Silver Maple with Walnut threaded lid
173 cu in
This urn will hold the cremains of a person up to 6’ 1” tall with a medium frame.
The container portion of this urn is made of Silver Maple. The cap is made of Black Walnut and it is securely sealed by the threaded wood insert that is made of Black Cherry. It has figure in the form of feathering as it was near a fork or “crotch” of the tree.
This urn is completely made of wood with no metal or stone parts. It is completely biodegradable.
This piece is part of a massive silver maple tree that grew in my mom and dad’s front yard where I spent all my early years up until I graduated and I have been turning/working with it sparingly over the years. Unfortunately, it had to come down about 10 years ago; it was a huge maple nearly 40 inches in diameter at the base.
When I was about 7 years old, my dad, who didn’t believe in training wheels, started to teach me how to ride my bike. His memory and my memory never quite remembered it the same way. He told me that he had explained to me how to turn my front wheel or use the foot brakes and I to this day don’t remember any instruction of the sort. As dad started me, he let go of me and my bike once I got my balance and speed up enough to insure success.
What I didn’t understand as I approached this massive aforementioned Silver Maple, was how to avoid running into it. I was with what any 7 year old boy of the time considered blinding speed, much like that of Evil Knievel who was very popular with young boys during that era, was getting closer and closer to that tree. Now, as a lot of maple trees do, this one had roots that ran out into the yard and the one I was quickly approaching could be compared to one of the half-pipe ramps of today’s skate parks. Since I didn’t know yet how to turn or use the brakes, I ran right up that tree at what had to be 100 mph.
I don’t remember how far my bike made it up the tree or when it came back down but, I do know that when I landed flat on my back, it knocked the breath out of me and I panicked when I thought I couldn’t breathe. Now, I survived with no permanent damage and my dad and I had a great relationship (I still can hear him laughing once he knew I was ok) and I miss him dearly every day.
So, when I got the opportunity to save the trunk and some of the large limbs from that tree, I did. Since, I have turned several pieces out of it, this is one of them. Now that you know the story you’ll understand why all of the pieces I have turned out of this tree, I named as part of my “Out of Breath” series.
Urn Dimensions:
10" tall x 7" wide
