Birdseye Maple Box Lantern, Part I

For our first Box Lantern (view here), Kevin chose a beautiful selection of Red Oak to build the lantern's box and we were blown away by the way the grain presented itself on the finished product. That choice defined how we're moving forward with this collection: ensuring that our Box Lanterns are a full 360 design that displays beauty 24 hours a day - during the day AND at night.

So when it came time to design our next Box Lantern, Kevin decided to go with Birdseye Maple. Lighter in color than Red Oak and with a more delicate grain line, Birdseye Maple is fresh addition to this collection. One of the things we love about this particular wood are the unusual markings – the defining Birdseye marks scattered across the flatsawn portion of the wood.



Technically these marks are made by the Maple tree’s failed attempts at growing new buds. The buds fail to grow, but leave tiny scars in the wood that when sawn to its best advantage give this wood a distinctive texture and warmth.

In Part II of this blog post, we'll chat a little bit about our choice of glass and how this lightbox was almost an homage to a VERY different creature.