one of a finds: wood tops

Since a picture speaks a thousand words in any language, the following tell the back story of how we got from there to here—the making of a set of five wood tops.

The Indian Railways, or IR, is one of the largest networks in the world. Its nearly 1.6 million employees transport 20 million passengers over almost 40,000 miles of tracks through nearly 7,000 stations—everyday.

Railroad ties, or “sleepers”, are approximately 40-50 years old and are being replaced with newer concrete versions. Once the ties are collected, the outer surface is milled to get to the core sal wood.

Traditionally used to play the Indian street game bambaram, five distinct top forms are lathed to create the appearance of the classic toys. With naturally occurring wood checks and markings, each of these decorative objects literally has its own unique spin. Measuring 4-6” long, they come wrapped in muslin and packed in a galvanized metal box.

One of a Finds original works are offered one time only as a limited edition for collectors and enthusiasts—the sal wood tops have a fall 2011 release of 744 boxed sets.

Note: this one of a find will be available early September.