Accessories

Ancient Kauri Letter Opener with Presentation Box

Box: 12 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ x 2″
Letter Opener: 10 1/2″ overall, with a 5″ blade

Box: Ancient Kauri, figured maple, leather, hardboard
Letter Opener: Ancient Kauri, 440C stainless steel, brass

The entire design for this letter opener was based on the client’s request for “the most Ancient Kauri possible” in the handle of a letter opener. The original commission did not include the presentation box, but the desire for lots of Ancient Kauri inspired me to design and build it anyway. The lid panel is made from the same piece of Kauri that the handle of the letter opener is so the color, grain, and figure of the wood all match perfectly. I covered the bottom of the box with leather, cut groves in the interior sides of the box to hold a hardboard panel that I made a cut-out in sized to exactly fit the handle of the letter opener and then covered it with leather. Once the box was glued up, the leather covered hardboard panel was permanently trapped in place.

Blue Streak Letter Opener

9 1/4″ long overall, blade: 5 3/4″ x 3/4″

Stainless steel, acrylic and aluminum, German silver

This is the first time I have worked with cast acrylic knife scales. I thought these were interesting because of the “silver” streaks in them. The acrylic has aluminum filings from a metal working shop imbedded in it. It gives the handle a very unique look.

Ironwood Letter Opener

9 3/8″ long overall, blade: 5″ x 3/4″

Damascus steel, ironwood, brass

I loved the look of this blade from the very first time I saw it. Rather than leave the handle flat sided and wide, I decided to give it a more organic shape. The resulting handle feels very nice in your hand and the ironwood really sets off the Damascus ladder patterned blade.

Paperweights & Paperclip Holders

Various sizes

Soft curly maple, silver solder

If you are at all like me, there are times when you just can’t come up with a solution to a problem you have to resolve. For those who practice Feng Shui, the solution to this problem is to put a rectangular object or a plant on your desk or in your work area. Practitioners believe the earth is made of five elements, one of which is wood. It symbolizes development, creativity and innovative thought. By incorporating symbols for wood – rectangles and plants – into your workspace, they believe you will increase the flow of new ideas!

I got to thinking about this and decided that if a symbol for wood works, wouldn’t the real thing work even better? Why not have actual wood accessories on your desk?

When I designed the paperweights and paperclip holders I choose to use shapes that were reminiscent of gem stones. I inlayed a silver solder band around them to enhance their gem like look.