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
- Real burl veneer over a solid hardwood core
- Six burls: Walnut, Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut, Crotch Mahogany
- Each veneer lot inspected and chosen by hand
- Metal candle cups, fitted by hand
- Eight nights plus the shamash — nine cups
- Handmade in our Alabama studio
WHY THE ENCORE
We couldn't make enough Hey Judes.
Hey Jude created a problem we didn't expect.
Too many people wanted one.
Unfortunately, finding a piece of solid burl good enough, large enough and sound enough to become a Hey Jude is considerably harder than finding someone who would like to own one.
In a good year, we might make two or three.
Some years, none.
So Asha took a page from Richard's furniture-making playbook.
Veneer.
Real burl, sliced thin from extraordinary pieces of wood and laid over a solid hardwood core. It's a traditional furniture-making technique, and for the Encore it changed what was possible.
Instead of waiting for the rare solid block that Hey Jude requires, Asha could choose from Walnut Burl, Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut and Crotch Mahogany. Woods with wildly different figure, color and character, and burls we can source more consistently in veneer than we ever could in solid form.
That means we can make more Encores.
We buy these burls in limited amounts and make each version in small numbered runs. Every Encore is made one at a time, signed and numbered by Asha.
Veneer also means we don't have to price the Encore like a menorah cut from a rare, oversized block of solid burl. It lets us offer the design for considerably less without turning it into something ordinary.
That's really the difference between the two.
Hey Jude begins with the extraordinary solid piece we may spend a very long time trying to find.
The Encore gives Asha six extraordinary burls to work with, each in limited numbers, and a way to make more than two or three menorahs in a good year.
Too many people wanted one.
Unfortunately, finding a piece of solid burl good enough, large enough and sound enough to become a Hey Jude is considerably harder than finding someone who would like to own one.
In a good year, we might make two or three.
Some years, none.
So Asha took a page from Richard's furniture-making playbook.
Veneer.
Real burl, sliced thin from extraordinary pieces of wood and laid over a solid hardwood core. It's a traditional furniture-making technique, and for the Encore it changed what was possible.
Instead of waiting for the rare solid block that Hey Jude requires, Asha could choose from Walnut Burl, Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut and Crotch Mahogany. Woods with wildly different figure, color and character, and burls we can source more consistently in veneer than we ever could in solid form.
That means we can make more Encores.
We buy these burls in limited amounts and make each version in small numbered runs. Every Encore is made one at a time, signed and numbered by Asha.
Veneer also means we don't have to price the Encore like a menorah cut from a rare, oversized block of solid burl. It lets us offer the design for considerably less without turning it into something ordinary.
That's really the difference between the two.
Hey Jude begins with the extraordinary solid piece we may spend a very long time trying to find.
The Encore gives Asha six extraordinary burls to work with, each in limited numbers, and a way to make more than two or three menorahs in a good year.
THE BURL
Available doesn't mean good enough.
Using veneer gives us access to far more burl than we could ever find in solid form.
That doesn't mean we buy all of it.
Before we purchase veneer for the Encore, we visually inspect the lots ourselves. We're looking at the figure, the grain, the color and, when it's there, the chatoyance. We look at how the figure moves and how it runs across the sheet. And we pass on plenty.
Because burl can vary enormously, even within the same species.
One lot of Walnut Burl might have exactly the movement we're looking for. The next might be perfectly good Walnut Burl and still not belong on an Encore.
The same goes for Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut and Crotch Mahogany.
We aren't looking for six kinds of veneer.
We're looking for exceptional examples of six remarkable woods.
That doesn't mean we buy all of it.
Before we purchase veneer for the Encore, we visually inspect the lots ourselves. We're looking at the figure, the grain, the color and, when it's there, the chatoyance. We look at how the figure moves and how it runs across the sheet. And we pass on plenty.
Because burl can vary enormously, even within the same species.
One lot of Walnut Burl might have exactly the movement we're looking for. The next might be perfectly good Walnut Burl and still not belong on an Encore.
The same goes for Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut and Crotch Mahogany.
We aren't looking for six kinds of veneer.
We're looking for exceptional examples of six remarkable woods.
We inspect the actual lots and buy for the figure, not simply the species.
Shop note
Asha is a minimalist designer.
Which makes her fondness for burl a little surprising.
Burl isn't quiet. It twists, swirls, changes direction and occasionally seems determined to show you everything it can do at once.
That's exactly why Asha keeps everything around it simple.
The shape of the Encore is restrained. The lines are clean. There isn't much decoration because the wood is already doing plenty.
Give her Pepperwood and the menorah can feel completely different from one made in Carpathian Elm. But Asha doesn't need to redesign the piece every time.
She designed a place for the wood to be different.
That's really what makes the Encore a designer menorah.
The design stays quiet. The burl doesn't have to. See it alongside our other menorahs in the full collection.
Which makes her fondness for burl a little surprising.
Burl isn't quiet. It twists, swirls, changes direction and occasionally seems determined to show you everything it can do at once.
That's exactly why Asha keeps everything around it simple.
The shape of the Encore is restrained. The lines are clean. There isn't much decoration because the wood is already doing plenty.
Give her Pepperwood and the menorah can feel completely different from one made in Carpathian Elm. But Asha doesn't need to redesign the piece every time.
She designed a place for the wood to be different.
That's really what makes the Encore a designer menorah.
The design stays quiet. The burl doesn't have to. See it alongside our other menorahs in the full collection.
Specifications
Every measurement has a reason.
| Style | Designer menorah, burl edition |
|---|---|
| Construction | Solid hardwood core with real burl veneer |
| Burl options | Walnut Burl, Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut, Crotch Mahogany |
| Finish | Hand-applied, furniture-grade |
| Candle cups | Metal cups, fitted by hand |
| Lights | Eight nights plus the shamash (nine cups) |
| Dimensions | Approx. 18" long × 5½" tall × 2" deep |
| Use | Built for Hanukkah, made for year-round display |
| Craft | Handmade in our USA studio |
In the box
- One Hey Jude, The Encore menorah in your chosen burl
Frequently asked questions
Hey Jude, The Encore — Questions
How is The Encore different from Hey Jude?
Hey Jude is made from solid burl - a rare, signed and numbered piece we can only build when the right block of burl comes through the studio. The Encore is built with real burl veneer over a solid hardwood core, which lets us offer six remarkable burls, keep them in stock, and make the piece for considerably less. Same design family, different construction, different price.
What makes The Encore a designer menorah?
The design stays deliberately quiet so the burl can be loud. A calm, architectural form gives the figure, grain and color room to do what they do. The restraint isn't the absence of design. It's the point of it.
Why is burl wood veneer used instead of solid burl?
Finding solid burl large enough, sound enough and remarkable enough for the original Hey Jude is extraordinarily difficult. Real burl veneer over a solid hardwood core gives Asha access to a much wider range of exceptional burls while preserving the clean form of the design. It's a traditional furniture-making technique and the reason The Encore can exist in six different burls.
Which burl should I choose?
That mostly comes down to which wood speaks to you. We offer Walnut Burl, Pepperwood, Laurel, Carpathian Elm, Crotch Walnut and Crotch Mahogany. Before we buy veneer for The Encore, we visually inspect the available lots and choose for figure, grain, color and movement rather than simply buying by species. Pepperwood is Richard and Asha's personal favorite because it isnt a wood you see everyday.
Is every Encore menorah unique?
Yes, although the design itself remains the same. Burl figure naturally varies from sheet to sheet, so the grain, movement and composition of your menorah will be its own. We also buy these burls in limited amounts and make each version in small numbered runs.
Is The Encore a modern or traditional menorah?
Both ideas are present. The Encore has the nine lights of a Hanukkah menorah, with eight lights and the shamash, but Asha gives them a restrained, contemporary form designed around the burl.
Who is The Encore best suited for?
Someone who loves remarkable wood and contemporary design. The Encore was designed to have enough presence to remain on display long after Hanukkah is over.
Designer Menorah in Burl Wood Veneer – Hey Jude the Encore
$255.00