“Kransekake” is the Norwegian name for “crown cake, or more specifically “wreath cake,” a unique ringed Scandinavian wedding cake that was my inspiration to design this decorative tree. I have made thousands of them since about 1982. Some people think of them as a Christmas tree, and it can be whatever you want once you buy it, but it is based on the wedding cake and does have special meaning for relationships.
I sell my eight inch size for $90, which includes free shipping. The larger sizes are $225 for the 12 inch and $365 for the 16 inch, which include free shipping.

A young girl in her bunad shows off the Kransekake cake, which is actually a “tree of rings.”
The Danes and Swedes have their own variation as well. This decorative tile by Suzanne Toftey shows the Kransekake cake in its setting in Scandinavian festivals, especially weddings.
This historic cake and my tree-of-rings design have rich and ancient symbolism for marriage and loving relationships. In Northern Europe, both the rings (think wedding rings) and the evergreen shape symbolize never-ending or everlasting. So the shape is meant to wish the recipients a relationship that lasts forever.
I am a woodturning artist from the Lakes country of Minnesota and also a Lutheran pastor. I grew up in a Norwegian American ghetto in Northern Iowa and my family has always revered its Scandinavian roots. I have made many trips to Scandinavia and am much influenced by the art and craft of Northern Europe’s “wood culture.” You can see others of my blogs that share stories of three Norwegian woodturners I have met and photographed.
I turn the trees, rings and all, from one piece of local sugar maple and sometimes cherry. This is a variation of the old woodturner’s trick of “rings on a spindle.” These rings come from the same piece of wood and are not added later. For many centuries and in many parts of the world, turners have used the rings to add a special decorative touch to their work. You can see the block of 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 X 8 inch maple and then the first shaping into the cone.
The next photo shows the grooves made between the rings and the first 3 rings at the top released. I use a modified skew chisel to undercut the rings from each side. It is very delicate work and if I cut too deep, the rings will not stay high and even on the cone. After I have cut all the rings, I use my skew chisel to smooth the underlying cone’s surface. If I have cut the rings consistently, I won’t have to cut off too much material and the rings won’t slip too far down the cone. Click on the pictures below for captions.
I have turned bowls for many rosemaling artists, but I love Karen Jenson and her sense of Scandinavian style. When I visit her house, enter through the garden gate, see the incredible chandelier and all the wonderful pieces everywhere in her house, I can’t wait to see what she has done with my bowls.
And there they are. She has done 4 bowls in this last batch, including a larger one with a large bark edged crack. I love that she has highlighted the crack and made it the feature of the bowl.
She’s a rosemaling genius.

I had a great trip to Pennsylvania lately to see my daughter and I took a side trip to Philadelphia to see one of the holy sites for woodturners. One of the birthplaces of the new modern interest in woodturning and of the American Association of Woodturners was Philadelphia, where the LeCoff brothers and many others started sponsoring woodturning symposia in the early 1970’s and had the first idea of a woodturning center in 1976.
That center, now called the Center for Art in Wood is now open in a wonderful section of Old Town Philadelphia on one of the oldest alleys in America. It’s located within blocks of the Betsy Ross House and Benjamin Franklin’s Christ Church and is now surrounded by galleries and unique restaurants. Albert LeCoff is the director and its supporters and those represented in its extensive collection are a virtual Who’s Who of Woodturning. In December of 2014 there was a wood sculpture display by Emil Milan, which shows that the center has widened its appeal from simply woodturning. Also on display was the amazing work of Ron Fleming, a long time master of turning. Before Fleming was a woodturner, he was a professional airbrush artist and you can see his fine arts background in the elegant shapes and the piercing and carvings of leaves and animals in his hollow vessels. He was one of the first turners to take his woodturning a step further by embellishing with other skills, in his case naturalistic carving. You can see more of his amazing turnings at his website
Besides the short term exhibitions, the Center has over 1000 objects of wood, mostly turned, by the world’s most famous woodturners. The website has a wonderful virtual tour that introduces you to all the artists and objects in its collection. There is also an extensive research library there that would be a “must” if you have serious interest in exploring woodturning more deeply.
The store also has the finest collection of woodturning for sale I have ever seen. I purchased a bowl by Robin Wood, am English pole lathe turner whom I have admired for many years but have never seen his work in person. I get the impression that most of the items are donated by the makers to benefit the work of the Center. Again, remarkable support from the world community of woodturners.
Just at the other end of the historic alley from the Center is another very interesting woodturning site, the factory of the John Grass Wood Turning Company. Though it’s only in the process of restoration, it is by all accounts a remarkable artifact of turning’s history in America. The factory was founded in the 1860’s and functioned until 2003 and often employed dozen of mostly immigrant turners. The old line shafts and lathes are all still there and the goal is to restore the factory as a showplace and museum of the days when Philadelphia was called the “Workshop of the World.” I will follow the progress of the restoration and look forward to visiting again when that work is complete. You can see a video and learn more of its history in the center’s website.
Philadelphia is an amazing city for many reasons, and very easy to reach if you visit anywhere in the Eastern Seaboard. Of course it’s worth a visit to Independence Hall and the birthplace of America, but you can also visit some of the historic sites of woodturning history and delight in how far it’s come.
Wood
Of all the elements, it is happiest in our houses.
It will sit with us, eat with us, lie down
and hold our books (themselves a rustling woods),
bearing our floors and roofs without weariness,
for unlike us it does not resent its faithfulness
or question why, for what, how long?
James Richardson
from “Essay on Wood” in The New Yorker (June 9 & 16, 2014)