Large Ambrosia Maple Salad Bowl

Pickings have been slim, but recently I have managed to pick up this beautiful ambrosia maple bowl for less than $3 at Goodwill. It's 4 inches tall and 11.5 inches in diameter and very well done.

I'm rather partial to wood objects (I guess you can tell by these posts) and while this isn't strictly modernists, it does have a simple profile that I like quite a bit.

The wonderful figure, ambrosia beetle staining and overall size makes it a keeper. It also has an unusual finish - the outside is smooth with a varnish or lacquer while the inside is simply oiled. Looks like it was intended to be used as a salad bowl but doesn't have any of the normal cuts or dings.

This one is marked "Mar 95 Maple" on the bottom.

And it also has a label for "Woods by Weiss" and a Gatlinburg address. I found one listing under "Craft Galleries" for RodsGuide in the Great Smoky Mountains so my guess is the person is still turning (or at least the gallery is still in business where it was sold).

To get an idea of the size, this is what it looks like holding my new iPhone 5.

Have a great Halloween everyone!

-- John

Restored Dansk Surfboard Tray

I thought you might like to see the Dansk Surfboard Tray after I worked on it. Original post: http://thrifting.blogspot.com/2012/03/dansk-teak-802-surfboard-tray.html

This is how it originally looked:

A few notes:
I originally thought that the staining was just wax - I now revise that as with most waxes, mineral spirits quickly dissolve paraffin and remove the staining and in this case it didn't work. It could be that these were candles that contained other additives and it's those compounds that resisted cleaning. Or it could be that the stains were actual bottles of some other products.

1. After trying a couple of solvents I first neutralized and then lightly sanded. The sanding took care of all the staining.
2. I finished up with a quick rub-down of Watco Danish Oil - Natural.

-- John

Found Object - Wooden Egg Holder

I'm not quite sure what this guy was made to hold - the egg-shape makes me think something round or perhaps boiled eggs? Golf balls? Who knows - if it looks familiar please comment.

This is one of those things I occasionally pick up just because it looks good, is well designed or made from interesting materials. In this case all three apply and it was hard to pass for less than a dollar.

The wood has some very nice contrasting grain - at first I thought walnut, then maybe cocobolo but it doesn't have enough red in it. That made me think of claro walnut, but the density and weight doesn't seem to be right - instead it's probably some type of imported hardwood from South America or Africa. If anyone can identify the species let me know.

What I found interesting in this is how well the object is executed - many different round-over bits and back bevels were applied.

The wood in this is just gorgeous and the acute and obtuse angles just magnify the grain patterning.

Someone suggested that this might be some type of communion platter - I don't know anything about that - I was thinking I might try to find some glass inserts for the holes and use it for soft lighting with tea candles. If nothing else it would make an interesting if rather tippy trivet.

The piece is signed on the bottom but the initials or name doesn't make much sense to me - "DHcks" - perhaps it's "D Hicks"...

-- John

Danish Teak Trivets 2012.07.22

Sometimes when it rains it pours - in my case, having never found a teak trivet worth picking up I suddenly find myself with several. As with my previous post, and now with these well-made, finger-jointed trivets with feet.

This are marked "Denmark" underneath.

Here's a detail shot of the jointery - there isn't much made with this level and attention to detail much these days.

I also like how the sides are routed to provide finger-lifts to make it easier to carry whatever is riding the trivet, much like a serving platter.

OK - that's about it for this post. Good luck in the hunt!

-- John

A Couple of Teak Danish Items

Not much to be found lately at the thrift stores - at least not much worth buying. Seems most of the modernist items that I like have been snagged up by others. On Friday I found this nice teak tray - it's nothing special but well made, measing 22.5 inches long by 11.5 inches wide. It's also fairly unblemished (a couple of small edge scratches):

I like the bevelling of the edges:

It has a light "Denmark" stamp in the center of the bottom oh and the price was right a $1.91:

This second item I found a few weeks ago - it just sort of caught my eye as most teak items do. I believe it to be a trivet - this one made by Dansk with the usual markings and also the right price at 99 cents:

It's about 6.5 inches in diameter...

As always, thanks for reading and good luck in the hunt!

-- John

Dansk Teak 802 "Surfboard" Tray

My latest find almost wasn't - last weekend I stopped in a Goodwill and basically walked through the whole store without finding anything. Fortunately I walked back through right when a staff member was putting out a few pieces in the "wooden things" aisle - that's when I spotted this tray.

I call these "teak surfboard trays" for lack of a better name - the tapered ends curve up into the handles. This is the first I've owned, however I've always greatly admired the style and design. My friend John Stephens tells me that this is the second-from largest size, measuring in at about 28 inches or so in length (eyeball measure).

This example has great, intact laminations (boards are cut and laminated side-by-side to make up the width). Notice the darker smudges - that's candle wax. I've wiped down the tray with a bit of mineral spirits and have removed all but a hint of the circles. I then applied some Danish Oil. I haven't decided whether to wipe it down again or apply another layer and call it done (no pics of the finished item yet - this is definitely a keeper).

One thing I like in particular is the construction - this image is blurry but you can see the sliding dovetail for the "feet" trimmed with a few passes of a chisel at the end.

I believe this is an earlier example, bearing all the marks: serial number, "ducks" logo, "Dansk Designs Denmark Inc" and copyright symbol.

Good luck in the hunt! John

Heller Two Quart Casserole Designed by Vignelli for Heller

It's been a while since I've found something worth posting about - this time I found this Heller Two Quart Casserole with Au Gratin Cover Designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli for Heller - these started production around 1975. I've always admired the one that my friend John Stephens has - first seeing it during a pot-luck at the house where they brought a yummy dish presented in the casserole dish. I was very lucky to find this example for less than $5 at a Goodwill near work. This one is marked Heller, Made in USA and Microwave Safe - no chips in the lid or dish at all. Measures about 9 3/4″ in diameter at widest and 5 1/2″ tall and very heavy - the interesting texture is from grooves moulded into the glass. Very happy to find this during a serendipitous moment...

-- John