Two woods, a maple bowl, and a Brazilian cherry sample, were hand whittled into a pipe with a rabbet joint that snuggly fits together. A natural twine cord was added to seal the connection. The tricky part of this project was boring a 3/16″ hole. The finished length is approximately 9″ (22cm) and the pipe is presented in a natural cedar dovetailed box lined with cedar sprigs. A natural oil is used on the surface to prevent splits and a beeswax finish give the pipe a pleasing luster.
We received a section of maple log saved from a break in a windstorm at a local park. This is an old tree with some branches close to three feet (90cm) thick. The log was milled into slabs. One section has already become a maple writing desk. This piece called for a more primitive, simple bench design. The ends of the slab were cut and angled for the legs. It’s very heavy and solid. A check/split was filled with gold glue to add a shiny feature rather than hide the mark. The finish is a poly/thinner mix to give a soft, smooth, touchable surface. 100% polyurethane was used on the top for a high gloss finish.
Approx. size: 48″ long, 18″ wide, 18″ tall, 100 lbs. #10-17-18
Golden glue was added to give the appearance of a gold vein in the wood…
No nails or screws were used. The legs have a slight V-channel where the leg sinks into a chiseled recess in the base. Glue fills the void and the legs were then pressed in…
This is project is now ready to proceed. A sample of purple heart juniper was tested on the lathe and several small pieces were made including a goblet and a pen and ink holder. Now the stump is dry and ready to be carved. Ideas? We’ve yet to do a garden spirit face. So the wood is on display in the wood shop and hopefully the face will become apparent within all those grains.
The intricate twisting shape has a lot of possibilities…
A single blade was used like a paint brush on a canvas to remove the bark. The piece sits securely on a work table. Keep hands clear and pick at the bark with downward strokes. The carver uses a Kershaw 1830 blade.
The heart wood inside has a rich purple color when exposed and coated in finishing oil.
While working on a walking staff, one of the carvers had a guest. This three year old black bear munched on hazelnuts that had fallen from a tree, while the human whittled. Both more or less ignored each other. (The photographer was a little more nervous, so the pictures are a bit blurry.)
The bear eventually wandered off into the meadow and the carver wandered back to the woodshop. Bears are more frequent at the end of the season. We let them do their own thing and they don’t disturb us. It’s a relaxed work setting for all parties concerned.
We found an interesting steel rod chair. It’s rusty and the seat was missing, but there are no accidental bends and the ball bearing feet are intact. The welds are still good. Rather than paint the metal, we’ve weather treated it the way we found it. The seat was made from left over spruce slats tongue and grooved, glued and stained a deep burgundy—the inspiration was the evening sky, perfect for a quality cup of coffee and some quiet reflection.
There was more spruce than we knew what to do with, so we also made hallway shelves, a spice rack, a tea cupboard, and a little table for one. Same technique, glued to fit and the leg was cut from six slats and pressed together like a vertical jigsaw puzzle. We did two tables, one with a round top and one square…alas the round top was claimed by a friend. We hope to have a picture of the entire set together some time.
It was a fun side project using slightly warped, left over spruce.
Table: 13″ wide, 27″ tall, 10″ base. Chair: 18″ tall at seat, 34″ back, 13″ wide.
Finished in oil stain and polyurethane.
