Wooden Bells

Although they weren't as intricate as the carvings always around the holidays Mike and Pat would busily get making wooden bells.  They looked good on a tree and they were a great seller during that time of year.  They also made great gifts from our family with a tight budget and 5 kids.  This meant countless hours on the lathe making bells of all kinds complete with a functioning clapper inside.  The would be strung up all over Mike's office as he and Pat sanded, varnished, and hung them up to dry.

The examples below were my picks from the year's creations.  The one is obviously made from walnut but the other is box elder wood.  The reason I chose it was because Mike had found a few box elder trees that had streaks of red running through the white wood which was quite striking.  However over time the wood has gotten darker and the red has faded entirely.  Now it looks more like maple.

There were also a few rare school bells Mike made which were larger and had a large wooden handle however I haven't seen any sign of these in years.