Box Elder

A couple of weeks ago, I found a big chunk of box elder wood at a yard waste drop-off site. (I haunt the place regularly for just this sort of opportunity.) It had some great red highlights and appeared to have curly grain, even though it was not an actual burl. (A burl by any other name…) With some difficulty I got it into the back of my pickup truck. It was heavy … and I am getting older.

I decided to use the wood in our July/August print magazine where I am turning a lamp body. The grain was more impressive than I could ever have hoped for. (Okay…I might be able to hope for it now!)

So here I’m giving you a sneak preview of the piece, just to share the cool-looking wood. But also to learn if many of you have used box elder. Its creamy color and occasional red streaks are very pretty, but I have never seen it in a lumberyard that I remember. Have you?
Elder wood turned lamp

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

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