Ash · Walnut · Lathe-Turned
The Rocket
The Story
Team Rocket
This one started at the kitchen table, not the workbench. My son — a little explorer who runs on Curious George episodes and questions about space — sketched a rocket on a napkin. Wiggly lines, crooked fins, and a very confident declaration: “Papa, build this.”
So we did. Together. He picked the wood, helped clamp pieces in place, and supervised every cut with the seriousness of a NASA flight director. This wasn’t a commission or a portfolio piece. It was a Tuesday afternoon that turned into something worth keeping.
The Craft
Ash Body, Walnut Soul
The body is ash — light, smooth, and strong. It has that classic wooden-toy warmth, the kind of grain that feels like it belongs in a child’s hand. The nose cone, fins, window, and porthole buttons are walnut — rich and dark, the chocolate accent that gives the whole thing character.
Turned on the lathe in one piece, then shaped by hand. The fins slot into the base and lock tight. Three walnut dowel buttons run down the fuselage. A walnut disc inlaid on the nose cone gives it a porthole window. Every detail is tactile — meant to be touched, held, launched across the living room.
The inspiration — H.A. Rey’s Curious George, reimagined in wood.
The Reveal
Ready for Liftoff
Two rockets came out of this project. The first one — simpler, three portholes, curved fins — was the prototype. The second one got the walnut window, the banded nose cone, and the swept-back fins that make it look like it actually wants to fly.
They sit on a shelf now, next to each other. One is my son’s. One is mine. Neither one is going anywhere — except maybe to the moon, if you ask him.
Specifications
The Details
