Project by wildwoodbybrianjohns | posted 01-25-2020 11:14 AM | 1461 views | 2 times favorited | 24 comments | ![]() |
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Twin towers, complimentary pair of arty boxes.
The basic design idea I stole and tweaked with my own flair.
Dimensions: roughly 8cm X 8 cm.
Woods used: chechen carcass; pear legs and accents, gabon ebony cross support; ebonized oak (legs); sapele interior elements.
Brass and copper inlays.
Copper handles were hand cut from sheet, hammered for texture.
Removable interior trays, so bi-level compartmented.
2 X oiled, then waxed and buffed out.
The interior bottoms will be lined with velvet, velvet which is in the post somewhere between China and Spain atm.
-- WWBBJ: the first to compare a woman´s cheek to a rose was a poet. The second, an idiot. Dali
24 comments so far
Dave Polaschek
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10263 posts in 2037 days
#1 posted 01-25-2020 11:46 AM
I think I like the legs and feet of the left one better. The legs on the right one feel as though they need something else.
They’re definitely arty. I like!
-- Dave - Santa Fe
recycle1943
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#2 posted 01-25-2020 01:06 PM
these are beautiful Brian and sure to be a hit but I just can’t embrace them like your other ingenious boxes
-- Dick, Malvern Ohio - my biggest fear is that when I die, my wife sells my toys for what I told her I paid for them
wildwoodbybrianjohns
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#3 posted 01-25-2020 01:41 PM
Thanks, Dave! I agree with you, I think the “right” one needs some feet; the wife agrees too. Maybe I will, maybe I wont???? I dont have any chechen left in stock, so it would have to be ebony, I think.
-- WWBBJ: the first to compare a woman´s cheek to a rose was a poet. The second, an idiot. Dali
MrWolfe
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#4 posted 01-25-2020 02:13 PM
Very cool brass inclusions Brian.
I like the handles too. I like the stripe inlays of Chechen on the legs. Isn’t Chechen that toxic wood with poisonous sap and leaves? I know that I have a bad reaction to some woods, did this affect you when you were working it?
Cool boxes and I like that they are a pair.
Jon
splintergroup
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#5 posted 01-25-2020 03:22 PM
Great job with the inlay, nice way to dress up legs!
I’m with Dave, the unit on the right could use toes, but on it’s own I think it is plenty dressed.
Plenty of exotics involved here! The metals are a fine addition (copper rules 8^)
wildwoodbybrianjohns
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#6 posted 01-25-2020 04:36 PM
Thanks, Jon! Yes, chechen is also known as black poisonwood, but it is the bark that is poisonous. Maybe the sap and leaves too, IDK. The wood itself, once stable/dried, is not an irritant. I had no reaction to it.
-- WWBBJ: the first to compare a woman´s cheek to a rose was a poet. The second, an idiot. Dali
Dave Polaschek
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10263 posts in 2037 days
#7 posted 01-25-2020 06:30 PM
As I discovered this morning, sanding ebony without a dust mask makes for some pretty gross kleenexes afterwards. :-/
-- Dave - Santa Fe
Madmark2
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#8 posted 01-25-2020 06:58 PM
Lovely work. About how many hours do you figure on the pair?
-- The hump with the stump and the pump!
therealSteveN
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#9 posted 01-25-2020 07:06 PM
“Dimensions: roughly 8cm X 8 cm.”
Somebody give me a magnifying glass. Isn’t that like 3.14” How the heck did you do all that detail.
Awesome pair of boxes Brian, and on stilts no less.
-- Think safe, be safe
jeffswildwood
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#10 posted 01-25-2020 08:08 PM
Brian, you are definitely a boxer! Amazing detail on these.
-- We all make mistakes, the trick is to fix it in a way that says "I meant to do that".
wildwoodbybrianjohns
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#11 posted 01-25-2020 09:55 PM
Thank you, Dick.
Thanks, Splinty!
Thanks, Jeff. I am now, anyway.
Thanks, SteveN. The carcasses are actually 7.5cm square, so yeah, 3” or so.
Thanks, Madmark2. I cant really answer your question as to hours. I work with what you might term an “artists temperament,” and dont keep track of the time. I should probably start to. I do keep track of the cost of materials however; and as far as pricing goes, I look at the piece when its done and think, this piece is going to sell for XXX amount, and thats that.
-- WWBBJ: the first to compare a woman´s cheek to a rose was a poet. The second, an idiot. Dali
leafherder
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#12 posted 01-25-2020 09:59 PM
I love them! It is like Art Deco costume designer Erte tried his hand at designing skyscrapers.
Thanks for sharing.
PS – Velvet being shipped from China to Spain? That is dedication to your art! Don’t they have a local fabric store or dressmaker willing to sell you scraps?
-- Leafherder
wildwoodbybrianjohns
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3212 posts in 1002 days
#13 posted 01-25-2020 10:43 PM
Thanks, man, for the fantastic compliment.
As far as the velvet, I meant PSA velvet, as this type is easier for me to work with. I have lots of fabric scraps I could use but I always seem to be unable to get the fabric stretched right so it lays well, so I use the sticky-back stuff.
These boxes will likely be the last I use velvet in, because I will be switching to goatskin suedes and AAA leather for most future builds.
-- WWBBJ: the first to compare a woman´s cheek to a rose was a poet. The second, an idiot. Dali
James E McIntyre
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#14 posted 01-26-2020 12:42 AM
Good design. Like Leafhearder said Art Deco. I also see a more modern ara influence which is one of my favorite artistic periods.
-- James E McIntyre
kdc68
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3077 posts in 3732 days
#15 posted 01-26-2020 12:54 AM
You’ve packed a lot of detail and exotic wood into these little boxes. I like the legs without the feet. I maybe would have tapered them, maybe not. Beautiful work !
-- Measure "at least" twice and cut once
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