Flame Beech with a Ripple Ash and Rio Rosewood lid.

I helped the tree surgeon take this mature Beech tree down on the 24th August 2024. It was growing in the playground of Alcester Primary School in Warwickshire,  but it also overhung the childrens nursery next door.
Some form of disease was killing it and bits were falling off it so it had to come down, which is a shame as it was a lovely mature tree. When it was down we could see the beautiful 'flame' colours in all the limbs and the main trunk, which by the way weighed 4.5 tonnes. 
I filled the back of my van with all the crotch wood, probably 0.5 tonne, brought it back to the workshop to cut into urn sized blanks then roughed them all out before they could split.

After drying for a year I could take then back to the lathe to be finished, both the inside and outside are trued up and the exterior is sanded to a very fine finish before four coats of an eco friendly hardwax oil are applied. The lids and corresponding inserts is individually made for each urn with a handcut 12tpi thread.
In this case the lid is English White Ripple Ash with a Rio Palisander finial and the insert is English Boxwood.

It measures 245mm H x 225 mm D (9 ⅝" H x 9 ¾"" D) with a capacity of 3.2ltrs ( 200 cu in)