The Dovetails standard
What leaves our shop carries our name.
We build in small numbers, answer our own email, and put our hands on every piece before it leaves. These are the standards we hold ourselves to, no matter what we are making.
- Built hereDesigned and made in our workshop. Not outsourced, white-labeled, or bought finished.
- Materials named plainlyWe tell you what a piece is made from, where it matters, and why we chose it.
- Designed for real roomsIt has to work once someone lives with it, not just look good in a photograph.
- Clear expectationsWe tell you what is in stock, what is made to order, and when it should leave the shop.
- We make it rightIf something arrives damaged or is not as it should be, we take care of it.
For this piece
- Eight lights plus a raised shamash
- Solid copper cups, hand-polished
- Three pieces, arranged your way
- Walnut and maple, or cherry and maple
- Made by hand in our own USA studio
- Signed by the maker
Nine flames
The shamash is supposed to stand apart. We designed the entire menorah around that idea.
Most menorahs put nine cups in a row and raise one slightly, or set it a little forward, and call it done.
The tradition asks for more than that. The eight lights should sit in a line at an even height. The shamash, the one that lights the others, should be clearly set apart from them.
Stand By Me is three separate pieces.
The main block holds seven cups in a straight, even row. A smaller block holds the eighth. And the maple shamash stands on its own, taller than both, rounded at the top, in a different wood entirely so there is never any question which one it is.
Eight lights at the same height. One that stands above and apart.
You can arrange the three pieces close together or let them breathe across a table. The relationship holds either way, because it is built into the pieces rather than into how you set them down.
The tradition asks for more than that. The eight lights should sit in a line at an even height. The shamash, the one that lights the others, should be clearly set apart from them.
Stand By Me is three separate pieces.
The main block holds seven cups in a straight, even row. A smaller block holds the eighth. And the maple shamash stands on its own, taller than both, rounded at the top, in a different wood entirely so there is never any question which one it is.
Eight lights at the same height. One that stands above and apart.
You can arrange the three pieces close together or let them breathe across a table. The relationship holds either way, because it is built into the pieces rather than into how you set them down.
Copper
Nine cups of solid copper, polished by hand.
Copper was part of this menorah from the beginning.
When we were working through the first versions of Stand By Me, we tried to imagine the piece with brass cups. There was nothing wrong with it. Brass and hardwood have been keeping each other company for a very long time.
But copper did something different.
Against walnut and cherry, it pulls out the reds and warmer tones already hiding in the wood. Against maple, it gives the piece some contrast. And once the candles are lit, the copper changes again. The polished surface catches the flame, warms up, and throws little bits of that light back into the room.
That mattered to us because a menorah is different from most of the things we make. A table has to work with the room around it. A knife block has to work with the knives. But a menorah really has two lives. For most of the year, it is an object made from wood and metal. For eight nights, you add fire.
We wanted the materials to work in both.
So every Stand By Me gets nine solid copper cups. We polish them by hand, then lacquer them to help preserve the finish rather than asking you to polish nine little cups every year.
Could we have used something more ordinary? Of course.
But there are nine of them, sitting right across the top of the piece. Once we decided they mattered, they were no longer a very small detail.
When we were working through the first versions of Stand By Me, we tried to imagine the piece with brass cups. There was nothing wrong with it. Brass and hardwood have been keeping each other company for a very long time.
But copper did something different.
Against walnut and cherry, it pulls out the reds and warmer tones already hiding in the wood. Against maple, it gives the piece some contrast. And once the candles are lit, the copper changes again. The polished surface catches the flame, warms up, and throws little bits of that light back into the room.
That mattered to us because a menorah is different from most of the things we make. A table has to work with the room around it. A knife block has to work with the knives. But a menorah really has two lives. For most of the year, it is an object made from wood and metal. For eight nights, you add fire.
We wanted the materials to work in both.
So every Stand By Me gets nine solid copper cups. We polish them by hand, then lacquer them to help preserve the finish rather than asking you to polish nine little cups every year.
Could we have used something more ordinary? Of course.
But there are nine of them, sitting right across the top of the piece. Once we decided they mattered, they were no longer a very small detail.
Shop note
There is almost always music playing in our studio. Sometimes a piece gets its name when it is finished. Sometimes the song shows up earlier and becomes part of the design.
Stand By Me was one of those.
We kept coming back to the shamash. If it is supposed to stand apart, why not actually let it stand on its own?
Once we did that, the rest followed. The eighth candle moved onto its own smaller block, and suddenly we had three separate pieces that only made sense together.
Somewhere along the way, Ben E. King gave us the name.
Stand By Me.
We couldn't really call it anything else.
Stand By Me was one of those.
We kept coming back to the shamash. If it is supposed to stand apart, why not actually let it stand on its own?
Once we did that, the rest followed. The eighth candle moved onto its own smaller block, and suddenly we had three separate pieces that only made sense together.
Somewhere along the way, Ben E. King gave us the name.
Stand By Me.
We couldn't really call it anything else.
Same design. Your grain.
Walnut or Cherry with a Maple shamash.
Walnut
Walnut doesn't ask for attention. It already has it. Deep chocolate brown with a quiet authority that settles a busy room rather than competing with it. It's the wood we reach for when a piece should feel like it has always belonged there.
Cherry
Cherry is the only one that keeps changing after it leaves our shop. It starts warm and gets richer every year, especially in sunlight. If you like the idea that your home should tell time, cherry rewards patience.
Maple
Maple lets everything around it do the talking. It brings light into a darker room without demanding attention, and the finish leaves it with a soft honey tone instead of a pale, unfinished look.
Specifications
Every measurement has a reason.
| Main block | 14" long x 2 1/4" tall |
|---|---|
| Shamash | 4" tall x 2 1/4" wide |
| Arranged length | Approx. 18" |
| Depth | 2" |
| Weight | 3 lbs |
| Lights | Eight plus a raised shamash |
| Cups | Nine, solid copper |
| Construction | Three pieces |
| Body wood | Walnut or cherry |
| Shamash wood | Maple |
| Candles | Standard Hanukkah candles |
| Built | One at a time |
In the box
- ·Main block with seven copper cups
- ·Second block with the eighth cup
- ·Maple shamash
Frequently asked questions
Before you light the first candle.
How many candles does this menorah hold?
Nine in total: eight lights plus the shamash. Seven sit in the main block, one in the smaller block, and the ninth is the maple shamash that stands above and apart from the rest.
Is the menorah safe to use with candles?
Yes, the copper cups hold the flame and wax, and they sit proud of the wood. Set the pieces on a heat-resistant surface, keep them clear of anything that can catch, and never leave burning candles unattended.
Where does the shamash sit?
On its own piece, in its own wood. The tradition asks that the shamash be clearly set apart from the eight lights rather than sitting among them at the same height. Making it a separate maple piece, taller than the others, means there is never any ambiguity about which flame is which.
What candles fit in this menorah?
Standard Hanukkah candles work best in the brass or nickel cups. We recommend high-quality candles for the best burn, but any standard size will fit snugly.
Why does Stand By Me come in three separate pieces?
Because we wanted the arrangement to have some freedom.
The largest block holds seven candles, the smaller block holds the eighth, and the maple piece holds the shamash. You can bring the three pieces close together or give them more room across a table, mantel, or sideboard.
However you arrange them, the eight Hanukkah lights remain at the same height and the shamash remains clearly set apart.
The largest block holds seven candles, the smaller block holds the eighth, and the maple piece holds the shamash. You can bring the three pieces close together or give them more room across a table, mantel, or sideboard.
However you arrange them, the eight Hanukkah lights remain at the same height and the shamash remains clearly set apart.
Are the candle cups really solid copper?
Yes. Each of the nine candle cups is solid copper rather than copper-plated metal.
We polish the cups by hand and lacquer them to help preserve the finish. Copper was chosen specifically for this design because of the warmth it brings to walnut, cherry, and maple and the way the polished surface catches candlelight.
We polish the cups by hand and lacquer them to help preserve the finish. Copper was chosen specifically for this design because of the warmth it brings to walnut, cherry, and maple and the way the polished surface catches candlelight.
Contemporary Menorah – Stand By Me
$195.00