furniture,,,
A Birds Eye Eastern Maple Jewel Case
A gift to his daughter
This little jewelry case was a special commission.
The client ordered the Birds Eye Maple and Ebony from back east from an old friend of his, who was a lumber broker.
"Send me the best you have!" He boasted,,,
I was THRILLED by the package he brought me. This wood is some of the finest instrument quality I have ever seen.
I was to design a case that would be presented to the daughter for her birthday.
To say I was a little nervous making the cuts was a huge understatement.
The wood was so full of eyes. They were spaced 1/4 inch apart evenly in every direction. The pattern was amazing. The challenge of working birds eye maple is daunting at the best of times. To get to the final finish without popping one of those eyes is nerve wracking. The lamination of the door panel turned out seamless, in joinery and colour.
The first case was a disaster! Though that turned out to be a blessing. It was made entirely of Birds eye,,, I buggered up the case right near the end of the first attempt,,, I took it all apart and changed the wood of the case to RED maple, that was a good decision as it gave a highlight to the spectacular Birdseye.
The soft contrast in colour and textural effect worked very well together.
The little box at the bottom is the travel case, a design feature I slid in there as smoothly as the box goes into the case. Instead of a drawer I decided on the box. His daughter was a traveler so I thought she may be able to use it for this purpose.
The client ordered the Birds Eye Maple and Ebony from back east from an old friend of his, who was a lumber broker.
"Send me the best you have!" He boasted,,,
I was THRILLED by the package he brought me. This wood is some of the finest instrument quality I have ever seen.
I was to design a case that would be presented to the daughter for her birthday.
To say I was a little nervous making the cuts was a huge understatement.
The wood was so full of eyes. They were spaced 1/4 inch apart evenly in every direction. The pattern was amazing. The challenge of working birds eye maple is daunting at the best of times. To get to the final finish without popping one of those eyes is nerve wracking. The lamination of the door panel turned out seamless, in joinery and colour.
The first case was a disaster! Though that turned out to be a blessing. It was made entirely of Birds eye,,, I buggered up the case right near the end of the first attempt,,, I took it all apart and changed the wood of the case to RED maple, that was a good decision as it gave a highlight to the spectacular Birdseye.
The soft contrast in colour and textural effect worked very well together.
The little box at the bottom is the travel case, a design feature I slid in there as smoothly as the box goes into the case. Instead of a drawer I decided on the box. His daughter was a traveler so I thought she may be able to use it for this purpose.
The other features of the case were the hand cut, half dovetails drawer faces, the little carousel to hang the chains, this slides in or out of the top of the case with a little "T" slot made to blend into the top trim face of the Ebony. The small recess on the edge of the case frame I carved rather than make a pull for the door. That I thought would detract from the framing of the perfect panel of birds eye.
The back panel was also Birdseye panels divided and the internal frame, Birdseye.
Hardware was brass and the lock box was exposed to the inside of the case. With the key access through a small hole in the side. Scissor hinges for the door.
Ebony was used for a contrast to the maple and to create a decisive optical effect of breaking all this busy pattern into little features.
The back panel was also Birdseye panels divided and the internal frame, Birdseye.
Hardware was brass and the lock box was exposed to the inside of the case. With the key access through a small hole in the side. Scissor hinges for the door.
Ebony was used for a contrast to the maple and to create a decisive optical effect of breaking all this busy pattern into little features.
Stool,,,
This little three leg stool has been a comfort i made several years ago to add to my shop furnishings ,,, many an hour has been spent perched on it carving spoons and sanding them,,, many a friend has sat in the studio and shared coffee and chatter from this seat,,, and it is holding this knife box with the latest spoon and tools handy for me to use,,, SIMPLE things that make a difference to my world,,,
Bed,,,
Sunset bed
This project was commissioned by a friend who was investing in my dream!
It all started with a question " Do you have a beautiful board for a headboard?"
"YES as a matter of fact I think I do!" the reply.
As it worked out the one I thought would work had this crack running the full length. so I decided to split it and carve the two pieces into a very stylised cloud formation. the Oak posts came from dunnage off a steel haulers load. A gift from the driver. The rails I think I bought. Decking was provided by the clients old Futon bed. The bolt covers from Lee Valley. Now I just needed a Moon! In the stash was a small left over curly piece of Purple heart from a couple of chair seats I had just made. A little stain on the Oak, a little paint on the rails, a little wax on the head "BOARD", WALLA!!!
It all started with a question " Do you have a beautiful board for a headboard?"
"YES as a matter of fact I think I do!" the reply.
As it worked out the one I thought would work had this crack running the full length. so I decided to split it and carve the two pieces into a very stylised cloud formation. the Oak posts came from dunnage off a steel haulers load. A gift from the driver. The rails I think I bought. Decking was provided by the clients old Futon bed. The bolt covers from Lee Valley. Now I just needed a Moon! In the stash was a small left over curly piece of Purple heart from a couple of chair seats I had just made. A little stain on the Oak, a little paint on the rails, a little wax on the head "BOARD", WALLA!!!
Side Chair,,,
A simple chair, with heart
Simple, Birch and Purple-heart side chairs. These two chairs where made from a copy of a design I thought was simple yet with a little contrast in colour could be elegant in a simple kind of way. Designed as light side chairs they where never meant to be leaned back in by a large man after dinner.... In any case eventually a caretaker at the clients house broke a leg of one of the chairs, just this way and that was the end of the matched pair.
