Process

There’s a graceful curve in this branch and the color of the wood is creamy white encasing a dark red center. I’ll make a hanging vase to show that off, made from only this branch.

The branch is split, following that pretty curve. Now there are two nicely curved sections showing the color, light to dark.

Wood is flattened and sanded to show the color. The mirrored pieces amplify the curve.

Because it’s been sitting in the forest, expanding and contracting with the weather, it’s cracked. Cracks are history and shouldn’t be hidden, but need to be treated so they don’t spread.

These get filled with slivers and sawdust of the same wood.

Here it is filled and sanded.

The pieces need to be joined. A slice of branch is used, and the angle marked.

It’s shaped against a disk sander so everything is smooth and lines up.

A second piece is made the same way but with a hole to hold flowers.

Big crack.

Crack filled, hole drilled. The fit looks good and everything lines up. Now to make dowels to hold it together.

Precious dowels!

Holes drilled, dowels pounded in. The ends where the pieces meet were rounded because trees have no edges.

To finish it, everything was brushed in hemp oil and rubbed with beeswax. The flowers are called Chinese Lanterns.