Dale Chase

Morton “Dale” Chase was an American ornamental wood turning artist who had a passion for perfecting the most exceptional boxes possible – redefining the meaning of vibrance and intricacy in wood craft. Starting in 1972 when he acquired a 150-year-old Holtzapffel lathe, Chase spent the next 12 years exploring ornamentation and developing his style for unique boxes rich with detail. He advanced his style through exploring the Rose Engine technique, an uncommon, complex style of ornamentation at the time. His consistent refining of his precision with the Holtzapffel had eventually led him to successfully make internal ornamentation, creating minimalist boxes with surprising insides when opened. 

An important development of Chase’s artistic development came from meeting master machinist Walter Balliet at the 1987 International Turned Object Show hosted by the Wood Turning Center. Balliet, an instrumental toolmaker who knew the intricacies of building ornamental lathes communicated Chase frequently via phone and mail to exchange ideas, designs, and tools. When Balliet made Chase a new cutter or tool, Chase sent Balliet a box showing the spectacular results of their collaboration. 

It was in 2003 that Chase began to study his two-layer wood boxes from earlier years after encouragement from collectors, curators, and gallery owners. He evolved into creating multi-colored three-layer boxes, which became the highlight of his turning career as seen during the solo exhibition at del Mano Gallery in December 2005. The boxes are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Honolulu Museum of Art, Yale University Museum of Art, and several others, as well as in personal collections across the world.