Each year Walter makes holiday gifts for family and friends that he can build in batches. When he found an empty whiskey barrel in the alley behind his studio, he hand-trucked it inside thinking it could make great stock for these gifts. When he finally broke it down into a sweet-smelling pile of staves and a startling amount of loose charcoal, he noticed a familiar shape. On the credenza in his entryway was a Danielle Rose Byrd cherry tray with a blackened interior. That piece inspired this design.

WHITE OAK, 4D X 20W X 1-1 ⁄ 2H

—Walter Davis, Philadelphia, Pa.

From Fine Woodworking #305

Launch Gallery