Cocobolo Tiles - Place Mats?

Not much to report of late - I've picked up the "this-and-that" but nothing that I would consider cool. Sometime in early February I did find this item at Goodwill - what caught my eye was the intense color and grain. Picking them up was an experience as they are about twice as heavy as I would have expected. Upon closer examination I realized that the tiles are cocobolo - if you're not familiar with the wood, it's in the rosewood family and quite prized - it's also very expensive. The whole stack was wrapped in celo so I couldn't really tell what it was, but I figured at minimum the tiles could be reused in my woodworking.

Unfolding the stack revealed two flexible mats with the tiles joined by mono-filament:

My apologies for the blurry photos - I didn't realize how bad they were until I posted - however you can get the gist and there's enough detail so you can see how beautiful they are. Each mat has at least one tile "loose" where the mono-filament has broken - easy to repair. I think they may be Danish in origin but really don't know as I haven't seen them before.

I'm thinking about stitching the two together into a single centerpiece - thoughts on that? They may have originally been together for just that, or they may be place mats (one is a tile row wider than the other). No markings that I could find. If you have any info or if you've seen them before, please let me know - I'd like to identify them.

-- John

Dansk Teak End-Cut Coaster Set

I'm finally getting around to December and January finds - fairly "slim-pickings" from those two months or perhaps I'm just getting too choosy. In any case, I found these 8 coasters at Goodwill - they had the two rubber bands around them as shown, wrapped in plastic with a $1.92 price on them.

They looked great and even better once I got them home. I don't believe they were ever used - so these are keepers.

Dansk would normally market these in sets of 4 so I'm presuming that these 8 are actually two sets. Also, Dansk would normally mark the edge of at least one coaster with a small "Dansk" imprint - I've looked these over and couldn't find one so these are potentially knock-offs. However they are so nice it doesn't matter to me, plus they are extremely functional.

I'm particularly fond of the butcher-block end-grain cut of similar cutting boards. I find the grain patterning entrancing. Sorry about the glare on these - they aren't high-polish but due to the wood's hardness and silica content, they tend to reflect light.

More to come...

-- John

Large Dansk Rare Woods Tray

Recently I found what is probably the epitome of thrift scores, at least for me. With my love of modernism, wooden items, Dansk, etc., I had never hoped to find a Dansk Rare Woods item. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it seems that for a few years Dansk created items made of a list of rare woods instead of teak - I believe that this was some time in the 60's. All of these items are marked with the name of the wood and a branch from the species, in this case cocobolo (in the rosewood family) - they are also all very distinctive in appearance. I found this tray at Goodwill:

Front View from one end

I couldn't believe what I was seeing and immediately took a photo with my phone to send to my friend and fellow modern connoisseur, John Stevens. First, this thing is massive measuring in at about 15" by 30" with a slight lip and runners (total height is less than an inch). Second, considering the thinness of wood, it's very heavy.

It's got a few water rings and scratches but I believe it will clean up nicely.



Bottom View from one end

What amazes me about this is the over-all construction. First laminating individual pieces of cocobolo into a structure that would support weight using nothing but epoxy, then routing out the inside to get it this thin. All of that would be hard to do with most woods. You can see the imprint in the photo below.

It's hard to believe that this tray is still in the amazing condition that it's in - unlike many other trays I come across (and pass on) this one hasn't been put into a dishwasher (might me due to it's size).

There are a couple of edge dings, this one looks to have been struck with something as there's a shallow chip:

The second ding looks to be one from the factory (a small void where the wood had fallen out):

I think the tray will clean up fine - the scratches are all in the surface and very mild - probably from being stored with something laying on top of the tray. Some cleaning, very light sanding and a coat of Danish oil should be all it needs.

-- John

Dansk End-Cutting Board Tray Refurb

I managed to do some light sanding on the Dansk Teak End-Grain Cutting Board/Tray that I posted previously.

This tray was mostly just a bit dirty but it did have a few imperfections - luckily they all sanded out. I always start these retorations by wiping everything down with mineral spirits. It tends to get off any goo and the sanding tends to work out any residue. After a bit of sanding at 220 I wiped well and followed with two coats of Watco Danish Oil. I love the honey-colored hues of Teak. This one will be a keeper.

-- John

Heller Model 255 Deep Loaf/Pate Pan by Vignelli

As you've probably figured out by my previous post on Heller glass bakeware, I have an affinity for these Vignelli designed items and am on a constant lookout for them. Other than the two quart casserole with au gratin cover, I've only found a few incomplete bottom halves - my luck finally changed with this Model 255 Deep Loaf/Pate Pan, which I found at a local Goodwill.

This small, rectangular pan measures about 7" wide and 9" long. There were several square and rectangular dishes made for Heller - these actually pre-date the round casseroles by two years having been released in 1975 (the round in 1977 to be clear). I was quite excited to find this one intact, without any blemishes or chips.

From the catalog page, these are supposedly microwave-friendly, however if you want to keep any you find I wouldn't recommend cooking anything in them. I've had some discussions with my friend John Stephens, who turned me on to these, who seems to think they have become fragile with age. Since I've picked up 3 bottoms missing lids, I'm guessing that they are a bit brittle. In any case, I've grown to like them quite a bit so this one is a keeper.

-- John

Dansk Teak Serving Tray with End-grain Cutting Board

I posted this find a few days ago on Facebook - $1.71 at Goodwill (where do they get these prices?).

Technically this is more of a platter with a cutting surface, for cheese, fruit, etc. It's about 12 inches in diameter and in very good condition (no major gouges, with a surface that's just a bit dirty).

Dansk would cut small pieces of end-grain teak to get the butcher-block effect - these were inset into a routed space then sanded flush - an interesting technique that would hold up well provided the platter wasn't left submerged in water (I've seen more than one butcher-block platter made in this manner with pieces missing from the glue-up).

As a bonus, this example was made in Denmark (rather than Malaysia or elsewhere) so the teak is probably from Northern Europe. Full Dansk and IHQ brand on the bottom.

Apparently whomever priced this at Goodwill thought the top was the bottom (usually the price is marked on the bottom of these types of items). I was surprised to find this as it was mid-day and most of the dealers had already grabbed-up anything of perceived value. I'll post a pick later after I've cleaned it up - this one is a keeper.

-- John

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