Intarsia - Scrolled - Elephant

7/25/2008

I tell ya, this elephant has drove me LOONEY!!! It isn't even an intarsia pattern. It is a stained glass pattern that I got from Scroll Saw Goodies or should I say I was told where to get this pattern from here.
The pattern came from Chantals Stained Glass An awesome sight of stained glass patterns where most of them are free!
I happen to be intrigued by elephants. I really am amazed by these animals. All of the other elephants I have made have been scrolled. So this was the first intarsia and I wanted it to be a picture. This is what the original stained glass 

pattern looks like.

 

And below is what I did to it. It has no glass in the frame. I went through so many different ways of doing this. I had a mirror behind it.I did not like it. I had see through blue cellophane behind it and I did not like it.I tried doing like the pattern above is and I REALLY did not like it. So I had already made the sun out of Lace wood and I wanted to use it, but when I decided to put it on this black background I guess my sun is now a moon! The tree is made out of wood from an Apricot tree that was at my father's that my husband had trimmed. The elephant is pine and the leaves are green poplar that was salvaged out of a house fire. I am pretty happy with the outcome. I just want to emphasis that this is a stained glass pattern and not a intarsia pattern.

Intarsia-Cockatoo

7/23/2008

Aaaah My cockatoo, The Pattern came from a stained glass pattern book I had once. No credits here however as I know longer have the book. Stained glass patterns are a different place to look for patterns and I have found quite a few interesting ones. I do believe however it is more like doing segmentation with these patterns instead of intarsia. I love this one tho' because it is made out of curly maple (not the cheapest wood around) given to me by a neighbor of my fathers. And the brighter yellow actually came from a lemon tree from my Daddy's backyard. When my husband trimmed it down we both could not believe how beautiful the wood was/is. Sooooo anyone out there got a lemon tree that needs trimming.............? I absolutely love this wood. The way it works, the way it smells and the way it looks! The beak is black walnut and that is a fake plastic mirror as I have not learned how to cut glass/mirror yet but definitely on the top of my want to learn list! ANYONE???

A Wedding Box- Intarsia and Scrolled

Without a doubt, this was the most important item I have made thus far. It was also the most stressful, even more so than my dragon for the hubby. My 3rd born son Troy had met a girl, Amanda, a few years back . He had also just joined the military prior to meeting her. After his first date with her a gave me a call to tell me how it all went. Well I don't know if it's a mother's intuition or what but I knew from that first phone call that this was to be the woman he would marry. As life goes, he was off to boot camp for 16 weeks. She waited, then it was off to specialty training for 4 months , and she waited. When he came home from there,  talk was being made of a wedding, and then THE call. The one my son was trained for! The one this mother did not want her son to receive. And so it goes, off to combat duty in Iraq. 16 months all together. And she waited and she planned their wedding of which she did sooo much of the work herself. Fast forward. I had not heard of this before but apparently at weddings now a day's they place a basket or box or something for guests to place monetary gifts in, and as you can imagine an open basket would just be asking for trouble. So they decided to ask me to make them a box. Their theme was the beach,sea shells etc. so here I am off, off to make a box of which one I have never seen.

Intarsia Phoenix

7/22/2008

 There is a bird that lays no eggs and has no young.
    This bird is the phoenix and is known as the bird of fire, with feathers of red and gold like the sun.
    The phoenix rejuvenates itself by burning and rising from its ashes.

This Phoenix is perhaps the most colorful project I have made to date due to the wood used. He consists of Walnut, Black Walnut, Maple, Red Maple, Cedar and Aromatic Cedar. He has two pieces of my fathers Pomegranate Tree along with a couple pieces of his Lemon Tree homegrown in La Mirada California! There is also Mahogany in this and Cherry Wood . I actually have just one piece of what is called Blood wood and also a tiny piece of what is known as Lace wood which is in his eye section. Lace wood is gorgeous wood,very expensive as it comes from some part of the world I know I will never get to go too. Actually I do need to read up on this particular wood so I am not so uninformed. We bought a 4 foot piece of it last summer and my plan is to make a Dragon out of it as it looks to have “spots or scales” on it! It is an extremely hard wood and I know I will be busting a few scroll saw and band saw blades on it! Also the phoenix’s right wing, the top of that is what I call the heart or center of the wood (this piece being pine) but is also known as pith. I made this a year or longer ago and in retrospect due to the kind of wood I used I am lucky as it seems to be holding it’s own and not shrinking up on me as some wood is hardwood and some not and the Pomegranate and Lemon Tree pieces are actually green pieces (alive) that needed to be trimmed down due to a wind storm and I was not sure how long to dry them out. It looks like I did okay though I do not imagine anything shrinking up on me now.
The reason I write Aromatic Cedar and Cedar is when we do go out and buy wood we like to go down to a place a friend turned us on to called “Austin’s Hardwoods” in Santa Ana ,California. It is there that I noticed the wood was labeled like that. I will have to read up on this as well but I am sure the wood is of different grades and of course the Aromatic Cedar is self explanatory and does it smell sooooo good. This little ol’ phoenix has over 80 pieces and the pattern comes out of Scroller LTD. magazine Winter 2005. I personally had to tweak the pattern a little bit due to the tools I had at the time

"Don't tell me I can't do this!

7/20/2008

3 years ago this month (January) I broke my knee and because of that break I ended up being turned on to scrolling. I guess that would make it a "GOOD" break. Any way there was a gentleman by the name of Ray that came over to visit the hubby. Ray himself is a very smart man and knows way more about tools and such more than the average bear. He had been giving me tips on my new scroll saw and help with what size blade for what wood etc. I had been practicing and I loved every minute of it. If I broke a blade I loved it. If I screwed up a cut I loved it. On the other hand if I DIDN'T break a blade I really loved it and if I did not screw up a cut I loved it. I am pretty sure that most people who do this sort of art, the ones like me that fell head over heels (No pun intended, remember broken knee) in love with it, the passion for it that was unbeknown to you/me may be the only ones who understand what I am saying.Well I had already bought a couple patterns and had decided I was going to do the one seen here. I had not done a pattern yet but the sleepless nights thinking about it was doing me in. Well Ray came over one night to visit and I showed him this pattern and told him my plans. And he smiled, you know the kind, the one where they are blatantly laughing at you but covering it up as a smile!He proceeded to tell me that there was no way i was going to be able to do this yet, that I had not had enough practice. Well the truth is I had only tried an inside cut a couple times thus far but I was getting pretty good around the edges or so I thought , and what is the difference inside or out?

So to end this long story that night when Ray left I went to my shop( which had one drill press a band saw and now a scroll saw) and I found this piece of wood that came from a house fire and was the inside of a drawer and it had two colors to it and i fit that pattern on there so that the light wood would be the snow of the mountains and also the chimney smoke and I took a deep breath and took my time, and at 4 a.m. as I was coming out of the shop with this in my hands , my hubby had just got up to get ready for work and I showed this to him and he smiled, you know the kind! the kind of smile that comes from the satisfaction that he had just witnessed his wife doing what was told could not be done!!!

And that was it !!! That was all she wrote! I was unstoppable and from that point on i have never feared a project. Nervous about it yes but never afraid.

This one will always hold a special place in my heart

Scrolled Sea Turtle Mirror

7/19/2008

This sea turtle was a pattern I found in Creative Woodworks and Crafts April 2006 issue by Marilyn Carmin. I really love this pattern and I decided to make a shelf out of it with a mirror behind it. In retrospect I believe I should have chosen a darker piece of wood to work with.

Intarsia Red Tailed Hawk

 

This is one of my personal favorites. 

The pattern came from Creative Woodworks and crafts March 2000 Special Double Millenium issue and is titled “Red Tailed Hawk.” It was the beginning of my passion for doing birds in intarsia. For me these birds are not easy,to say the least and perhaps that is why I like doing them so much. I LOVE the challenge!!!  Matter of fact the first one of this pattern I had done I had the hardest time getting the feathers to line up so much so that I actually gave up and just added a whole row of them. To this day no one has noticed and that particular one hangs proudly in my daddy's house in southern Ca.
The one in this picture is made with Red Maple, Maple, Black Walnut, Poplar,Green Poplar and Pine and a couple pieces of Oak.

The designer for this is Robert J. Hlavacet one of my favorite designers.

Scrolled Wind Chimes

7/18/2008

 

Some times I just really enjoy making just a little something. Just something I can make and finish in a sitting.I actually copied this stencil pattern from a stained glass wind chime exactly like this. The original wind chime I got at the La Mirada swap meet in southern California years ago. This is simply a piece of pine cut in half (width wise)then I cut the pattern out and put this colored foil I had laying around in between the two cut pieces , added the chimes and that is all. Where they are in the picture is inside my front door and that is where they really are since they are not heavy chimes they are just enough to let me know if someone is coming in to the house!

Scrolled King of the Beasts

This is an old piece of wood I found as is. Then I found this pattern in Creative Woodworks and Crafts . I felt like the two were meant to be put with each other!

Sumatran Tiger

 

"Sumatran Tiger" is what Jacob Fowler named his design here that was found in the August 2005 issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts. 

Made out of a piece of pine I decided to play with stain on this one something I try not to use as I would rather have the wood speak on it's own. The Pattern calls for it to be placed on a stand, something I decided not to do.

The Wooden Lady

7/17/2008

 

I got the pattern for this out of an old stain glass book I had laying around which I know longer have so I can not give any acknowledgment this time. Out of all the things I have made that are hanging around my house this one sticks out above all others and not because I have gotten compliments but on the contrary I have NEVER received a comment, period! Neither good nor bad! As soon as I come down stairs with my newest done project I run it by "hubby" and he makes his comments both good and bad (which I actually am glad for)but when I brought this one down a few months ago there was nothing! SILENCE and ya know? It's still that way. Same with friends and visitors. Sooo I will go out on a limb on this one, but , I think it is not exactly cared for. Ha! Ha!. Which makes me like her all the more! I have always went for the "underdog" Sooo that is why I call her my lady. Plus her contents aren't half bad either as she was made with green poplar, mahogany, black walnut, red maple and a few "mystery pieces!"

Scrolled Black Panther

I just got done with this "Black Panther." I found the pattern for this from a free stencil sight I use to make coloring book pages for my grandson and I, when he stays over night with me every Saturday night! The backer board is a piece of plywood painted black and the outline wood for the panther is a piece of oak. I just put it in a picture frame with a bigger than normal depth to it and put a piece of frosted glass instead of the usual picture frame glass.Simple yet attractive I believe.

Horse segmentation

 

I found the pattern to these horses in a stained glass pattern book of which I know longer have so I cannot give credit. If anyone out there in cyberspace knows who did this pattern I would really like to know so that I can give credit. Stain glass patterns are a nice alternative to regular wood patterns and usually quite easier.

 

These are made from all hard woods. Walnut, Black Walnut, Oak, Maple and Red Maple

Scrolled Roosters

These Roosters are the same pattern however the top one I put in a glass frame and it was made out of nothing but plain ol' pine.
The bottom one also was made out of pine but came out of the same piece that you will see in a couple of my other projects. I love this piece of wood and chose to keep all of it's imperfections just the way they are.
It definitely is up there in my personal favorites
that is because of this particular piece of wood. I have already been scouring this years wood pile for more like this! Matter of fact I am looking at our "firewood" in a whole new way!

The back of this Rooster has a sheet of what is known to me as a paper tree. I found this tree in southern Ca, at my sons house in Tustin ca.When you peel this bark it comes off like sheets of paper. When you touch it, it comes off of your fingers like a butterfly wing. It is such trippy stuff but I LOVE the way it looks. This piece I sprayed with clear and it is holding up just fine!

My 99 holes in an eagle scroll

7/16/2008

This eagle was the first time I had ever used a spiral blade. This eagle has exactly 100 cuts. That’s 100 drill starter holes and 100 cuts, however when it was all said and done I found 1 cut I did not do and I was not about to try to put this in my saw again and attempt that100th cut! It is a joke in our home!
Ya know I look at this eagle now and see how far I have come. I could do this now and it would show, for sure. But ya know that is what living and learning is all about! I remember what it felt like to drill 100 holes, and then to cut out 99 of them. Oh and the piece of wood!!! I am surprised I even did it!

Intarsia Mermaid

I did not have a pattern for this mermaid. I  just had a lot of mermaid pictures and sort of just put her together using them all! She actually is made mostly of "mystery wood" from a drawer that survived a house fire, and her hair was from the same fire but I don't know what kind of wood it came from. And her fin is green poplar that actually came from a pallet that we planed down.It is unbelievable just how nice of some wood I have gotton from simply planing down an old wood pallet. Where I live you see these things in alleys ,old farmhouses, barns etc. 

It also should go without saying  (but I will) that just because they are in places like those mentioned above, I would assume it is not a free for all. However if someone would of asked me for some wood pallets I have been known to have hanging around 4 years ago, I GLADLY would have said "sure take 'em"

 Not any more, there are in some cases  beautiful pieces of wood to be found amongst some of these.

Austin Hardwoods and Hardware

I want to take a minute (or 2or 200) to tell you about an awesome place I found in southern Ca, Santa Ana to be exact. The name of it is Austin Hardwoods and Hardware(714) 953-4000 610 N Santiago St, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

The cross streets: Between E 6th St and E Santa Ana Blvd, This is the most outrageous place to locate the elite of hardwoods. Less than 20 miles from my fathers house in so. Ca. It is a absolute must stop for me when I go down to visit my father. They have wood there that you just can't believe. They have these huge slabs that must weigh 100's of lbs. for sale. They have veneer and I do mean veneer. Stuff I have never seen nor heard of before and probably never will.

The kind people that work there allowed me to take pictures inside their store. I told them that I had a personal woodworking blog at blogger and would they care if placed these pics there.

They said not a problem!

SOURCE: Southern Africa

DESCRIPTION: Muninga heartwood varies in color of light to deep brown shades, to shades of dark red with streaks which dissipate with exposure. Pale yellow to gray sapwood. Medium to coarse texture. Straight to interlocked grain. Not lustrous. Dry sawdust can irritate sinuses and lungs. Very good workability with machine and hand tools. Blunting of cutting edges is moderate. Cleanly sliced, and good for gluing. Excellent for carving and turnery. Used for flooring, building boats, fine joinery, furniture, and decorative veneer.

Below is a couple pictures of this beautiful wood.

 

The following pictures are from the inside front wall of this plain HUGE warehouse of wood. I took these pictures as I want to try to scroll this picture (in a much smaller format ) LOL!

Yes I asked permission!

You really are only seeing the front wall, and the giraffes are in the back of the store but hopefully you may get an idea about how huge this place really is.They also sell blades of all kinds, and an assortment of other tools, but quite honestly I cannot say much about what else. The reason for that is I really have never looked. I can go just about anywhere and look for tools, but the chance to see aisles and aisles of the most exotic wood comes not often enough! Every time I have been there, I have stayed for hours. For me the ideas and thoughts of what I can do with some of this wood is almost overwhelming. I can never say enough good about this place.If you are ever in the vicinity you simply must check it out. I do believe it too will go on your list of have to go there when you are in the area.I also cannot say enough about their employees!!!

I want to share with you these giraffes that they have there for sale. They are carved by the Ndeble Indian tribe in Africa where these trees are located(pictured

below), they are carved out of the entire tree. Pterocarpus angolensis is the true name of this wood. However it is known as MUNINGA.

Other common names are Mutete, Mukwa,Mtumbati, Kiatt,and Kajat.below are the particulars of this beautiful wood.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 0.59DENSITY: 41 pcf TANGENTIAL MOVEMENT: 1.50%RADIAL MOVEMENT: 1%VOLUMETRIC SHRINKAGE:DURABILITY: Excellent

( And of course I know what ALL THAT means!!!)

Just one quick story. My husband and I insisted that my 87 (going on 25) year old father come with us to check this place out. An employee came up to us and asked if we wanted any help.

My father replied "ask her (pointing at me) she's the woodworker , not me."

He then went on to say

"All I ever knew how to do was whittle and spit"

To this, the worker replied

"Well sir, may I show you our knives"

I believe that sums this place up.

My Midnight Snacker and "Friends"

 Midnight snacker was designed by Robert J. Hlavacek. I have made a lot of his designs, I really like them, they are fun and imaginative. These are just two racoons from the original pattern, and the bottom is the whole pattern. They are made out of cedar, walnut, black walnut and maple, green poplar and pine! The top two are used in my home to "hold open" my curtains during the day. I have made several of these and sold a few of them.

The pattern for this is in the March 2000 special millenium issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts.

 

Again I have used stuffed animal eyes for the eyes.

My new template

7/12/2008

As some of you know I have been struggling or should I say juggling new templates. I have changed this one soooo many times even I cannot count. I do have to say I really, really like this one. I wanted something readable and not too cluttered, yet one to get the job done. When I think of wood I do not see brown, I see green. I realize that sounds weird but I see the life of the wood and not the bark per say. So I knew I wanted green in my template.I also did not want one that was going to load super slow, as I already have a lot of pictures in this blog. I am still not thrilled with the loading but I am figuring it out and because of that I am satisfied. I like what I see here and how it is working for me.And as usual I would love your opinions. Thanks!

Alley of wood-alley

Dragon clock with no clock

7/11/2008

This pattern came from Creative Woodworks & Crafts and it was from the August 2005 issue.  The circle section that the Dragon is holding is actually suppose to be a clock. My "hubby" and I aren't extremely thrilled with woodwork clock patterns. Although there sure are a lot of people that are. The people I have spoke with at craft fairs etc. state that they are one of their bigger sellers. I knew this was to be just for my dragon nut "hubby" so instead of placing a clock where it was to be, I put in the initials DNA for our names Dave and (N) Allison. It is made out of Walnut and the stand it is sitting on is Oak.

Walnut is a hardwood and this was a little on the tough side to "scroll out". I am of course not sorry I did, nor sorry I even tried.

And speaking of Dragons

This dragon is the one piece I am most proud of. My "Hubby" loves dragons and at times we have several images (pics, prints, etc.) hanging in our house. I am proud because I used no pattern for this. So this is one item I did and I get to give the credit to myself. It perhaps was the most nerve-wracking because of that very reason and the fact it was made for my "Hubby."

It is made from redwood,oak,cedar,and the back piece is a burned piece of wood found in the woodpile of a house fire.