Marietta Wood Works
Category: Gifts
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Rebekah’s Keepsake Box
I have a practice in my workshop, or perhaps it could be called a bit of a tradition. If someone gives me raw wood in any form, logs, rough sawn or finished lumber, I try to return at least a portion of their generosity in the form of a woodworking project. Rebekah, a friend I…
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Five Friends Poem
Still Stitching Us Together, an original poem about five longtime friends and fellow knitters, came to us on the back of a cute, hand-painted Christmas tree ornament. The poem’s beautiful sentiment touched me, so I decided to engrave it onto plaques for each of the five friends. As I worked on these laser-engraved plaques, I…
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Camera Lucida
With several friends and loved ones who have artistic talent, I thought a perfect gift would be a custom-made drawing aid called a Camera Lucida. For those of you not familiar with this completely analog device, it is a relatively simple arrangement of a box with a mirror in the back and a semi-mirrored piece…
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Kara’s Ladder Vanity
As Kara’s birthday approached, Mona came to me with a special request: could we build Kara a custom vanity to fit her unique bedroom space? I was excited to take on the challenge, and after a conversation with Kara, we settled on a ladder-style design that would not only maximize the limited floor space but…
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JOY Yard Signs
After almost ten years after making the first two sets of JOY yard signs, Stephen requested another joint effort to create two more sets. One of these sets would go to Andrew and Megan, and the other set would go home with Stephen, as a surprise early present to Katie. The plan was to finish…
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Mary’s Mesquite Log
Mary was saddened when a sudden Arizona storm blew down a mesquite tree in her yard. Not long ago, Mary’s husband Boyd had passed away, and that particular mesquite had always been his favorite tree. As Mary’s friend, Deb asked me if they sent me a log from Mary’s fallen tree, would I be able…
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Smartphone Amplifiers
Inspired by the walnut inlaid amplifier that Kyle made for Beth for last year’s Christmas name exchange, I decided to make a simplified design, taking advantage of the lessons learned from Kyle’s build. I also took advantage of a piece of 2″ thick white ash left over from Kyle’s Platform Bed build. One of the…
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Score Four
A fond childhood memory was sitting at the kitchen table, usually in the wintertime, and playing game after game of Score Four. I think we only ever played by the basic rules, and as soon as someone won by getting four of their color beads in any straight row, the game was over and we’d…
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Christmas Projects 2021
Some of the ideas for this year’s small Christmas projects were inspired by special pieces of wood already in the shop. Other ideas came from woodworking magazines, offhand comments by others, and even a meme from the world of cryptocurrency. Rustic Bud Vases These pieces were made from a dried butternut bowl blank from a…
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Kyle’s Coaster Holder
On a recent visit to Rio Verde, Arizona, Jeff and Debbie took us to the cool town of Cave Creek. The main thoroughfare is lined with unique shops, art galleries, restaurants and even a shop called The Town Dump, a quirky gift shop that, sadly, has closed after 42 years in business. Lucky for us,…