Tree of Life
The Tree of Life started when I took a class at Arrowmont on table making. The problem was I knew how to make tables. Instead of the standard four legged variety I decided to make a one legged table using stack laminations (my homage to Wendell Castle). The project required making a maquette (a small scale model that was about 6 inches tall), translating the maquette into a topo drawing showing the full-size outline of each 2 inch thick wood slice, using the topo drawing as a guide for determining the size of the wood to be cut, some math for creating triangles (to conserve wood) that left a hollow base that still met the required dimensions and layout based on the maquette, then gluing up the base and stack laminations, sculpting the stack laminations to resemble the tree and its branches, and then finally applying the finish (poly). I think by the end of the week-long class I had 3/4ths of the laminations done. Interesting construction details: the branch that sticks out has a steel rod running through it so it can't accidentally be broken off (by dancing teenagers). The tops are held on by sliding dovetails so they can be removed during transportation.
As I worked on this project I thought it was somewhat ironic that a tree was cut and turned into lumber and that lumber in turn was used to create a tree, hence the name "The Tree of Life".
After I completed the table body, I still needed the tops. My daughter wanted to do an art project as a senior study in high school. This meant that she was allowed out of school early every day so she could work on the project. She asked if there was anything we could do together, and I suggested creating table tops that were leaves for the table. I would teach her marquetry (based on a class with Silas Kopf -- unabashed name drop) and then I would make the tops using her marquetry.
After I showed her how to do marquetry, she kicked me out of the shop and I wasn't allowed to see anything until she was done. She decided I was too much of a perfectionist and I was driving her nuts. I didn't have a large veneer selection and we made a mistake in not choosing the background veneers at the same time we chose the leaf woods and so I don't think they "pop" quite enough. She was right that I would have required her to do more reworking (the flowers are a little lumpy), but overall she did a great job.
I had bought a French Art Nouveau craft magazine on E-bay from 1911 which included marquetry patterns for a small desert table. There were about 10 magazines that were on sale, and a crazy bidding war had ensued. Each magazine ended up selling for several hundreds of dollars. This magazine had a typo in the e-bay listing and as a result mostly went unnoticed by the people who were going crazy. I think I spent about $40. I've seen a few more on e-bay over the years, but they were always from France. I think the French prices were much more reasonable, but the ones I initially saw were in the USA. At one point I think I saw the original magazines being resold, but there were price reserved and they were still way to costly for me. Still, I would love to have some more copies if they came my way. They were very interesting -- if I only understood French.
As I worked on this project I thought it was somewhat ironic that a tree was cut and turned into lumber and that lumber in turn was used to create a tree, hence the name "The Tree of Life".
After I completed the table body, I still needed the tops. My daughter wanted to do an art project as a senior study in high school. This meant that she was allowed out of school early every day so she could work on the project. She asked if there was anything we could do together, and I suggested creating table tops that were leaves for the table. I would teach her marquetry (based on a class with Silas Kopf -- unabashed name drop) and then I would make the tops using her marquetry.
After I showed her how to do marquetry, she kicked me out of the shop and I wasn't allowed to see anything until she was done. She decided I was too much of a perfectionist and I was driving her nuts. I didn't have a large veneer selection and we made a mistake in not choosing the background veneers at the same time we chose the leaf woods and so I don't think they "pop" quite enough. She was right that I would have required her to do more reworking (the flowers are a little lumpy), but overall she did a great job.
I had bought a French Art Nouveau craft magazine on E-bay from 1911 which included marquetry patterns for a small desert table. There were about 10 magazines that were on sale, and a crazy bidding war had ensued. Each magazine ended up selling for several hundreds of dollars. This magazine had a typo in the e-bay listing and as a result mostly went unnoticed by the people who were going crazy. I think I spent about $40. I've seen a few more on e-bay over the years, but they were always from France. I think the French prices were much more reasonable, but the ones I initially saw were in the USA. At one point I think I saw the original magazines being resold, but there were price reserved and they were still way to costly for me. Still, I would love to have some more copies if they came my way. They were very interesting -- if I only understood French.
When I created the table tops I planned on using walnut moldings that I created. After I did the trifid shaped piece I swore I would never do that again. I really didn't know what I was doing and it felt dangerous as all get-out, so the second top just has veneer banding. I know there is a safe method for adding moldings to odd shaped pieces, but I've never learned the right way. I think the trifid shape is interesting and I would like to use it again if I ever learned the correct methodology for creating the molding.