St Nicholas Churchyard Live-Edge Oak Pot

A live-edge pot in oak, with the bark left on around the rim. It’s nearly 12.5cm tall and 12cm across, turned from the same batch of St Nicholas churchyard oak as the tea light holder.

Aside from a couple of tea lights, this was my first attempt at a live edge. The shape of this piece of wood suited a pot, and I’m really pleased with the result.

The green wood moved as it dried, opening a few cracks down the side of the pot. I filled those with Milliput, as I’d done on the turkey oak platter, and the dark lines give a striking contrast to the grain.

That bark rim has a history of its own. Oak bark is rich in tannins, and for centuries it was stripped, ground and soaked to tan leather. The word “tan” itself is thought to come from an old word for oak bark.

Finished with a mixture of carnauba and beeswax.