Moon Gazing Hare Locking Lid Box - Spalted Beech

Turned from a huge beech tree that fell near a friend's smallholding.

Over the past few months the wood has mellowed and begun to spalt, the beautiful patterns you can see running through it.

Locking lid boxes are complex to make requiring some specialist tools and plenty of experience and fine control to get things right. To open the lid simply turn the lid until the two dots line up then lift the lid. To lock it tuck the tab at the opposite end to the dot under the rim, drop the lid into place and turn gently clockwise until it stops turning.

It was turned on my Bowl Lathe, the traditional way of making cups, bowls and boxes for thousands of years. This wonderful lathe is powered by nothing more than my legs.

I have been adding animals to the lids of these boxes over the past years as they remind me of the creatures who also live where I do in Northumberland, who I see most days, and who I share this space with.

This hare lives in and around a small woodland I manage with my wife, and sometimes, when we are quiet and walk slowly, we catch a glimpse. If you are lucky you may even see one captivated by the full moon, gazing up into the sky like this.

This box is 6"/15cm in diameter and 5"/13cm high.

finished with walnut oil and milk paint.

Please contact me for shipping costs outside the UK.