Chalenge Box - Japanese Maple

Good job, Dave! I need to get my stabilizing setup running again. Not sure if its cheaper than epoxy or not, but that’s another good technique for turning junk into pretty.

-- Dave - Santa Fe

wow that came out pretty damn nice dave.that wood looks awesome.any idea what it is ? well whatever it is it’s beautiful.nice work.

-- working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Well it’s not a log anymore and it’s not a pile of ashes either! Nice work! I bet he’s looking for more logs to give you so you can work more magic!

-- St Augustine FL, Experience is the sum of our mistakes!

Finding firewood is easy, finding pretty boxes in wood is hard but so much more satisfying. Nice job!

I thought about the epoxy stabilizing technique when I first looked at the pictures of the slabs, but it turned out very nice.

Gary

Nice design on that box, Dave. Man does that wood ever have character!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers, Jim

-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!! Variety is the Spice of Life!!

Well worth the effort! It came out real nice! No doubt your friend will love it

-- Measure "at least" twice and cut once

Beautiful box there Dave. It turned out very well, from the grain to the fancy top. Well done challenge.

-- Eric, building the dream. the "Loft"

What a great box. You really did step up to the challenge. The wood is amazing!

-- We all make mistakes, the trick is to fix it in a way that says "I meant to do that".

Beautiful save!
Thats a keen eye and a lot of determination to make such a beautiful box from that Japanese Maple.
Well done!

Love a good challenge!

-- Phil, Missouri, http://www.HarmonyHeartwood.com

A really nice nature rescue.

-- Galootish log blog, http://www.timberframe-tools.com

Good save Dave, it makes for an interesting box.

-- Think safe, be safe

Hey Dave thanks for looking. That’s interesting about stabilizing rather than the epoxy. Let me know what yo come up with.

Thanks Pottz. It’s supposedly Japanese Maple. I believe it was dead for a couple years and after he cut it down to use as fire wood, it sat for another year or to. Talk about some punky spongy wood, this was tops.

Thanks Tony. He didn’t think that I should give it to him. He said it was too nice and my reply was, you gave me something to do and it was enjoyable. (sort of) lol.

Thanks adot45. I agree, finding firewood is easy, finding the right one doesn’t come along that easy. This one had me going for awhile.

PapaGary1, thanks. I’m gonna have to look into that stabilizing more. In this case it would of made things easier.

Thanks Jim. All that character is from the bug holes and tunnels. A little magic with different epoxy color to save the day and anything is possible.

Thanks kdc68. Just returning a gift to a good friend who gave me some enjoyment also from it. It was well appreciated.

Thanks Eric. This one was giving me a hard time almost through out the whole process. I’m glad I stuck with it .

Thanks Jeff. I still have two more pieces left but I need a break from it before I start another. hahahaha.

Thanks MrWolfe. I think the copper, brown and black epoxies worked out well. I did have a lot of determination but will admit it became a fill in project after awhile. Just a little here and there so I didn’t get upset with it.

Thanks filmorgan. I still love a good challenge but not all the time. LOL

Thanks swirt. I think you said it the best. A nature rescue, I like that. Most of the wood seemed so bad and rotted I would almost be skeptical of burning it.

Thanks therealSteveN. Definitely an interesting result. Getting there was more interesting. LOL.

-- Dave, Downers Grove, Il. -------- When you run out of ideas, start building your dreams.

Dang, that is beautiful. The dark streaks on the light wood almost make it look like over the top Black Limba. Excellent job !!! Mel

-- MEL, Kansas