Beautiful Snakewood

Snakewood is an incredibly beautiful wood which originates mostly in Suriname, South America. The specific gravity is around 1.2, making it one of the worlds hardest woods. The part sold as snakewood is really the heartwood of the larger tree. This wood is usually felled with axes and carried on the backs of hard working natives over streams and through snake infested jungle areas. Each tree felled is monitored, and the government has developed a strict permit process to control harvesting. Much of the wood has inferior or no figure, but the small amount that has attractive figure is exported. We use only figured pieces that have high density of figure. All snakewood has at least minute hairline cracks. We take the extra step of soaking some pieces in cyanoacrylate to minimize or eliminate any cracking. Fortunately, if cracks do occur, they can be hidden completely if caught early. We do not recommend attempting to dry snakewood, as this almost always leads to cracking. Being dense, the water content is already very low. To be successful, always have superglue and hardener on hand, cover the piece with plastic completely when not working on it, and seal it completely with a finish that does not allow moisture transmission. Needless to say, the wood should never be allowed to get overly heated or left in direct sunlight.

Summer of...

This is not the summer of shows as we have none scheduled until August. It is also not the summer of rest, as we have been selling a good deal of our inventory at shows and from our website. This is the summer of labors of love as we restock our inventory. This means experimenting with new combinations of woods, revisiting old favorites, making more outrigger boxes, that seem to be popular, and refilling our inventory with humidors that completely sold out!

Since everything is made by hand in our workshop, by the two of us, each one takes a bit of time to put together, but we assure it's quality that way also.

Remember that 10% of every internet sale of our boxes goes to support Children in Distress.

Wood of the Month: Zebrawood

The wood of Microberlinia (also known as Zebrano) is imported from central Africa, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo). The heartwood is a pale golden yellow, distinct from the very pale color of the sapwood and features narrow streaks of dark brown to black. Zebrawood can also be a pale brown with regular or irregular marks of dark brown in varying widths. It is almost always quartersawn to get the exciting alternating color pattern.

It is a heavy, hard wood with a somewhat coarse texture, often with an interlocked or wavy grain. The interlocked grain of this wood, like that of many tropical woods, can make it difficult to work. It is also a decorative exotic wood, used in a limited way for veneer, wall paneling, custom furniture, furniture trim, inlay bandings, marquetry, specialty items and turnery. It is also sometimes seen as stocks of handguns or in exotic guitars. In the past, it was used in Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Because of its hardness, it can also be used for skis and tool handles.

May Shows

We have only one show scheduled for May. We'll be busy building new boxes and designing more exquisite ways to store your keepsakes at home.

May 4-6
Brookside Art Annual
Kansas City, MO

Sponsored by the Brookside Business Association, the Brookside Art Annual is celebrating its 27th year! 70,000 people are expected to attend the 3-day event. There are activities for children on Saturday and Sunday, and light music in the evenings. Food booths will be operated by local restaurants. Come see us at booth 72.

Hours:
Friday 5-9pm
Saturday, 10am-9pm
Sunday, 11am-5pm

View last year's gallery HERE.

Texas Woods

This April, we have 2 shows in Texas. That got us to thinking about the kinds of woods that come from Texas. Since all of our boxes feature wood that is not stained or dyed, the beauty of natural wood shows through, and we think the types of wood that goes into each box is essential.

We use the following types of wood from the continental US:

• Ash
• Cedar
• Cherry
• Maple
• Olive
• Rosewood
• Mahogany
• Hack Berry
• Holly
• Walnut
• Walnut Burl
• Madrone Burl
• Ambrosia Maple
• Birds Eye Maple
• Curly Maple
• Curly Ash
• Curly Cherry

The following types of trees grow in Texas:

• Oak
• Pecan
• Ash
• Mesquite
• Palm

Only Ash is grown in Texas that we also use in our boxes. In fact, most of our hardwoods come from Asia, Africa, and South America!

April Shows

Come join us in April to see our beautiful hand-made boxes in the following juried shows:

April 14-15
Art City Austin
Downtown Austin, Texas

"Where the award-winning Austin City Hall rests on the banks of Lady Bird Lake. A gateway for many, a beloved tradition for others, Art City Austin is a temporary art utopia where curious and delightful discoveries await!"
April 21-22
Fiesta Arts Fair
SW School of Art
San Antonio, Texas

     "The art fair is nestled among the shady trees of the school's historic Ursuline Campus adjacent to San Antonio's River Walk, and in the art school's gothic chapel. This event draws over 12,000 people to enjoy art along with regional music and some of the best Mexican food San Antonio has to offer.
     Fiesta Arts Fair has something for everyone – especially children. At the Children's Art Garden, kids work with professional artists and volunteers to create their own mini-masterpieces. From stained glass to clay to creative new Fiesta medals, there is an art project for everyone to discover."

Wood of the Month: Olive Ash

Olive Ash is a hardwood found in the USA that is most prized for it's burl. It is found in many veneers and is a popular wood for making furniture.

Please note: we use no veneers, but only authentic wood in our pieces!