We had another wild, live edge piece of Koa similar to that which we used to make the votive holder, and for this one, we decided to make a rustic desk organizer/iPhone holder.  We did a lot of clean up on the live edge of this gnarly hunk of wood, but kept the basic shape as we found it.  We routed a groove sufficiently wide to hold a phone with case up to 1/2” of total thickness.  (Note, phones with thicker cases will not fit into this slot).  The phone could sit upright for a video chat, or can lie on its side for charging.  Alternatively, this space could also be used to hold business cards, a little pad of Post-It Notes, etc.  We also created a space to hold pens, pencils and markers.  For this, we used a Forstner bit to drill deep into the Koa, and then using a separate piece of wood, created an insert on the lathe.  We liked the look of the extra height added by the insert, and it is removable in case you want to use it for some other purpose.

 

This piece was finished with multiple coats of hand rubbed polyurethane in a semi-gloss finish.  It measures 12” long x 4” deep x 4” tall (including the insert).