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
- Cut from a single piece of Mappa burl
- Nine brass cups, raised shamash
- Hand-applied satin lacquer
- Signed by Asha
- Made only when availability allows
- Approximately 13 inches long
The wood
Burl doesn't need much help.
Most wood has a direction. Burl seems to have forgotten the rules.
The grain turns, circles back, disappears and starts again somewhere else. Pockets of darker figure sit beside quieter stretches. Even within one piece, the surface can change every few inches.
That is why Asha starts with the burl rather than with the shape she wants to make.
She turns it over. Looks at both faces. Finds the figure worth keeping and decides where the nine cups should fall across it. Only then does it begin to become a menorah.
With this one, the answer was to do less.
The form stays low and quiet. What you see across the face is one solid piece of Mappa burl, and no other piece will ever carry the same grain.
The grain turns, circles back, disappears and starts again somewhere else. Pockets of darker figure sit beside quieter stretches. Even within one piece, the surface can change every few inches.
That is why Asha starts with the burl rather than with the shape she wants to make.
She turns it over. Looks at both faces. Finds the figure worth keeping and decides where the nine cups should fall across it. Only then does it begin to become a menorah.
With this one, the answer was to do less.
The form stays low and quiet. What you see across the face is one solid piece of Mappa burl, and no other piece will ever carry the same grain.
Some years, not others
We only make these when the burl is worth it.
Burl isn't a species. It's an unusual growth in a tree that produces grain unlike the straight, predictable figure found in an ordinary board. And the figure that comes out of it cannot be planned or repeated.
Most of the Mappa burl that reaches us is not good enough. Too small, too soft, or figured in a way that goes flat once it is cut and finished.
So we make this menorah when the right burl comes through the studio, and we stop when it doesn't.
There isn't a substitute material waiting on the shelf.
Sometimes that means we make a handful. Sometimes it means we don't make this design at all.
Most of the Mappa burl that reaches us is not good enough. Too small, too soft, or figured in a way that goes flat once it is cut and finished.
So we make this menorah when the right burl comes through the studio, and we stop when it doesn't.
There isn't a substitute material waiting on the shelf.
Sometimes that means we make a handful. Sometimes it means we don't make this design at all.
Solid Mappa burl · Polished brass · Approximately 13 inches long
Shop note
I’m Into Something Good came from the Herman’s Hermits song.
It also happens to describe the feeling of finding a piece of burl with enough figure to make you stop and look twice.
Asha usually knows pretty quickly when a piece has something.
The rest of us know because whatever was on the bench suddenly has competition.
It also happens to describe the feeling of finding a piece of burl with enough figure to make you stop and look twice.
Asha usually knows pretty quickly when a piece has something.
The rest of us know because whatever was on the bench suddenly has competition.
Specifications
Every measurement has a reason.
| Length | 13" |
|---|---|
| Height | 3 1/2" |
| Depth | 2" |
| Weight | varies by piece |
| Lights | Eight plus a raised shamash |
| Cups | Nine, solid brass |
| Shamash | Raised 1/4" at center |
| Spacing | 1 1/2" on center |
| Material | Solid Mappa burl |
| Construction | Cut from a single piece |
| Finish | Hand-applied satin lacquer |
| Built | One at a time |
In the box
- ·The menorah
Frequently asked questions
A few things worth knowing about this one.
How many candles does it hold?
Nine. Eight lights across the face and the shamash, which sits a quarter inch above the rest so there is no question which one it is.
What does solid burl mean?
It means the menorah is cut from one solid piece of Mappa burl rather than being built around a veneered core. The figure isn't just on the surface. It continues through the wood.
Can I choose the exact menorah I receive?
The photographs on this page are representative of pieces we actually have. If you would rather choose your own, email us and we will send back images of what is currently finished so you can pick the one you want.
Why is it only available sometimes?
The wood decides. We build this design in the years we find Mappa burl with the size and figure it deserves, and we stop when we do not.
Are candles included
No, candles are a very personal choice, so we do not include them. This menorah does fit standard Hanukkah candles.
Solid Burl Menorah – I’m Into Something Good
$185.00