Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Nathan Cox Northwest Coast Wood Carving

My earliest exposure to art of the Northwest Coast peoples, or at least the earliest that I remember, came from the Field Museum in Chicago. The collection was tucked away on the main floor, somewhere behind a room full of faceless mannequins dressed in traditional attire from the Great Plains nations. At the back of this room, taking up the entire wall, was a life-size replica of a Pawnee earth lodge. As I remember it, the door into the Northwest Coast/Arctic room was sort of hidden around the back of this lodge (that could have been a decision meant to ease the transition between the two distinct geographical regions, but just as likely the curatorial team had an awkward time finding a good space for that big ass lodge and that was their weird solution*). Whatever the reason, stepping through that doorway always felt like one of those down the rabbit hole experiences to me. And cut to . . .


The gallery was a completely different kind of space. I was large, dark and silent. It still seems a little spooky, even now. I did spend the night in there once, though. It was worth it for that collection. There was the standard artifacts (dogsleds, whaling/hunting paraphernalia, giant crabs, etc.), but what always stuck in my memory was the collection of wood carvings. There is a very distinctive aesthetic associated with Northwest Coast art that makes it instantly recognizable. Wood is the traditional material for most carvings, though the Haida have a long tradition of working in Argillite and many contemporary artists have recently taken up bronze. Whatever the medium, methods are almost universally traditional: artists work their materials using hand tools (axes, chisels, adzes, etc.) and large pieces are erected manually by members of the community. Though the concept and design details often vary based on the needs of the community, themes drawn from mythological, religious, cultural and historical (both societal and familial) sources are especially popular. Figures walk a blurred line between representation and abstraction, with forms that are identifiable as both organic and geometric (or, just as easily, as neither). Deeply-carved lines are complemented by a sparse palette (rarely more than 3-4 colors, if any), enhancing the effects of light and shadow on the pieces surface. Though worked almost entirely by hand, experienced carvers are able to produce a remarkable level of consistency in their treatment of the material, producing near-perfect symmetry and balance. As most objects are worked down from a single mass, joinery is typically minimal (aside from the occasional outstretched wing of a bird, or basic bindings for an articulated mask) and each piece retains strong references to its natural structure.


This faithfulness is not limited to aesthetics, but finds expression in the social life of a piece. As mentioned above, the construction and erection of a totem pole is rarely an isolated act. While the actual production is typically carried out by a single artist or a small group, the commission comes on behalf of the entire community, which takes part in the installation and dedication. Furthermore, once erected, poles are rarely maintained. Instead, in reference to their origins, they are left to the elements until they fall of their own accord (or, in some cases, they are deemed hazardous and removed). This lends to the carvings a sense of placement and fragility not immediately evident from the appearance alone, which allows them to become something more than a narrative or a commemoration. That seems to be the attraction for me. I come for the craft, but I stay for the perspective.


*Now that I think on it, the lodge shared a wall with the Northwest Coast gallery. There was a diorama of a wolf den and some Inuit dwellings on the opposite side. It all makes sense now.


Norman Tait (Nisgaa), Totem: Big Beaver (1982)


Freda Diesing (Haida), Raven Rattle (date unknown)


Robert Davidson (Haida), Eagle Transforming Into Eagle (2002)


Bill Reid (Haida), Raven and the First Men (1980)

Sources:

http://www.nfb.ca/film/bill_reid (A short documentary from the Canadian National Film Board, featuring Bill Reids construction of a totem pole for the town of Skidegate, BC)

http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7354 (A short biography of Charles Edenshaw, a key figure in the 19th century revival of Haida art)

http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/MainSite/ (The Royal British Columbia Museum - they have a large collection of Northwest Coast art, although their online catalog is under construction)

http://www.nfb.ca/film/totem_the_return_of_the_gpsgolox_pole/ (Another Canadian National Film Board documentary, dealing with issues of ownership in indigenous art)

http://www.spiritwrestler.com (A Vancouver gallery specializing in contemporary Inuit, Northwest Coast and Maori art)

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Monday, March 3, 2014

Wood Carports Plans Wooden Ideas

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Sunday, March 2, 2014

Free Wood Plans Wooden Ideas

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Wood Boiler Plans Wooden Ideas

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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Select Plans for Wood Furniture

Are you interested in wood furniture? Why not try to do it yourself? Beds tables and chairs can do what you want if you have the right kind of Ground. The biggest benefit of working with Plans for Wood Furniture is that even a beginner easily a good Furniture in Read and follow the instructions carefully. Most of these plans have step by step procedure for the establishment of a chair or a table without errors. Whatever have the necessary tools, materials and the type of wood and have some specified patience.The more important is at work with some of these plans that you choose the very level Attention. There are some things that you in choosing your plan. First ensure that the plan is easy to understand, clear and legible. Must be detailed and does not create Doubts in the reader.

 Only such projects should be used for the production of all kinds of Furniture. Then, information about the person who made the plan. The person must be certified Expert. Only such persons would be able to provide clear instructions and drawings are available. The steps easy as well.The plan you should understand opt be of high quality. It should be understood and unique. If you choose the consideration of this project, you will be able to create excellent pieces of furniture for your home. You can save time and money by avoiding professional to do the job for you. Woodworking can be great fun if you know how to enjoy Employment.

 So, if you try to make nice chairs for your home, you can get wood Chair plans. They are to be found in the location online many free and paid programs. After the selection started the plan on it.In order to complete the project on time, you can create a job schedule daily goals. In an interview with this newspaper that you have the amount of work that know make a particular day.

 You can have the time to do it, set accordingly. You can concentrate on other Things as well. After the furniture that you will be proud and happy. Procedure Different types according to their interests and needs.

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Friday, February 21, 2014

Handmade Wood Crafts Woodworking Plans

Handmade Wood Crafts

Woodworking Plans

Do-it-Yourself Patterns and Crafts, Woodworking kits, Furniture Plans Plus Much, Much More. Will Show You How to Make 16,000 Different Woodworking Plans. Use The Plans For Fun, Functionality or Profit!

Handmade Wood Crafts. Wood is one of the most stunning, durable and versatile components that you can function with though on a do it oneself project. The beauty of a cabinet door that is completed in wood can not be matched by any other material irrespective of whether natural or man created. As with any project, you would call for a detailed set of plans when you work with wood and wood based materials. This is why it is suggested that you use a detailed set of woodworking plans when you strategy to extensively use wood based materials to total the project that you have embarked on.

Now let us examine why woodworking plans are important in any wood primarily based do it your self project. To begin with, these plans help you eradicate waste. If you begin a woodworking project with out a firm plan, the possibilities are that you would finish up applying more wood that you originally intended to. Most of the wood primarily based projects would need in depth assemblies and sub assemblies.

When you begin your project, you would be ideally operating with individual members of wood and finishing them individually just before assembling them. If you do not have the suitable woodwork plans, you could finish up with mismatching wood members at the time of assembly. This could bring about highly-priced price and time overruns in the project. All these complications can be avoided by utilizing a well laid out set of wood plans.

The other benefit that you could have if you use woodworking plans are that you would be ready with all the tools and implements that you would require for completing the wood primarily based project. Normally we come across that we do not have access to a specific tool in the middle of a woodworking project. This predicament could lead to a loss of time and at times you may even have to abandon the project in case a certain tool is not offered. All these concerns can be avoided if you have a detailed program at the onset. Handmade Wood Crafts




Handmade Wood Crafts Information

Consistent Advertising - The romance of woodworking will have to have to be balanced with the constant marketing and advertising important to retain the operate coming in. In time, phrase of mouth brings in a lot of operate if you create a superior reputation. Till finally then, you will need to have to get the phrase out routinely. Soon after the work arrives in you have to have outstanding manufacturing systems so you can total the tasks promptly and continue to maintain the cash flowing. If jobs think about also quite lengthy and the dollars movement stops, it can turn into difficult to shell out the costs. Talking of income flow, you really should create and adhere to typical assortment methods. This is 1 region exactly where by various woodworkers fail. The payment for the carry out will need to be as essential as the perform by itself. If you are lax in accumulating, you will run into prospects who fall short to shell out you and this will lead to definitely severe earnings movement challenges.

The Modest company - Even having said that you like woodworking, you will need to do the dwelling business enterprise if you are to make a dwelling at it. Great results normally needs an in-depth facts of both woodworking and company management. If you under no circumstances have every single, I suggest you hesitate to leap in till you have honed your enterprise skills.

Looking back once again I recognize that my lack of knowledge in the course of my startup really a handful of decades back could have been offset with some widespread details and yet another individual to advise me.Sadly I had to understand most components by trial and error.

Just about every and every single and each week, I take the time to go by choice of the comments that my viewers make about my woodworking web site. 1st of all I want to them for taking the time to comment, I certainly value all of the comments and tips. This earlier week there was a comment from a gentleman, who expressed a have to have to get into woodworking. As a man who is passionate about woodworking, I want to welcome him to the fold. And I want to provide you him all of the recommendations and encouragement probable in his endeavors.Handmade Wood Crafts


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Handmade Wood Crafts Reviewed by Bryan Wolfe on Rating: 4.5
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Monday, February 17, 2014

1 Hand Crafted Wood Woodworking Plans

Hand Crafted Wood

Woodworking Plans

Do-it-Yourself Patterns and Crafts, Woodworking kits, Furniture Plans Plus Much, Much More. Will Show You How to Make 16,000 Different Woodworking Plans. Use The Plans For Fun, Functionality or Profit!

Hand Crafted Wood. Wood is a single of the most beautiful, tough and versatile components that you can perform with though on a do it yourself project. The beauty of a cabinet door that is finished in wood cannot be matched by any other material whether or not natural or man created. As with any project, you would require a detailed set of plans when you perform with wood and wood primarily based supplies. This is why it is advised that you use a detailed set of woodworking plans after you strategy to extensively use wood based materials to full the project that you have embarked on.

Now let us examine why woodworking plans are vital in any wood based do it oneself project. To begin with, these plans support you do achoice with waste. If you begin a woodworking project without a firm plan, the possibilities are that you would finish up working with more wood that you originally intended to. Most of the wood based projects would demand extensive assemblies and sub assemblies.

When you begin your project, you would be ideally operating with individual members of wood and finishing them individually prior to assembling them. If you do not have the appropriate woodwork plans, you could end up with mismatching wood members at the time of assembly. This could trigger expensive price and time overruns in the project. All these difficulties can be avoided by using a effectively laid out set of wood plans.

The other advantage that you could have if you use woodworking plans are that you would be ready with all the tools and implements that you would need for completing the wood based project. Usually we come across that we do not have access to a particular tool in the middle of a woodworking project. This predicament could lead to a loss of time and often you may even have to abandon the project in case a certain tool is not readily available. All these issues can be avoided if you have a detailed plan at the onset. Hand Crafted Wood




Hand Crafted Wood Observation

Constant Promoting - The romance of woodworking will require to be balanced with the consistent marketing and advertising and marketing crucial to retain the operate coming in. In time, phrase of mouth brings in a lot of operate if you create a fantastic popularity. Until ultimately then, you will need to have to get the phrase out routinely. Just after the perform arrives in you have to have outstanding manufacturing systems so you can complete the tasks promptly and continue to keep the money flowing. If jobs think about also extremely extended and the dollars movement stops, it can turn into difficult to shell out the costs. Talking of money flow, you need to construct and adhere to normal assortment procedures. This is 1 region exactly where by several woodworkers fail. The payment for the carry out will need to be as crucial as the carry out by itself. If you are lax in accumulating, you will run into prospects who fall short to shell out you and this will trigger seriously serious income movement issues.

The Tiny company - Even on the other hand you like woodworking, you will have to have to do the property small business if you are to make a dwelling at it. Great final results normally needs an in-depth information of each woodworking and organization management. If you under no circumstances have every single, I suggest you hesitate to leap in until you have honed your enterprise abilities.

Searching back once more I recognize that my lack of know-how in the course of my startup quite a few decades back could have been offset with some prevalent information and another particular person to advise me.Sadly I had to learn most elements by trial and error.

Just about each and every single and just about every week, I take the time to go by means of the comments that my viewers make about my woodworking web page. 1st of all I want to them for taking the time to comment, I unquestionably value all of the comments and tips. This prior week there was a comment from a gentleman, who expressed a will need to get into woodworking. As a man who is passionate about woodworking, I want to welcome him to the fold. And I want to provide you him all of the suggestions and encouragement probable in his endeavors.Hand Crafted Wood


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Wood Working Plans

Furniture has pride of place in peoples homes and consequently is high profile. People become aware of the furniture around them, especially if they are sitting on it. Therefore, if you are going to make a piece of furniture, you will need to have reached a fairly high degree of proficiency. You will also have to have a good set of wood working plans for the sort of furniture that you want to make.

A good set of wood working plans can make all the difference between a decent job and a good job. It also makes the job a lot simpler. After all, no builder would attempt the construction of a house, if he did not have a set of architects plans to consult, so why should you have to struggle?

In fact, a good set of plans will help even a novice complete a wood working job that would otherwise be above his capacity. A good set of wood working plans is indispensable even for a professional on complicated tasks. Wood working plans remove a lot of the calculations that would otherwise be necessary, although it is not a question of dumbing down.

There are a number of sources for working drawings such as libraries, craft shops and the Internet. There are specialist wood working sites that sell all sorts of wood working plans at very realistic rates. Unless you buy a full sized wood working plan, you will have to have it blown up so that you can pin it up near where you are working for easy consultation.

This is easy if you download the plans from the Internet. Just take a copy on disk or flash card to a printers and they can enlarge it for you otherwise you could print it off at home and take it to an office where technical drawings are used, such as an architects, and have them enlarge it on the photocopier.


Woodworking plans will give you all the measurements of the different components that go into the project, say a bench, a table, a bird box or a piece of high-end furniture such as a display cabinet. It will also show you in detail how these parts fit into each other and what sort of joints you have to use. These woodworking plans are extremely useful, if, as in the case of a display cabinet, you want to pre-order the panes of glass so that they are ready when you need them.

Make sure that the working drawings that you choose for your project is comprehensive. Some can be a bit sketchy. A good set of wood working plans will be very detailed, like an exploded version of the completed article with all the measurements, angles and joints clearly shown.

A good set of woodworking plans will also have a clear narrative, that is, it will have an account of where you begin and which pieces you should put together first. A good set of wood working plans will lead you through the process of making your furniture like a child making a plastic model airplane from a kit.
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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Quick wood projects for kids

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19 quick and easy new year's eve crafts for kids, How to white wash wood for a vintage rustic design 19 quick & easy valentine’s day crafts for kids. Woodworking ideas for kids - the woodwork projects, Easy woodworking projects for kids of all ages. there are literally millions of woodworking projects for kids. some home improvement stores even offer free workshops. Quick and easy projects for the knifty knitter looms, Are you looking for some projects that you can make in only a few hours? here are some quick and easy patterns that will be loved by beginners and experienced. Instant access to 115 kids woodworking plans - wood, “here's some advice that'll save you $$$ on your next woodworking project ” here's the big problem: most plans and woodworking magazines are complete garbage.. Very simple wood working projects for beginners | ehow, You may also like. simple wood projects. woodworking is one of the oldest hobbies around. from using a simple whittling knife to power carvers, people have. Woodworking plans - best woodworking projects - quick & easy!, If you look back 20 or 30 years, woodworking plans basically came from just a handful of places. woodworking shops, woodworking magazines, woodworking catalogs and.

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Monday, January 27, 2014

Up Against The Wood Wall Again

Chris Schwarzs Lost Art Press ran a series of articles on good ol Mr. Studleys Tool Chest last week.

I first got turned on to Henry O. Studleys tool chest back in the late 80s when Lee Valley Tools used an image of it for one of their catalogue covers. When I built the house I was living in then, I added one of the major items I had always wanted; a built-in magazine rack and book shelf in the can. That catalogue sat in that rack for over a year and I spent a great deal of time studying that cover while doing...ahem...other things, trying to figure out how Studley did it. Studleys work is beyond amazing.

I believe credit for this image should go to Fine Woodworking magazine,
but I have enhanced it considerably since finding it.

What I didnt know until recently was that Studley built a workbench that matched his tool cabinet. Chris has also written an article about it; a teaser for Don Williams book about Studleys work.

This is Chris Schwarzs image of Studleys workbench, which he will probably kill me for
because I messed with it; straightening out camera distortion, changing the
lighting a bit and getting rid of the distracting background.

I tried to build a modified version of Studleys tool cabinet with no luck, even after making three attempts to get it right. The biggest problem is that I ended up buying more tools than ol Henry. Who knew I would enjoy the hunt and the purchase of old tools as much as I enjoy using them? The second problem is that I dont have room for a workbench and a floor-style tool cabinet, and wont have for the foreseeable future. Another major problem was that I kept ending up with odd shaped areas that wasnt large enough to hold anything I owned, or any that I planned to purchase. It was a livable irritation, but an irritation nonetheless. After completing the plant shelving unit I have been working on for 10-months now, I plan to build a combination bench and tool cabinet, sort of like a Melhuish No.100, but one on steroids.

This example of a Melhuish No.1 was sold by David Stanley
Auctions in 2004 for a few cents off of $3000.
Chris latest entry in this series is in regards to how much flak he has taken for being involved in the Studley project in the first place. I havent been running up against this situation as long as Schwarz has, but I have probably bounced off of it more often than him. Being one of these guys who questions everything, then has the cajones to actually question the answers, I have run up against the "wood wall" Chris is talking about in this post more times than I care to image. Recently, an example of this just played out, and again, it was instigated by a Chris Schwarz post.

Chris ran an interview with Konrad Sauer from Sauer & Steiner Toolworks regarding his newly designed "K13". This new plane design for Sauer started to sprout legs on some previous thoughts I had on planes, thoughts that I had been forming for a while. In general, these thoughts were directed, overall, to the height of hand placement while using a traditional plane, and specifically, dealing with the high Centre of Gravity those high hand-holds produce.

This is an image of the Sauer & Steiner K13 Panel Plane. Sauers customer
wanted a plane that oozed speed. Me? I just want one that doesnt
feel like it is going to fall over all the time.

Sauer brought the front knob down considerably and gave the lines more sweep as they moved towards the rear of the plane for an appearance of speed. Im not interested in a fast looking plane, mainly because I know that saying "speed" and "hand planing" in the same sentence is an oxymoron. I was, however, very interested in that lower front knob. By the time I finished reading the interview, my thoughts had legs that ran as long as the knees. By the time I had finished reading everything that was posted about it on the Sauer & Steiner blog, they had ankles, arches and even toes.

I didnt find one comment about the low knob causing problems during planing anywhere. In fact, all I read was the exact opposite. As a result, I kept asking myself, "why keep the tote and knob so high?"

I "get" that planes have a traditional design and the world of woodworking has been following the basis of that design for centuries. I "get" that a high centre of gravity has been build purposely into the planes by utilizing tall totes and knobs. I "get" that the reason for this is so the user can better gauge the tools plumb during use. I "get" all that. I also "get" that everyone in the world, for centuries, thought the world was flat, too.

My belief is that, while the high centre of gravity offers a built-in gauge for plumb, this benefit may be outweighed by the possibility that the high centre of gravity adds more to being off plumb than the operator of the tool could manage without it. Plane the edge with a block plane and you stand a far better chance of remaining on plumb than when you plane the same edge with a bench plane, at least for me. I think it is because the high COG forces the plane out of plumb more than the operator does. Please dont tell me about the guiding finger of the forward hand, I already use it. You still have to push the plane with the tote, and that is where the wiggly-wobblies come into play.

I also think the angle of the operators wrist has a lot to do with getting off plumb too. To plane properly on a proper height bench with a traditional designed plane, you end up with a crook in your wrist that is not conducive to keeping the plane plumb. It is also not conducive to varying the pressure between heavy forward and light downward, and light forward and heavy downward either.

Lowering the tote would cause its angle to reduce, resulting in the operators wrist being less-cocked. A more natural angle to the wrist means less stress on it, less weight trying to throw it off plumb and easier variance of pressure. At least thats how I see it, although the only way I could prove it is to have one made and try it out, an expensive exercise in experimentation if ever there was one. That is because there isnt anything written about this, and I sure havent seen a plane made this way. Why? I have no idea. It could be that I am so wet with this, Im drowning, or it could be that we have all been following this design religiously for so long, going against it would be, for a plane maker, like falling on his float.

I know the most common answer to this question before it is even uttered. "If I learn to use the traditional plane design properly, I will see the high COG as an advantage. Until I do learn how to use it properly, the high COG will always work as a disadvantage. From my perspective, whether I have learned to use a traditional plane properly or not is an irrelevant argument. With enough practice, you can train yourself to overcome pretty much anything, even swinging a golf club in its proper, but unnatural way.

Maybe in time I will be able to put this thought to bed, but in the meantime, I actually was stupid enough to write it all down and send it to a plane maker I know and am considering using. I think my quest for answers wasnt met with the same joy as it saw when written. In other words, I havent heard from the guy since.

As to Chris report on meeting the "wood wall". I left the following comment...

"I have come to believe that there isn’t any species of wood out there that is quite as unbending as the average dedicated woodworker’s mind."

Peace,

Mitchell


P.S.: Considering that dropping 4 to 6-grand on one plane is not conducive to my wifes belief that she shouldnt have to hide from our bank manager when she visits the bank, I will be listing some duplicate and "ok, I like it, but I dont love it" tools I am selling very soon. All proceeds from the sale of these tools will be going to the "Infill Plane Payment Foundation". I am just working on the images of the tools included which are:
1 - tack hammer - not so new - not so expensive
8 - Stanley Everlast chisels - conditions from "its ok" to "hey, thats pretty good"
1 - General Angle Divider with its original box
1 - Stanley Speed Drill with most of its original bits
1 - solid wheel Stanley No.624
1 - very good Stanley No.5 Type 11 plane 
1 - never used QTG laser beam level with case and - are you ready for it - original batteries still unused - wow!
I should have these posted before the end of this week.
Peace
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