There’s something particularly striking about using contrasting woods in a project. It’s more than mere color — the texture of the wood, the flow of the grain, and even the distinct sheen of some species. All this comes into play when choosing materials, and even more so in a piece like this.
CHECK PATTERN. Checkered patterns are pretty common in woodworking. Once you know how to do it, it’s an easy technique to incorporate anywhere. In this project, we use two methods to achieve the desired grain directions in the check patterns. This gives the canister a sense of verticality, drawing the eye upward toward the knob.
STAVE CONSTRUCTION. As you can see in the inset photo to the left, the canister itself consists of a series of beveled strips, called staves. Through history these have been used to create water-tight structures, such as barrels and the hulls of ships, as the beveled edges only press tighter against each other as they absorb moisture. While strong construction is a bonus, our prime intent here was to create a shape that could be easily turned round.
All in all, you’ll find this to be an easy weekend project that provides an oppurtunity to
