Holly Wood Table Top Planter

[Herb Stoops]

I bought some lumber from an Estate sale of a wood worker and there was a box with these short 12" long thin pieces. The owner had cut down a Holly bush and whacked off a chunk from the bottom. He resawed it into 1/2" thick boards. They had been setting in the shop for years just drawing dust.His widow wanted me to make something for her out of them to remember him by. When I got them home I found that they were so warped I didn't what to do with them. So after I had sanded them smooth with the ROS, they had the most interesting grain I had ever seen, you could see animal faces like eyes and nose and mouth.
I decided to make an obtuse planter box, because none of the corners were parallel,square, or the same length.Here is what I came up with:
Herb
Double Click on the picture to enlarge and see the grain.

[Stick486]

interesting is right...
what's not to love about your work Herb???

[Cherryville Chuck]

Very creative. The bush was obviously very knotty.

[Herb Stoops]

°The corners are all mitered, not 45°though. mostly bisected the angle because the angle varies from top to bottom and from side to side.
I held them together and used a pull saw to cut an angle as close to midway between the side. after a couple of cuts, they were tight and I glued them and used a couple of pin nails to hold them tight til the glue dried. Clamps didn't work because of the weird angles.
Herb

[old55]

Great outcome Herb.

[HandyDan]

Love the natural edge Herb. Never saw that done before.

[DimitriM]

Dear Herb;
I can't pretend to have understood how you fitted the asymmetrical bisecting cuts, although you explained to me in detail. (It is like the acrobat explaining to an acrophobiac how he walks on the rope between two sky scrapers "you know, you just look down and make sure you don't step on air...")
The technique aside, you manage to give to your piece an air of extremely wise aesthetic beauty, in my opinion. But a method of achieving a similar joint with the sanding disk is slowly gaining space in my mind.
For comparison, I will post right now a planter box (one of many) i made last year to make good use of some fine (8 mm thick) boards of cypress. It is only 90o cuts, with my standard 8mm dowel joints; they give a totally different aesthetic result, but still quite nice in my opinion. Have a look at the newer bits list

[Stick486]

I will post right now a planter box (one of many) i made last year to make good use of some fine (8 mm thick) boards of cypress.

@DimitriM, I'm not seeing them...
are they posted elsewhere???
I am looking forward to seeing your work...

[Herb Stoops]

Stick, it takes awhile to get here from where Dimitri lives.
I am anxious to see them too.
Herb

[Stick486]

it takes awhile to get here from where Dimitri lives.

oh yeahhh...
forgot about that...

[DimitriM]

No need to rush for suitcases...
In front of you, gentlemen..
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1247

[OutoftheWoodwork]

Love the color and wood grain of that wood, Herb! Very cool looking planter