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Danish oil

See It Made: How a 3D Cube Illusion Wooden Bowl Is Built

Thomas Anton Geurts assembled contrasting walnut, cherry, and maple into a tumbling-cube pattern, then trimmed and turned the blank into a bowl. Make: reports that he finished it with several coats of Danish oil.

By ThatPainter Team 2 min read
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Thomas Anton Geurts built the bowl’s tumbling-cube pattern from separate pieces of contrasting wood, rather than painting or carving a graphic onto a finished bowl. He assembled the cube units, joined them into a larger blank, trimmed it round, shaped it on a lathe, and wiped on several coats of Danish oil.

That is the process summarized by Make: in its 2015 feature, which points to a video; it is not a measured plan or a firsthand account. The bowl’s curved inside and outside change how the assembled cube pattern appears.

What the Make feature documents

Make: identifies Geurts as a woodworker from the Netherlands and describes the design as a 3D cube illusion, also called a tumbling cube. The feature says he had made a 3D cube cutting board before the bowl, using the same broad approach of assembling separate cubes and then combining them.

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The report does not provide dimensions, cut angles, a detailed assembly diagram, glue type, lathe setup, or the bowl’s intended use. The steps below summarize what the feature says, not a complete set of construction instructions.

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How the bowl was built

  1. Cut the cube components. Geurts used American walnut, cherry, and hard maple for the contrasting colors. The feature says he cut individual components for each cube.
  2. Assemble the cubes. He joined the contrasting pieces into separate cube units, then combined those units into a larger patterned assembly.
  3. Trim the assembly round. The joined blank was trimmed into a circle before shaping.
  4. Shape the bowl on a lathe. Geurts took the round blank to a lathe and shaped it into a bowl. The inner and outer curves distort the cube design, changing how the pattern looks across the finished form.
  5. Apply the finish. After shaping, he wiped on several coats of Danish oil. Make: says the oil brought out the woods’ natural colors.

What creates the visual effect?

The contrasting wood pieces establish the cube pattern before the bowl is turned. Shaping the assembled blank into a curved form changes the pattern’s appearance, creating the impression of cubes tumbling around the bowl. The source does not describe this as a surface graphic or provide measurements for reproducing the effect.

How long did the project take?

Make: reports that Geurts’s complete process took “a couple of days.” That is the duration reported for this project, not a general estimate for other builders.

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Finish and food use

The feature identifies Danish oil as the bowl’s finish and says it enhanced the natural colors of the woods. It does not name a product or establish that the bowl is safe for food contact. Do not treat the mention of Danish oil as a food-safety certification.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the cube pattern painted onto the bowl?

No. Make: describes separate components cut from American walnut, cherry, and hard maple, assembled into cubes and combined before the blank is shaped into a bowl.

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What woods did Geurts use?

The feature names American walnut, cherry, and hard maple.

How long did Geurts take to make the bowl?

Make: reports that the complete process took a couple of days. The feature does not establish how long a similar project would take another maker.

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Is the Danish-oil finish food-safe?

The feature says Geurts applied several coats of Danish oil, but it does not identify the formulation or make a food-safety claim.

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