Acer Mushroom

A small turned mushroom in acer, only 7cm tall and the same across, with the bark left on around both the cap and the base. It gives it a distinctive look, and it’s quite cute.

It’s turned from a small piece of acer given to me by my old neighbour Jim, who also provided the wood for the acer tea light. This was my first attempt at turning a mushroom, and I was quite pleased with how it came out.

Acers, or maples, are best known for their seeds. Each one grows a papery wing, and when they fall they spin like the blades of a helicopter, which lets the wind carry them well away from the parent tree. Children have long called them “helicopters”. The same family gives us maple syrup, tapped from the sap of the sugar maple.

Finished with a mixture of carnauba and beeswax.