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Shrink Pot

Tulip Poplar with Walnut Lid
Milk paint, oil
6" x ~4.25" diameter
Unfinished interior, roughly 2 cup volume, dry goods only

Shrink pots get their name from how they are made: A green trunk or limb is hollowed out and a groove is cut just inside one end of the body into which a dry bottom panel is fitted. As the hollowed green tube loses moisture the body shrinks around the dry bottom panel to form a tight seal. A lid is then fitted to the top opening and the outside is shaped before finishing.

The lid of this shrink pot is held in place by an inner "keeper" made of cork. The fit between the cork and the inner sides of the pot is very snug, forming a good air tight seal. Because most shrink pots, like this one, are carved by hand (as opposed to being turned on a lathe) they are almost always a little irregular in shape, i.e. not perfectly round. That means the lid only fits in one orientation. There are small notches carved into the lid and the body to indicate the correct alignment.

The interior is unfinished wood with no odor, making it perfect for a precious dry good, such as tea, coffee, or herbs.

This shrink pot cracked while drying: I was a little zealous about getting a tight fitting panel in the bottom, and probably because I carved the decorative bottom profile too soon. Luckily the crack stopped shy of the interior bottom, so the inside is intact and air tight.

The hammered copper band spanning the crack is as much or more a decorative punctuation than it is a “repair.” It passes through the body, beneath the bottom panel, and is crimped over on the back side, like a giant staple.

​​I cannot promise that the crack will not get larger in the future—wood is a dynamic material that never entirely stops moving and responding to its environment. However, my best guess is that as long as it is kept in a stable, climate controlled environment, without huge swings in ambient moisture, it is unlikely to crack any further.