Project Information
I have been a fan of the Green and Green style for a long time and have great respect for the Halls and their mastery of furniture making. If you are familiar with the Green brothers interpretation of the mission style, you probably know that the Hall brothers were the builders of the Green's designs. John Hall did a little designing as well while working for the Greens, of particular interest to me was his mirror frame (circa 1909) which hangs in the Gamble House in California .
Marc Spagnolo "The Wood Whisperer" had opportunity to visit John Hall's relative and actually view, hold and make a measured drawing of the mirror frame, which made me quite happy to say the least. This piece has captured my imagination for a long time. The original piece is made of black walnut.
I downloaded his drawings and set out to make a pair of them, one each for my son and daughter. Making them was intriguing and challenging. I wanted to make them from something other than mahogany or walnut which was traditional for the Greens. After looking through my wood supply (which is not great) I found a couple of pieces of birds eye maple that were heavily eyed. The choice was clear and the work began. I followed Marc's procedures for the most part, but made an extra set of templates that were modified to rout the inner puzzle pieces on the stiles.
Each frame measures roughly 20" wide, by 22" high, with the top rail 7/8" thick, the side stiles 3/4" thick and the bottom rail 5/8" thick. This creates nice shadow lines. Construction involved both machines and hand work, specifically carving. Each piece was sanded to 320 grit and rubbed with boiled linseed oil and then sprayed with three coats of catylized lacquer. The mirror is 1/4" plate glass. The ebony pegs are three different sizes, 1/4" square, 3/16" square and a 3/16" X 3/8" rectangle
I would like to thank Marc Spagnolo for the inspiration and creating the drawings, and John Hall for his design.
I hope my kids like them.
Bill G
Marc Spagnolo "The Wood Whisperer" had opportunity to visit John Hall's relative and actually view, hold and make a measured drawing of the mirror frame, which made me quite happy to say the least. This piece has captured my imagination for a long time. The original piece is made of black walnut.
I downloaded his drawings and set out to make a pair of them, one each for my son and daughter. Making them was intriguing and challenging. I wanted to make them from something other than mahogany or walnut which was traditional for the Greens. After looking through my wood supply (which is not great) I found a couple of pieces of birds eye maple that were heavily eyed. The choice was clear and the work began. I followed Marc's procedures for the most part, but made an extra set of templates that were modified to rout the inner puzzle pieces on the stiles.
Each frame measures roughly 20" wide, by 22" high, with the top rail 7/8" thick, the side stiles 3/4" thick and the bottom rail 5/8" thick. This creates nice shadow lines. Construction involved both machines and hand work, specifically carving. Each piece was sanded to 320 grit and rubbed with boiled linseed oil and then sprayed with three coats of catylized lacquer. The mirror is 1/4" plate glass. The ebony pegs are three different sizes, 1/4" square, 3/16" square and a 3/16" X 3/8" rectangle
I would like to thank Marc Spagnolo for the inspiration and creating the drawings, and John Hall for his design.
I hope my kids like them.
Bill G
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