Last week I cut in three walnut butterflies into the cedar table top under way in my shop.
Below are a few photos from the process. After shaping the walnut butterflies, they are scribed individually into the top, then the bulk of the waste is removed with a 1/4 ” straight bit in a router, and finally pared with a chisel to the scribed lines.
placing a butterfly
dad’s old craftsman
removing waste
all cleaned up, ready for glue
Black Walnut spoon carved “E.S.”
Here are some photos as I am working on the top for a cedar table.
being glued up
the edge with the bark peeled
trimming the ends
arty saw picture
beautiful red sawdust
planning the end…
…up in the air
Some soft maple and walnut spoons carved by the stove this winter.
The stool declared loudly by snapping every black walnut rung I made- that it must be white oak throughout. OK, says I, you win.
Still much work to be done, however, as of yet the most complete sense of a stool that has pretty much dictated itself, and made me sweat in the process, and I still have to build his hopefully less mercurial brother.
Below: shaping the underside of the seat.
I read about this method for flattening large slabs in a publication (Woodwork I think) a year or two ago. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the article in order to reference it. As I work with irregular slabs, too large for my machines, I expect it to be a reasonable and effective method for flattening large slabs, in this case, eastern red cedar.
The router is mounted to a 4′ sled which rides across two parallel fences (jointed 2×4’s smoothed and waxed). The router has an 1-1/4″ straight cut bit, and mounted on the sled can cover the entire face of the slab, removing about 1/32″ of material per pass.
a couple of turned walnut handles help to steer
the whole endeavor sits on my table saw
Here is an update of the painting of Aaron being anointed by Moses.
Below are three previous states of this painting.
Photos in the workshop of one of a pair of three legged post oak stools. Still in a very raw – and experimental state.
The busy bench top.
The bend and splay and stance of the legs.
Laying out for the black walnut rungs.
Post Oak seat.
Shaping tenons on the rungs.
Here are some pictures of current work from the workshop. First is a white oak Quercus alba pedestal commissioned for a bronze ballerina. Second are three green-bent post oak Quercus stellata (also a white oak variety) stool legs in the midst of shaping and their black walnut rungs that have been roughly shaved for another commission.
The pedestal, nearing completion here, was turned in segments on a faceplate made more broad with plywood. The main cylinder was turned between centers.
The pedestal with one coat of min-wax black walnut, and one coat of Watco black walnut, which isn’t as dark as the min-wax, but has a little more red which warms the tone. I will add at least one more coat of the Watco.
Detail of the large bead, cove, and fillets.
The post oak stool legs.
Walnut rasp handle.
Making of the Pedestal Cylinder:
Composite box of 8/4″ white oak (harvested at Boaz, KS). Recessed blocks were glued inside the box and then pine plates fitted and screwed on either end to allow installation on the lathe.
The corners trimmed at the table saw.
Spinning the box into a cylinder with a roughing gouge. Very heavy, lots of inertia, but well balanced.
Cylinder.
The School of the Transfer of Energy 