- Black Acacia
- Steel
After working with tree slabs to create the coffee tables, I gained a deeper appreciation for the beauty of live edges. I wanted to work on a project where I could preserve the nature of the tree rather than force a design on it. The idea of floating shelves seemed simple enough.
Once again, I went to my favorite resource; Craigslist. I found a local operation that salvages old trees from various locations around the Bay Area. The trees are either dying or in need of removal. They are then cut into slabs and resold to the public. This particular piece is from an old Black Acacia tree that was removed from the Oakland Hills.
I cut the slab in half, removed the bark and wire brushed the edges. By cutting it along the diagonal, I gained two shelves. After a bit of welding it was ready for mounting. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the other half.
The display case on the wall contains the work of my youngest daughter. From the age of 10-12 she was obsessed with creating miniatures out of polymer clay. Although she doesn't believe it, she is also an exceptional painter. That is one of her hand painted iphone cases.
We've tried to encourage her to start a business and sell her work but she has somehow inherited my "One-off" mentality. She enjoys the process and challenge of making something, not to be duplicated.