Project 13 of 52

"Quartered"

Many times when I am designing a new piece or even cabinets or furniture I always start with a concept. I really enjoyed the perspective piece I made recently and wanted to try it again just a little different this time. I showed this picture to a lot of people this past week and  thought about how I was going to build it for the longest time. I could have done another veneer but I already did those before. I could have made a carving but didn't have enough time, or the right piece of wood. So I decided to make a bookcase/spice rack out of maple ply I had in the shop.

I transferred my design onto a piece of half inch maple plywood and proceeded to make 4 six inch boxes and 4 four inch boxes.

I then glued each box to its corresponding position of the design. The hard part came next. Cutting each individual angle to work inside the different spaces. Every piece coming from a point of one of the boxes had to be cut at opposite 45 degrees angles. For these I had to use a dovetail saw and cut them by hand.

Overall, It came together quite nicely just a little time consuming. I then sanded all the sharp edges and any glue that was left seen.

I decided to paint the whole piece white because I still envision it in a kitchen as a unique spice rack, but could be used for anything. The overall dimensions are 24 inches tall by 24 inches wide by 4 inches deep. I named this "Quartered" because there are 24 spaces, if you look  at one space like a box for instance, there is exactly 3 more just the same. So in essence you are looking at 1 of 4. This piece marks the exact quarter mark of the project and I thought it would be fitting.

This project will be in the gallery at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 12 of 52

" Jewels "

This week I wanted to get back into doing some jewelry  and thought what a perfect piece of wood I had in this Bolivian Rosewood.

I laid out the design on the piece of quarter inch think Rosewood and first started with my band saw to cut most of the material and switched to my scroll saw for the radius' and more intricate corners.

After every piece was cut I drilled through each one at the top for the leather banding to connect them.

After every piece was sanded I finished each jewel with mineral oil so it doesn't effect who ever is the lucky one to get to wear this. I did not attach the clasp yet until I can see someone with it on to see what height would work the best for the necklace. The biggest jewel piece is 2 and a half inches long by 1 and a half inches wide. The weight of this wood necklace is pretty light considering how big the jewels are. Bolivian Rosewood tends to be lighter than most other hardwoods.







This is kind of what the piece would look like on. I know a Styrofoam cone isn't quite a neck model but it was the only thing around at the time.







This project will be in the gallery at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 11 of 52

" Steps "

What inspires you? I have been asked this a lot lately regarding pieces I'm making and just general work stuff. The answer is practically everything. I see beauty in sometimes the hardest places to find. All ten projects so far have been inspired by a wide range of things. This piece was not inspired, more a reaction to a feeling. This was not designed ahead of time, nor did I have any clue what it was going to become when I put the block of Cherry on my Lathe. I just started cutting into it and let what I was feeling dictate how it would turn out.

I came up with a coned shaped vase, and because I really had no plan I broke two other vases in the process until I got one that wanted to cooperate with me. The first piece of wood I turned the outside and when I went to hollow it found I had a rock solid piece of cherry and couldn't. The second one was working fine until I caught a bad edge and it broke off the base. Needless to say planning is always a good thing.

To support the pointed end of the vase I cut a piece of Jatoba for the base and 21 1 inch by 1 inch Bocote squares. I drilled into the jatoba and glued the vase inside.

I glued the 21 Bocote squares in a spiral staircase pattern around the vase. Each step alternating in grain pattern as well. I finished the vase with a gloss lacquer and filled the vase hole with a wood stabilizer so water and flowers will not affect the wood as much if not used.

The overall dimensions of the piece are 12 inches tall and 4 inches around at the biggest point.
































This project will be in the Gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 10 of 52

" One Perspective "

This week's project turned into a little more than I first anticipated. My original Idea was to make a marquetry piece with veneer that I had from last weeks Coffee table that I did not end up using. The design came to me after a very good friend who is an artist was giving me some drawing lessons at his house and I remembered one of my favorite drawings I ever did. It was a single point perspective of looking down on skyscrapers.





After outlining the design onto a piece of mdf, I wanted it to be more than just a drawing with wood so I decided to make a shadow box. I cut out the squares and built individual frames around each and painted them black.

I then began the veneering process on the front like I originally planed with the main part in maple and the boxes and angles in cherry. I also decided to build 6 boxes to fit inside the voids that were made and veneered them as well.

 The finished piece is 16 inches tall by 24 inches wide and 4 inches deep. The effect of the different woods with the individual boxes is really hard to show with just a picture. I like the piece both with the boxes in and with just the painted black openings.

The really interesting part about this piece is that it can be completely any way you want, because the squares are exact sizes. The one thing that you notice while you are making objects is that you see them in a certain way; which side is up and which side is facing you. So if you like turn it on it's side.

This Project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 9 of 52

" Shuttered Veneer"

Walnut veneer

Zebrawood veneer

For this weeks project I wanted to give everyone an idea of the kind of stuff that inspires me as a woodworker. As a cabinet maker I tend to veer towards bigger woodworking projects like furniture pieces even though all of my projects so far have been small in scale. You know, there is only so much space in the shop to have all these projects in storage awaiting the gallery showing. The good news is that I am gifting some pieces and when my photographer Jason Flynn said he needed a coffee table I said done.

The design I thought was maybe a little ambitious, but I wanted to play around with the idea of a camera lens as it snaps a picture. Considering a lens is always round I didn't think it made for a good coffee table, so I went with a rectangular oval shape.

I decided to use two types of veneer. The background is American Walnut and the foreground is African Zebrawood. I started this by wanting to create a traditional star burst pattern of alternating veneers but thought most people have seen some sort of that in different applications. I instead took the walnut veneer and made them 4 inch by 4 inch squares and used a checkerboard pattern to make the rays coming from the center. Yes I did cut 90 squares by hand if you were wondering.

I glued the 4 inch squares of walnut to a mdf panel because when veneering you want to use the most stable substrate and mdf does not shrink or expand with weather like wood will. I cut the rays of Zebrawood and basically connected one giant puzzle of wood pieces.

I also edged the sides of the table top with the corresponding wood and grain direction to give it a look of solids blocks glued together.

After all the pieces were glued I lightly sanded and put linseed oil on to bring out the grain pattern in both. I finished the table top with 6 coats of lacquer because it is going to be a coffee table and will get some use. The overall dimensions are 55 inches long by 24 inches deep.

As you can see there is a 2 foot ladder as the base at the moment. I know thats pretty out there, but was for only picture sake, so don't worry. This table when done is going to have a metal leg creation I am giving to my welder to create that Jason and I will design. As for the woodworking part it is finished and is ready to take up shop in Jason's home. When the base gets attached I will post the picture.



This project has been given as a gift.

Project 8 of 52

"Lit Flowers"

As project 52 rolls on I find myself getting inspiration for my pieces in sometimes the weirdest ways. This week I have been in the shop working on kitchen cabinets and wanted to do something not square and a box.


I first started this project making what I thought was going to be small bowls for different kinds of dips for parties. I started with the bigger one pictured on the right and while I was hollowing it I had to leave the shop to go to a client's house and when I came back it was on my lathe like it is pictured and this projects idea just hit me. It looked like a flower's bloom and I thought maybe I could make small flower candle holders.

I made the two smaller cups after, and started thinking about a base. I wanted to use the same piece of wood I started with. Everything is made out of one piece of 2 inch thick Alder that was 12 inches wide and 8 inches tall. I drew the flower design on the wood and cut the pattern with a combination of my band saw and scroll saw for the tight areas.

After cutting the pattern I then proceeded to physically hand sand and chisel every single part of the base to round the corners and soften the edges to make it look like something more from nature.








The finished piece with the cups glued in will hold a 3 inch pillar candle in the center and two small votive ones on the outside.

The final size is 12 inches wide and 5 inches tall without the candles. Some people have been asking about some of the pieces size wise, so I included a perspective shot with a soda can. Oh and by the way Diet Dr Pepper does not taste like real Dr Pepper. Just FYI.




This Project has been given as a gift for Mother's Day, but will be seen in the gallery at the end of the 52 weeks, just not for sale.

Project 7 of 52

" Split Reflection "

Photo by Jason Flynn

This week I had two good friends visiting the shop for different reasons. Josh stopped by to build an amazing dining room table and bench for his new place from reclaimed Oak he found in downtown Los Angeles. Jason came by to start photographing project 52 as it was happening. Hence the reason why the first pics of this post are stunning.

Photo by Jason Flynn

So on to the project. The good thing about having both these guys here this week is that I was going back and forth about what to make. When Josh brought over the reclaimed Oak and had a piece that was split that he couldn't use for his table gave me the idea of embracing the split. You can see in the first picture how bad the separation was. 

Photo by Jason Flynn

                                                                   

Photo by Jason Flynn

I first envisioned this piece of wood as a picture frame separated between the split with the glass. While measuring and cutting Jason was taking shots and came up with what this piece was finally made into.

He told me about having an entry way shelf and key holder that he could put his keys sunglasses or whatever so they are there when he leaves the house next. So I went with it. I loved the way the wood looked in it's original state so I minimized the cuts I had to make. I used the split in the center of the frame and the bark edges on the outside. I glued a mirror in between and installed key/hat hooks as well. I finished the piece with linseed oil and a lacquer finish. Overall dimensions are 25 inches wide by 20 inches tall.

One thing about this piece I thought of while making; what it was before it became reclaimed. Thinking that this piece of Oak could have been holding up some one's house for a hundred years makes it more special to work with. Thanks to Josh Moon for the wood and Jason Flynn for the amazing shots and ideas this piece is now ready for it's second life.

This project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.