A Work of Art

A few weeks ago, we invited woodcrafters to join us on our quest for an Australian pocket watch stand. Today, we are in for a very special treat: a watch stand that is out of the ordinary. Handmade from Australian yellow mallee burl, by an Australian woodcraftsman, Manni.  Manni is a fellow newsletter subscriber and watch enthusiast, but he crafts wood for living.  Here is his introduction to this exciting one-of-a-kind pocket watch stand. “What is a Burl? A burl is a lumpy looking growth that forms on a tree due to abnormal bud cell growth. They are usually found around the base and roots of a tree but can be found on the trunk and branches as well. The cause of these growths is not completely understood but is believed to be due to disease and/or injury caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, external stresses, and physical trauma. This growth results in twisted compacted wood resulting in wild beautiful grain patterns, sought after by woodworkers. You might say then if burls produce such beautiful patterns “Why don’t you see more Burl Timber products around?” and there are two main reasons for this: 1.    You cannot go to your local Bunnings or timber supplier and order a burl as they are hard to come by and specialised providers are just as hard to come by so woodworkers’ only other option is to go and harvest their own burls. 2.    They are very difficult to work with due to the interwoven twisted grain that results in opposing stresses and tensions in the timber and when machined can crack, twist and warp in unpredictable ways. To conclude, working with Burls is a time-consuming process. They must first be dried, then machined and rested in multiple stages, sanded, and finally polished which from start to finish may take place over a couple of weeks to several months depending on the size.”  A burl from the root of a Yellow Mallee

Slice from the above burl

Billet machined into rough shape   Two billets yielded from above slice

Machined and sanded to size

At this stage, Manni is happy to produce a few more pocket watch stands. We are not taking orders – once the stand is delivered to our office, it will be offered for sale. A number of subscribers have asked about the possibility of having a stand made for a specific pocket watch. We are not quite there yet, mainly due to the fact that each ‘non-standard’ pocket watch would have to be measured first (diameter, bow, stem length) and suitable piece of burl would need to be sourced. Our priority right now is to satisfy the needs of Seiko railway pocket watch collectors.   Once thing is certain: I cannot tell you how exciting it is to turn an “old fashioned” pocket watch into an art exhibit. A watch and stand are the perfect marriage, giving meaning to each other. A pocket watch without a stand to be displayed on is simply a hidden gem; and an empty stand, as beautiful as it is, serves no purpose.   A sophisticated synergy of craftsman working together!   As for the price: feel free to make an offer, and your offer will be considered.   Finally, if you wish to make your own stand, send me an email and I will send the .pdf drawing with all dimensions, for free, of course.