Welcome to Medullary Ray

A jewelry box from the heart by Instar Design   This jewelry box was specifically designed for my client, searching for the perfect 5th year anniversary gift for his wife. He wanted tons of storage while remaining a countertop piece, a keltic reference, and the sensual box legs which I have had repeated requests for throughout the years. He shared examples with me of boxes he liked for storage but the design fell short in his eyes.  I came up with an overall concept and the piece evolved as I began collecting the materials for end panels, face frame, the legs and lid. I have never made this leg design so tall and I love them! Plenty of surface for that Claro Walnut to boast of it's red, cream and burnt sienna coloring. I also found a board of  Maple  for this project at Gilmer Wood Company   located in the industrial neighborhood in NW Portland. This Figured Maple was like butter. It milled, carved and sanded in such an effortless way. I have neve...

Design your Music Box with me! A recent music box custom designed for an anniversary gift this season! This music box is beautiful, thoughtful and personal with superb sound quality. The movement plays Canon in D, which has three parts, by Johann Pachelbel. You can hear the music and see this box in action here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XOiwZJG2Kj8&feature=youtu.be A music box can be more than a box to hold the movement. You can incorporate a jewelry box or other container with the movement. There are so many possibilities here! I'd love to have a custom movement made with our bedtime lullaby (Durme, Durme) and give one to each child when they have their first born.  Made from American Cherry because acoustically this wood gives a very nice tone when combined with the music box movement. The Sankyo movement is fine tuned by  Better Music Boxes  to sound as precise as possible. On their site you can listen to the various move...

Work is flowing in and out of the shop!  Here is a recent custom project I have been designing and building for an awesome client in Austin, TX. He wants to 'wow' his wife with this incredibly meaningful gift. Click here for more info about this piece Together they traveled to Scotland and saw the Kelpie tombstone below. We used this image for the main inlay in the top. Every bit of inlay supports the water horse and Celtic theme. I even carved the pulls like waves of water.  The box turned out beautifully! The Kelpie (water-horse) design on the top was inspired by a gravestone in Scotland: I hope it will hold her finest pieces and bring her peace and joy when she reaches into it at the beginning and at the end of each day.  Velvet lined drawer with walnut dividers . . . Made of Leopardwood, walnut and Maple and African Blackwood. hand carved legs accent this piece As my professor said "she is one very lucky woman". Enj...

I'm so excited to be back in the shop again! I'm crafting a dining room table (sketch right) with a big nod to Piet Mondrian . This table is made mostly from previously used lumber . . . the top is made from 4 x 4 floor beams that I took out of my house and the legs are made from glu-lam beams that were removed from a clients home. The slab is 2" thick, 86" long and 41-1/4" wide. This beauty will seat 8. The clean straight lines of the slab are such a contrast to the vintage lumber I began working with. Originally I was going to make a workbench top out of the floor beams and then I started milling them up and saw the grain was so beautiful and tight I decided to go a bit more formal with it. When its finished it will have a warm and inviting, comfortable yet stylish look and feel to set the stage for the right dining room! Check back for more updates soon! At the other end of the shop I'm making a very sexy jewelry box made from a discarded pi...