We’ve been pretty busy around these parts, but it seems like Spring is always busy for us. The second mermaid themed wheel is about ready to ship, so we took it to the park for a few final shots. Also, I like to make an instructional video of each wheel for the new owner. I really enjoy how the cool blue green tones of the paint and glass make a great complement to the warm tones of the wood.
I like this painting especially when the wheel is placed in dimmer light or shadows. It enhances the feel of mystery. There are lots of little mother of pearl accents on this wheel. You can see a large one on the top of the speed changer knob and also in the center of the hub.
My next project will be a bee/honeycomb theme. It will not have as much art as a lot of the recent wheels but it will be fun. I’m going to really play with the hexagon shape of the honeycomb. I’ll keep you posted! Thanks for looking.
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This wheel has come quite a way since the last post. Kelli really wanted a mermaid on a rock and a pirate ship, so that is the theme of the painting on this side. Given the space limitations, I think it works pretty well. The colors in the painting were chosen to follow the lead of the stained glass. At the top along the handle section you can see the sculpture of a diving mermaid. It still needs a little work but I want to get the spinner’s approval before I take it any farther. She is removable for safe travel. All the knobs have mother-of-pearl inlay.
This is a closer view of the mermaid from the top. I crafted her from epoxy over wood and finished with some bronze patinas.
The orifice height adjustment knob got some inspired treatment on this wheel. I wanted it to remind people of a mermaid’s tail. The glass is just another way to follow the color theme around the wheel while adding a bit of elegance too. Still a bit more work to do and then Amy gets to test. This has been a wonderful project!
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Before I can get into the mermaid theme of this wheel I have to build the basic structure. This is always fun as the beautiful wood itself brings me a lot of joy. The frame of this wheel is walnut. I bought it rough and had to plane it to reveal the beauty hidden beneath the surface. Then when it is cut to shape and sanded I can hardly wait to put on the first coat of varnish as it brings out the richness and glow of the wood. The treadles are figured western maple which will go well with the cherry base and the big wheels soon to come. The glass in the frame was requested by the spinner. This is the perfect glass to play against the wood and to give the ripply feel of water.
Here is closer view of my sketchbook. So far I haven’t deviated much from the plan, which is a good thing. Today it’s time to glue up and then turn the big wheels in readiness for the mermaids’ arrival. Could get exciting!
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About the time we begin testing a finished wheel, I am also beginning to gather material for the next project. So we took the nautilus wheel out to show the crew at Edensaw. Since it has turned windy and wet we thought the idea of taking a few final photos at Edensaw might be in order. A forklift just seemed to want to help out so that’s where the wheel posed.
I like the way the wheel turned out. My wife Maxine has a collection of vintage buttons and she generously let me choose some pearl buttons for accents. In this photo you can see four of them. The wheel is going to Germany and it will be taken completely apart for the journey. Not my favorite plan, but we do what needs to be done. I will have to warm up my skills in front of the camera as the instructional video will be a lot longer and more complicated than normal.
I took this mostly to remind me of how I made the ends for the treadle axles. I like the curved shape.
Amy and I picked out some walnut, too, and I will be starting another mermaid wheel right away. I did one mermaid last fall and so this one must take a different path. Will keep you guys posted! Thanks for looking, Gary
P.S. you really don’t need a forklift to transport your wheel ;)
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I really enjoy this point in a build where I can look at my original sketch and see how it has come to life. There are still many things to do but it has a good and elegant feel. The big wheels are finished with many coats of varnish with iridescent powders added to build up the look and feel of shell. You can still see the grain of the wood though, which I believe will make Ilse happy. This is the first wheel I’ve built without the usual hub in the middle of the big wheel. Instead I carved a wooden shell shape. In the center of this, after the wheels are trued up and secured, will go wooden plugs with mother of pearl vintage buttons on top. It should add some real elegance to the look. I will likely add more mother of pearl in other places as well. The handle area and the lower frame are designed to echo the feel of nautilus shells that have been sliced into sections to expose the wonderful inner shapes.
The treadles will be made out of figured eastern ample, which is light colored as well as beautiful. The treadles will have opalized shells inlaid into the toe end of each treadle. They look a lot like the carved shell I made in place of the hub but of course are a lot smaller. The front foot of this wheel is carved to look like an actual nautilus shell. One difficult design problem was to fit the spiral curves into this wheel. There is a huge difference between spirals and circles I found out! One other feature with this wheel is that it is not permanently glued together as my others have been. It will need to travel to Germany and it is better and cheaper to send it in several crates to be assembled when it arrives. So, that’s it from this end. Hope you all enjoy this beautiful weekend!
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Ilse from Germany wants a wheel that brings back special memories for her. She still has a nautilus shell she found years ago. This wheel will be an attempt to celebrate the amazing grace and elegance of this type of shell. I will do my best work although I will be hard pressed to match the great craftsmanship shown by Ilse’s shell’s former tenant. The handle area and the opening between the treadles will resemble a cross section of a shell. Instead of my usual hubs I will try to create a spiral design. There will be mother of pearl inlays in key places and all the wood will be light in tone. Should be a fun challenge.
Speaking of challenges…. no one responded to my riddle! I was driving through the boatyard and this big heavy hauler’s little brother was cruising along the main road at about 1/2 mile per hour. The driver (man walking along side with a radio control box) motioned me to pass right through. It was so fun I did the same thing yesterday!
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Let’s get that scary snake over with first! Amy and I took the wheels for a visit to the park. This one is just about ready to ship – just a little more varnish and some testing.
Here is a close up of the snake. All told I am very happy with this wheel. I’m curious to know what name Dawn comes up with.
This photo gives you an idea of the difference in size between our regular Timberline model on the left and the two Foothills on the right. The Timberline has 14″ wheels while the Foothills has 12″ wheels. They lack the orifice height adjustment but other than that, they have all the other model’s features at a lower price.
Here are the Bobbinsy Twins. Amy’s wheel on the left is actually very nicely figured maple but the bright light washed this detail out. Rebekah’s wheel is mostly walnut.
Just another view that shows the variation in treadle shapes. Always fun to experiment.
Now for the riddle:
True story. Yesterday I was driving our truck and passed right through another motorized moving vehicle. No damage was done. Do you know what happened? I’ll supply the answer later ;)
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I’ve been busy since the dragon left Port Townsend but I’m still dealing with reptiles! This wheel was inspired by a spinner from Ohio who wanted a wheel that showcased American hardwood with art to reflect some of the critters that live in the woods near her home. The main figure is the milk snake slithering its way up the frame and it will be studying the spinner with eyes made from real rubies! They are not in place yet, but this will be a first for one of my wheels. The snake is crafted from epoxy over an aluminum mess frame. The big wheels are western figured maple and there are sculpted branches radiating from the center of each wheel to promote the woods idea. In the center of the hubs I sculpted frogs and finished them to match the bronze dragonflies inlaid into the treadles.
This snake actually startled me last evening when I went to move the wheel. I almost jumped when my hand got close to the handle! I’ve never really been a snake person.
I found I didn’t have quite enough walnut to finish the wheel so I made a trip to Edensaw for one more board. The best I found was one with a knot hole right in the middle of the board. When you have lemons make lemonade, so with this in mind I now have the milk snake emerging from that knot hole! It kind of symbolically lives in the wheel I guess.
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This has been a great wheel to build and I am honored to have had the privilege to make it. The last touch was to add some Celtic graphic design on the handle. It helps tie the carving to the varnished wood. Something seemed to ring a faint bell as I was painting it. Finally it dawned on me that when I was looking on the internet for Celtic design inspiration, I found that a lot of the photos were tattoos! The handle area is about the same shape and color as an arm so a little mystery is solved!
This photo shows off the claw and ball foot better than others I’ve posted. It was quite a challenge to integrate the sapelle with the cherry but I feel it works pretty well now.
Here is some evidence that the new dragon keeper, Elsa, is likely to have her hands full trying to keep this rascal in check. I set Amy’s little Foothills wheel in the yard and the dragon decided to chase it around! Establishing some sort of reptilian pecking order I’m thinking. Oh well – wheels will be wheels! Thanks for looking.
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Here’s the latest on the new wheel. The two dragons are painted on each of the big wheels in almost black and are surrounded by a gold line. The background color is an amethyst, using some iridescent colors to make it work. It shifts in tone depending on the light and angle. You can see the Celtic knot painted on the hub now, too. The footman rod abstractly resembles a wing and uses the same colors. The toe end of the treadle has an overlay of sapelle with an inset amethyst stone.There is a black paint added which enhances the drama of the Celtic pattern. A knob between the big wheels and below the dragon’s head will control the speed changer. I inset a small cluster of amethyst crystals into the top of this knob. I haven’t been able to get a clear answer from Elsa but I HOPE she like amethyst!
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Olympic Spinning Wheels 