November 27, 2019  

Burr Oak and Silver Maple – Bottomland Species Put to Good Use

Post by Chris Wunder (Scott’s lovely wife)

This spring (March 2019) we completed and installed custom shutters at Lakeside 370 Park in St. Peters. These shutters are made from burr oak that was salvaged during construction at Washington University in St. Louis. A tanquil nature scene (hand drawn by non other than Scott Wunder) featuring local wildlife and fauna was lasered into the wood. The shutters were constructed and installed to be removed in the event of a flood. Who would have guessed that the possibility of a flood would turn into reality so soon after installation? The shutters were removed this summer and safely stored out of harm’s way, when the Mississippi River flooded the park in August.

The counter is silver maple and features a natural live edge. Both silver maple and burr oak are bottomland species which can be found in the park area in the Mississippi River Valleys.

Shutters and counter are on two sides of the building.

Closeup of one set of shutters at Lakeside 370 Park.

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About wunderwoods

Hi! My name is Scott Wunder and I am the owner of WunderWoods Custom Woodworking. We build wine cellars, built-ins and furniture from local woods, here in St. Louis, MO. Recently, I finished a three-year term as the President of the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild, which had me writing a monthly article for our newsletter. I love to write, especially about wood, and found that I still had more to say. Every day I run into something wood related that I realize some of my customers don't know and this seems like a great forum for sharing what I have learned (instead of telling the same story to each person). The main thing to remember is that I try to keep it light and as my wife always reminds people that have just met me, "He is joking."

4 responses to “Burr Oak and Silver Maple – Bottomland Species Put to Good Use”

  1. Carl Wardrip says :

    Beautiful work Scott! I love seeing artistic things done with salvaged wood!

    Reply
  2. Dan Brown says :

    I love the lasered nature scene and the nice grain match on the top and bottom rails. Well done!!

    Reply
  3. Doug Houser says :

    Very cool, Scott. Great job on the art work. I know absolutely nothing about lasering wood. How is that done?

    Reply
  4. Tom says :

    Beautiful work, Scott. Thank you for the post, Chris.

    Reply

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