A color version of the Obed Edom linocut, painted with watercolor on 250gsm BFK Rives paper. The intent is to make at least 10 or 12 of these. Each one will be different, I imagine. Already I see things I would like to do differently. This one is for sale on our Etsy store.
Wood Turning – Jack’s Story from Isaiah Eldridge on Vimeo.
Isaiah Eldridge, a local film-maker and journalist, spent some time with me last week as I we both plied our trades.
Jonah has been coming up a lot lately. I thought I would share a photo of this big painting which I have been working on over the past 5 years.
Jonah and the Cave of the Erth
This grisaille (grayscale underpainting) of the interaction of Thomas and Jesus and the gathered disciples and their community, has been slowly developing over the past three years, the drawing took about two years before that. I feel like the end of this particular phase is finally in sight on the distant horizon. I look forward to seeing the structure fully unfold and ultimately to the beginning the glazing of colors.
The above are eight turned pieces from a single 24″ section of a 24″ diameter white oak from Boaz, Kansas. The tree fell over and across the Van Horn Branch Creek about 10 years ago- We finally pulled the log out 2 years ago, and it has laid in my log pile since then, although I did mill a portion of it. The heart wood is still green, so these bowls were turned green and allowed to warp as they dried. Ultimately all the pieces were exposed to ammonia vapors (fumed) which reacted to the tannins in the wood, darkening the surfaces.
After about five months the Champion Table is finished and in its new home outside of Chicago. The woods in this table are Kansas Black Walnut and White Oak (the base uses oak from Kansas, the top uses oak of lesser known origin, beyond my friend, the lumber man), the top features also a small amount of Ebony and sulfur. The design is original, and evolved throughout the building process. Central, is a crucifixion theme and the arc. There are other symbolic elements as well, throughout. I am deeply grateful to the Champion family for the opportunity to build a significant piece of furniture for their home and living. I am also humbled and thankful for all the encouragement I have received throughout the building process. Ultimately I am glad in my heart, laboring to make something that celebrates the goodness of God.
sanding and refining the shape of the legs
carving some details into the lower horizontal member of the leg assemblies
“C” for Champion
the lower leg joints, reinforced with screws, concealed by pegs
cut flush and sanded
the legs are finished, awaiting only final sanding immediately prior to finishing
refining the shape of the arc, the brace between the leg assemblies
one of many facet transitions and chamfers across the arc
another of those transitions, in this case, the arcs contribution to the connecting joint
adjusting the shoulder of the arc where it meets the walnut of the leg assembly
a lot of enjoyment watching the play of light and shadow
lets of test fitting of the base
my son roughing out a billet of walnut for some stubby spindles. The spindles will connect the arc to the top-central horizontal rail connecting the leg assemblies, preventing any propensity to rack along the length of the table
here are the spindles in place as well as a bit of carving on the side of the arc
another view of the arc, upside down, an enjoyable shape- part moon, part smile, part rainbow, part horns, it is one of my favorite parts of this table
beginning work on the table-top again- softening the edges with a block plane
after making paper versions, laying out some walnut shapes that will be inlayed into the table-top
re-sawing bits of highly figured walnut for all of the special details
along with the decorative inlays, being positioned here are some butterfly-keys, which help to stabilize the splits and inclusions in the walnut making up the table-top
after determining the composition and placement, all the parts get some double-sided carpet tape…
…and are then stuck in place so that they don’t shift when their outlines are being scribed into the top with a knife
after everything has been scribed, the majority of the cavity is established with a small spiral carbide bit in the electric router
the rest of the inlay cavity is cut out with sharp chisels. The scribe-line is particularly nice at this stage, giving a positive registration for the tip of the chisel
there was a place on one of the walnut planks that had a corner that couldn’t get reconciled in the flattening stages without making it too thin- the remedy was a patch of really pretty walnut
clamps were used on the top, where they could reach whatever was being inlayed
cleaning the floor and corners of one of the recesses for those butterfly keys
glue and clamp…
a little congregation of butterflies ready to be made flush with the top, the crack itself, will get filled with epoxy, after the bark has been removed
cutting out some of the inlay cavities for the central design
lots of chopping up to the line
there are a lot of pictures of me hunched over the top of this table, because I was hunched over the top of this table a lot
piece by piece, being tapped into place with my indispensable two-sided rubber mallet
planing the first round of inlays fush to the surface
glueing up some ebony for the next round of inlay work
the elements of the central design positioned and ready
a few more ebony details being cut out at the scroll saw
the slow process of accurately scribing every edge with an “Exacto” knife
clearing out as much as possible with the router, carefully to stay just shy of my lines
my life for a good portion of October
ofter hours of knife, chisel, and dental tool work, the inlay cavity for the crown of thorns is about ready for the ebony
a modified dental tool in action clearing out the acute corners of the cavities, somewhat appropriate
…still hunched over…
some of the inlay uses molten sulphur… being melted here in a spoon
molten sulphur is an eerie and beautiful thing, if not pungent to the point of being toxic
poured into carved voids it marks a lovely luminous contrast to black walnut
also very porous- not so good for a table top- an improved sulfur inlay was devised. First grinding some sulphur crystals with mortar and pestle…
the sulphur pigment is then introduced to some two-part epoxy
the resultant paste is pressed into the top layer of the earlier sulphur inlay, filling the pores and yielding a slightly tougher surface
the inlay work done and all the other voids being filled with epoxy, final sanding has begun
as the process goes, there are many flaws in my inlay work that need to be addressed. Out come the pigments and filler
it is an enjoyable process that takes me into the realms of another of my lines of work
then more sanding
this marks the end of this second to last post in the building of the Champion Table, I won’t reveal the finished piece until it’s new owners have had a chance to see it in person. Thank you all for offering your support and comments, or just following along silently. I remain immensely grateful for the kind encouragement which each represents, and I look forward to sharing the finished piece with you all as well.
The School of the Transfer of Energy 