| Project by Milton Toal | posted 02-13-2013 04:53 AM | 1750 views | 2 times favorited | 15 comments |  |
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Thanks to Judy Gale Roberts et al for the inspiration. We lost a grandson at 6 weeks. Every year since, my Wife Elaine and I have bought a bear ornament for the Christmas tree. This year Jarrod would have been 18 so I decided to make it special. Panic set in when three days from Christmas the Tasmanian Cheesewood (the white wood) that I bought at auction at the end of October had still not arrived. The whole thing is just about 8 cm tall. The red of the hat, jacket and trousers is Western Red Cedar as I had no Padauk at the time. The face, ear and buckle are Cypress Pine, the gloves, belt and nose button are American Walnut, the eyes are ebony dowels turned in the drill press from ex piano keys, the shoe uppers are Australian Red Gum, the nose and chin and soles are Sandalwood and the bag is Messmate.
Very challenging, very rewardable and my daughter paraded it around the room to the entire family before hanging it on the tree.
Christmas is for giving, it really is and the old adage that it is better to give than to receive really came home to me.
-- Milton Toal, Doncaster, Melbourne Australia.
15 comments so far
atchison32
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153 posts in 3792 days
#1 posted 02-13-2013 05:12 AM
Well done!
Woodbridge
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#2 posted 02-13-2013 05:13 AM
beautiful work!
-- Peter, Woodbridge, Ontario
Monte Pittman
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#3 posted 02-13-2013 09:38 AM
Beautiful work
-- Nature created it, I just assemble it.
Dale J Struhar Sr
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#4 posted 02-13-2013 02:40 PM
Absolutely beautiful. Nice job.
-- Dale, Ohio
Ken90712
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#5 posted 02-13-2013 03:10 PM
Amazing work, and such a nice tribute to your loved one. Sorry to hear, as it is never easy. It’s a nice tribute to keep the memory going. I love Intarsia style of woodworking.
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
luv2learn
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#6 posted 02-13-2013 04:28 PM
Milton, beautiful work, especially for your first piece. I am sure that your grandson would have smiled at this tribute to him. Cottonwood is an excellent choice for your white wood in case you get in a bind. I am a novice at Intarsia also, but I really like the craft. I hope you do too and I look forward to seeing more of your posts.
-- Lee - Northern idaho~"If the women don't find you handsome, at least they ought to find you handy"~ Red Green
DocSavage45
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#7 posted 02-13-2013 05:00 PM
NICE REMEMBERANCE!
-- Cau Haus Designs, Thomas J. Tieffenbacher
a1Jim
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#8 posted 02-13-2013 05:04 PM
Nice work and a very kind and wonderful thing to do.
-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos
Ivan
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16308 posts in 3747 days
#9 posted 02-13-2013 06:48 PM
Too good for first time!
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
SteveW
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#10 posted 02-13-2013 07:40 PM
That is beautiful work, thank you for sharing,
and my apologies for your loss.
Mind if I ask a question on your techniques?
How do you sand each piece?
I am new to Intarsia, but they look somewhat difficult to hold, no?
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
Time2beupinAZ
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453 posts in 3841 days
#11 posted 02-13-2013 08:35 PM
That is a very nice piece of work you have done there. Great fist intarsia.
-- Tim - I usally measure twice after I cut......then I know for sure that I cut it short.....
SCOTSMAN
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5849 posts in 4465 days
#12 posted 02-13-2013 08:53 PM
So sorry for your loss and I too love intarsia and have the book in question I must try this when I get the time LOL Alistair
-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease
Milton Toal
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107 posts in 2951 days
#13 posted 02-14-2013 03:12 AM
Thanks everyone. Was quite a challenge.
Steve, You are right. Very difficult to hold because the piece is so tiny.. Sanded with tiny tubes and diamond burrs on a flexible shaft, finished by hand with fine wet-and-dry.
Thanks for the tip on Cottonwood, Luv2Learn but I don’t know of a supplier in Australia. However, I saw a neighbour pruning his Cumquat and the wood is nearly pure white. I grabbed a branch, painted the ends with plastic paint and will leave it dry out in the workshop then mill it. If it still comes out white I shall approach some citrus farmers for their larger prunings, since the Tasmanian Cheesewood is very rarely available as it is an understory shrub which is only cut as a by-product of normal logging.
-- Milton Toal, Doncaster, Melbourne Australia.
woodshaver Tony C
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#14 posted 02-14-2013 03:43 AM
Excellent work and made for a very good reason! First time, It looks so perfect!
-- St Augustine FL, Experience is the sum of our mistakes!
intarsia92
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122 posts in 2996 days
#15 posted 02-14-2013 04:34 PM
Very nice!!! Shaping and choice of woods are great.
-- Intarsia92
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