It’s been a productive week in the shop and I am very happy with the way Amy’s wheel is turning out. It is not the most elaborate wheel I’ve made but it is among the most elegant. The lines are graceful and are accentuated by the rich walnut. The raven, carved just about life size, is making one of his crazy noises I’m sure, judging by that glint in his eye and the open beak. The paintings are both views from Hurricane Ridge. The top photo shows a scene from a trail looking off toward Port Townsend, which is about 5200 ft. lower and sixty miles away. The lower photo is looking into the Olympic Mountains from the same area and showcases some of the abundant wildflowers that cover the hillsides. On an earlier visit when I photographed this raven, he had just stolen an entire sandwich from someone and was literally running and hopping away with it! I took one photo of him from the back side with the sandwich in his beak! After a few hops his sandwich fell apart and he had to figure out how to take the entire thing away one slice of bread at a time. As Amy would say, “clever bird!”
This is going to be a busy month or two for me as I have begun work on a number of new wheels. The one pictured above is the start of Amy’s new wheel. Hers must take top priority as we will be going to OFFF in a few weeks as well as representing our wheels at a local farm tour coming up even sooner. And we have no wheels! Since Amy has had the chance to test all my wheels, she has developed a pretty good idea of what she wants in this one. A simple light frame made from Peruvian Walnut (dark and rich) with cherry for the main wheels and treadles. She wants a wheel that reflects the Olympic Peninsula since we live here as well as having wheels that use that name. We will have a raven as a figurehead, paintings of the Olympics on the big wheels, and likely there will be tide pools crafted into the toe end of each treadle. It could become a very elegant wheel and one we’ll want to keep in the family. Other projects include:
A. Jennifer in Oregon wants a wheel that reflects her love of the Oregon coast and the tide pools she finds there. So I will use the concept of treadle pools as on Amy’s wheel for hers too. She also wants a mermaid…..This will require a bit of thought!
B. Cathy wants an northwest coast design style wheel with a wolf and a raven. Lots of room for lots of things here! I need to start sketching today.
C. Annie likes fairies and Ireland. So I’ve begun doing my little research on fairy houses and habits. This could actually be a very interesting and fun project as I like making little houses with lights. More sketching!
So I guess I’d better get off this computer and head to the shop. Wish me luck!
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This wheel has had some testing and will be leaving us on Monday. Its always fun to see a wheel get done, but it is bittersweet too as we will not likely see this wheel again in person. Looks like the dog and cat don’t seem to be taking it too hard. They are absorbed in their books. Enjoy, Janet!
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As a finishing touch to the super sleuth wheel I couldn’t help but make this swan orifice hook . As you can see from the undoctored photo, Poirot himself carried one on all his important cases.
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I have really enjoyed building wheels full time again and it is very satisfying to have this one come together so nicely. Most of the time when I finish a wheel I bring it to Amy to test with a certain expectation of some little thing or other needing adjustment. Even Amy’s very sensitive ears couldn’t locate an obnoxious noise and everything was smooth as silk! I took it out for a final photo session and decided this shot was how I want to remember the wheel. You might notice that the flyer is different than any other I have made. Jain requested a delta orifice and I was curious to see how it would work. Amy found it to be a pleasure to use and we will probably offer it as an option to any customer who wants one. The nice thing is that no orifice hook is required and orifice size is not an issue either. Simplicity is a good thing!
Tomorrow Maxine and I will drive to Portland with this new wheel and deliver it to Jain. It makes for a long day of driving but it is good to deliver a wheel personally when possible. Thanks for sharing this journey of creating with me.
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As you can see the rumored sleuth wheel has begun to come together, although much remains to be finished. The top photo shows the basic shape of everything. The paintings on the big wheels are famous detectives. On the left wheel we have Hercule Poirot and Inspector Clouseau both with magnifying glass in hand. On the right wheel is a newer version of Sherlock Holmes (which I haven’t actually watched yet) and the always thinking Lt. Columbo. Though not seen yet will be pink panther tracks going across the wheels and across the treadles as well. The second photo explains the tracks:
Janet has a miniature Dachshund and a cat named Emma. Our dog, in disguise as Clouseau (complete with fake mustache) , is honing her skills in panther catching. Below her the cat is resting after a busy time painting tracks around the wheel. The paint can near her actually is the housing for the switch that turns on two lights. A push down turns the lights on or off. One is the dog’s reading light and the other is lighting the cat. Believe me this took a lot of engineering! This whole cat/dog assembly easily removes for travel and can stand alone as a little sculpture as well as being attached to the wheel. The battery for the lights is located in a compartment directly below the cat.
Colors need to be adjusted and the detectives still need a bit of fine tuning but the wheel is coming together pretty well. We should be able to test it in just a couple of days!
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Though this wheel still has a good way to go, it is far enough along to show everyone some progress. Today I painted the phoenix design on the big wheels. Jain had suggested other ideas (which were good ) but the wheel suggested another route and it is usually good to listen to the wood. Since the phoenix is a symbol for resurrection from death and often in legend is a cycle of this process, I thought that a depiction of a phoenix and flames rotating endlessly would be a good way to represent this. The art is not finished yet and the colors are made from iridescent powders mixed into varnish so the next photos you see will probably look different than this one. Its just the way it goes.
The block of wood has been transformed into an elegant bird and I decided to keep the back especially pretty graphic rather than realistic. This way I can focus on design and strength better than if I wanted to fool you into thinking this was a stuffed bird. This bird can easily be removed from the wheel’s frame by simply lifting it out if its socket. Below the bird on the grass you can see one of the treadles and a colorful footman rod. Jain likes color!
Even though realism wasn’t too much a priority, the eyes often make or break a critter. This one has the look of life and I am happy about it! The beak is actually painted in gold though the photo doesn’t make this clear. So there it is ready for tomorrow’s efforts. If a phoenix is not your cup of tea, relax – dogs, cats, and detectives are coming your way soon!
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I am finally back to working full time on wheels and it is truly a lot of fun! This roughly carved wooden bird will become an elegant phoenix rising from the flames carved onto the spinning wheel. Amy is holding the stem that will fit into a socket so that the bird can easily be removed for transport. I also have gained a lot of ground on Janet’s super sleuth wheel. We will have a major show and tell for you soon!
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Believe it or not I have not fled the country or gone on permanent vacation! Things have been busier than normal in my world for a couple of reasons. The first is I am trying to change my working habits and actually build two wheels at the same time. The idea is that setting up tools to do a task takes a lot of time and using this time to produce parts for two wheels save setting things up twice. Also while glue or finish is drying on one wheel I can be working on the other one. I think this will work but I have to re-think the blog posts. I do plan to post updates more often than I have lately.
The other thing that has greatly affected my life is something that started out as a simple little remodel job for a friend. She is starting a flotation tank business here in Port Townsend and couldn’t find a contractor to build the necessary room to hold her new tank, shower, etc. I’ve done a bit of building in the past and it sounded pretty straightforward. I had no idea how much is involved in creating a sound-proof room! We have had to consult engineers, get special permits, order unique hardware, and the list goes on and on. The walls have three layers of drywall held to the studs by means of rubber bumpers on steel channels. The ceiling also has three layers of drywall but they are secured to a spring system that causes the ceiling to literally float in space. The mass of the extra drywall added to the sound cancelling bumpers and springs will ideally defeat the ladies who operate a busy hair salon directly above this space. They prance around in high heels on laminate flooring all day long and it is not conducive to a restful float! This 64 year old guy will be thinking twice before he takes on another project like this one! But the end is in sight and I will be delighted to be back to full time building within a week.
The two wheels shown in the photos will end up being two very different wheels indeed! The one on the left and behind will be a super sleuth wheel featuring a huge cast of characters including Columbo, Holmes, Clouseau, and Poirot. To these well known sleuths will be added a dog named Daisy disguised as Clouseau and a cat who is out to fool the dog. The wheel on the right will be a phoenix rising from the flames. It will be a very elegant and classy wheel. What a contrast between the two visions these ladies have! I will be posting more details of progress soon. I am sorry for keeping such a low profile lately . I miss all your helpful and encouraging thoughts!
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Amy and I waited for the evening light and hauled our new Holmes wheel to our favorite park for a photo shoot. These were supposed to be the final pictures but someone forgot to charge the battery in the camera. That would be me. I am glad Amy remembered her phone so all was not lost. We really wanted to show interested people what the paintings look like at this point. In this first photo Holmes is at the top in one of his classic pensive poses. At the lower left is Holmes and Watson discussing a case on a train bound, no doubt, for adventure. The scene at the lower right was requested by the spinner who ordered the wheel, and it is Holmes and Moriarty struggling at the falls. Doyle killed Holmes off in this story but somehow brought him back in future books. Now that is a clever writer!
This side of the wheel has a cast of characters who figure prominently in the books. At the top is Watson, the right hand man to the world’s first consulting detective. At the lower left is Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s brother, who figures in two stories. At the lower right is Mrs. Hudson who was Holmes’ landlady.
This photo is just a close up showing a few details from a different angle. Before we ship the wheel, I will charge the battery and take the final final photos and put them on our website. This has really been a great and challenging project and we hope the new owner get a lot of pleasure from this wheel.
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Olympic Spinning Wheels 