw. That gets it real close. Then I sand to finish the fit.
The wood was really something.

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

Rick,
That`s a good question. I just glue the perimeter strips
to the panel. I`ve never had one to delaminate but I
guess it`s a possibility that it could.
I`ll keep you posted.

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

This is a very beautiful box…I would love to have it sitting on my coffee table full of wonderful cigars…

-- Steffen

Beautiful. Just beautiful!!!

-- Scott - Katy, Texas

Beautiful box!!!! Be careful working around that Creosote I believe it is a carcinogenic. I agree with Dan above any RR tie I’ve encountered is Red Oak.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................