For this semester’s Upcycle Project, I am drawing from the organic patchwork wood aesthetic to make a small set of tableware. This aesthetic is particularly enticing to me as a woodworker because I thoroughly enjoy blending different wood grain textures and directions to enhance a piece of furniture or art. Similarly, I also feel strongly about finding creative ways to ‘re-think’ wood cuts from various projects to reduce waste – and make more!

Table 101 by Alon Dodo
BASSO Live Edge Bowl from Mill and Mooch
BASSO Live Edge Bowl from Mill and Mooch

Prior to diving into my personal project, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite patchwork woodworkers who focus on sustainability and organic forms.

On the left is Alon Dodo, an artist exploring wood manipulations that are slightly askew in character. Using precise bowtie fixtures in his work, he is able to play upon the straight formalism that is often pursued in furniture fabrication.

 

On the right is a bowl from Mill and Mooch, a homewares brand out of London that primarily up-cycles exotic hardwood off-cuts from musical instrument makers.

This particular bowl was hand crafted from Canarywood and paired with resin and gold flakes for extra pizzazz. This approach allows Mill and Mooch to highlight the natural irregularities within each piece of wood.

 

As far as my personal project, I plan to follow in the footsteps of these artists using leftover epoxy resin, copper flakes, and wood waste from my personal garage and the Denver Tool Library community woodshop. Thus far, I have only ever combined resin and single-species wood to make tables, not tableware. Through this project, I hope to combine the aforementioned materials to make a small set of small serving bowls and/or plates that capture the spirit of asymmetry, further build upon my woodturning skills, and embody an organic patchwork aesthetic.

Before you go, some initial sketches of my (current) plans, pairing ash and burned wood in one bowl/plate and copper flakes with live edge maple in another:

 

Image Sources:

https://millandmooch.com/shopcollection/p/baaso

Handmade Walnut Epoxy Bowl – Cyan Design by Timberflow

2 Comments. Leave new

  • Arjun Ramachandran
    February 3, 2025 10:57 am

    Love this idea Eli. I am a big fan of this aesthetic and technique; I am excited to see the final product! One question – Are you planning to create an exact mold for the resin side using the wood piece as reference? Or pour the resin into a larger “block” and mill/carve it to spec?

    • Thanks Arjun! Very good question – I am planning to pour the resin into a larger “block” and carve it to spec on my lathe. This is a more recent development because I was able to borrow some circular silicone molds, which are perfect for the bowl or plate shape I’m trying to achieve. That should allow me to set various materials in the mold, pour resin over top and around, peel the mold off when the resin cures, then get to turning. Similarly, a friend who is a professional woodturner warned me that resin tends to be more brittle and prone to chipping on the lathe, so I am hoping that the mold will ease the turning process with less material to shape overall.

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