Since the swan wheel is out of my hands and into Amy’s for testing, I am back to work on the Narnia wheel. Finally the little bits and pieces that seemed so disjointed are coming together. The two door knob plates are now mated to the frame. At the bottom is the push button switch that illuminates the lamp post. The top button unscrews to remove the door for access to the lamp post (or perhaps if you feel really small it could be your personal entrance to that other land.) Actually all of these little buttons are in reality vintage buttons from my family’s collection. I thought they would give a sort of mysterious element to the door area. The bottom one actually is a lion head, which plays very well with the great lion who will rule the wheel from the vantage point of the handle. I felt very fortunate when I ran across it on a button card. The flat area above the door will soon be occupied by the mouse. I can hardly wait to start sculpting that little rascal.
The second photo is a fairly feeble attempt to photograph the lamp post now that is is sandwiched between two layers of frosted glass. I am waiting for this evening to see how it will appear in low light. Even though I think I know what I am doing, I always enjoy the little surprises along the way. Tomorrow I’ll be back at it and will give a report later on future developments.
It finally dawned on me that we had sold our demonstrator wheel and had nothing for people to test at OFFF and an up-coming farm tour. I got permission from Marcia to put her Narnia wheel on hold and have been working very hard on this new wheel. My original intent was to make a straightforward wheel with little art. This was mostly to make sure that I finished in time. But as I got to going I realized that a handle without something special is a wasted opportunity. I have wanted to make a swan wheel for a long time. So I made the head.
But just a swan head alone without a context seemed incorrect so I took an idea I used on the lady-of-the-lake wheel. Using casting resin over carved and painted stones I created the feel of looking into shallow water. The theme was still seeming incomplete so I added ebony pieces in two places on the front leg to bring down the black of the bird’s bill. And then I inlaid three diamond shaped, faceted milky glass pieces into the frame. That brought the classy white of the head down too. The wood is left natural with only varnish over it. It is mostly cherry but I used highly figured maple for the treadles and accent places. There are still a few more things to do, such as the handles on the end of the axles, scotch tension knob and guide, and hub caps. The flyer shown is “borrowed” from another wheel just for these photos. This wheel is for sale, but we can’t deliver or ship it until after OFFF. Any one interested?
I realized this evening that my partner, Amy, will be gone for several days and that I am helpless to put a blog entry up on my own. I wanted to show interested spinners what is happening with this Narnia wheel. I had it sitting on the dining room table and with the window and lamp behind and I thought it looked pretty festive. Amy was not so sure! I’ll explain what you are looking at: You can see a very unfinished frame but you are also looking at days of hard work. At the right is the new shape of the front leg and in this wheel there is a piece of blue stained glass sandwiched in between the many layers of wood. At the left you can see an odd shaped opening with the little lamp post sitting inside. The two sides of this opening will be covered with frosted stained glass. The right side of the base is visible too and you can see the holes where the treadle will be attached. Above the lamp post there is a flat area and this is where the little mouse, Reepacheep, will be placed as he cheers the spinner on to brave fiber adventures. Above the big opening behind the front leg you might notice a little circle. It is directly in front of the table lamp. This is the axle point from which will hang the two large wheels. The sloped piece of wood above this is where the flyer assembly and handle attach. So much left to do! But for me this project is a great adventure and it is fun. I’ll keep you posted.
Marcia has commissioned me to build a wheel that reminds her of her favorite place – Narnia! In order to do a credible job I re-read the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven’t had the pleasure, you might pick these books up and settle yourself down for a good adventure. C.S. Lewis was an amazing man and wonderful writer. 
The lamp post was a key feature in the book and so I decided to make a miniature lighted post and cover it with snow and place it within a special chamber in the main frame. It will be viewed through frosted stained glass panels on each side. In the first photo you can see a piece of this glass behind the lamp post. We are still in the idea stages of the project, but it looks to be quite a wheel. Aslan the great lion will be the key figure, but his majesty will be balanced by the fearless little mouse, Reepacheep, in a wonderful new space created in the newly designed frame. There will be paintings, too, and perhaps other ideas will flow forth as the wheel progresses. I have enjoyed making the lamp post and can hardly wait to see how everything comes together. Updates to follow!
Our latest wheel is about ready for testing once the varnish dries a bit more. I like the way things turned out, even though it kept me alert all the time as so many things were new with this one. Because Jan requested a border collie in classic pose for the handle, I needed to make it removable and it turned out fine. I will add this option to my bag of tricks when people request delicate handle embellishment. It is held in place over the regular handle by two rare earth magnets. Just pop it off and pack it carefully for travel. I felt it was necessary to keep the woodwork simple so as not to compete with the art. Sorry for the indoor photos. Usually we haul the new wheels to some place interesting to photograph them but today we have rain. The dusty shop had to double as photo studio. Thank you, Jan, for letting me build this fun wheel for you and I hope you enjoy it for a very long time!
Jan from near Yosemite Park has commissioned me to make a special wheel. It will incorporate quite a few elements that could very easily become a few too many! She hikes in the high country a lot and wanted pictures of this beautiful area painted on the big wheels. No problem – I’m a painter. Then we talked about her border collies who are so very important on her ranch. Problem – how does one sculpt a graceful sleek animal into a sturdy handle? I didn’t want a big fat slothful looking collie. So, back to the drawing board. This wheel will have a removable collie held in place with a rare earth magnet glued into the wooden shroud that covers the regular handle. When traveling or moving the wheel, the collie can be popped off and put safely away for the move. Now, what does a border collie look like? Thank you, internet people for posting so many pictures! And then we discussed her Shetland sheep. Perfect place for them was in the center of the hubs where I have on other wheels put cats and rabbits. About this time I was feeling a bit nervous about all these elements, but when I started actually assembling the parts, I felt that it would actually work! This photo was sent to Jan for her approval before things are permanently put together. The little holes circling the hub will be covered with wooden plugs painted black. She approved and I’ll keep you all posted as work progresses. Thanks for looking, Gary
This has been an interesting week in one way. Usually I just go about my business and putter on wheels. Lots of quiet time alone with my wood and tools. There is a great satisfaction in this, and when something comes together after days of planning and cutting and gluing and finishing, I just enjoy sitting back and watching Amy take over and do the testing. But this week things changed a bit with the advent of a Ravelry group about our wheels. Amy and I are so honored be be thought worthy of such attention. It is humbling and makes me feel a bit nervous too. Every wheel I have made represents the best I could do at that point in time. And yet since each wheel is handmade and is in many ways a brand new and unique combination of art and function, I always think, “maybe if I’d done this different” or “why didn’t I test that part just a little more.” These thoughts usually come when the wheel is crated up and ready to send. Tomorrow Jennifer in Texas gets her wheel from Fed-ex and she announced on the group how important an event this will be to her. Cleaning her whole house and everything! That makes me hope so hard that this wheel will measure up to her expectations and be all she wants it to be. I guess what I am trying to say is thank you all so much for liking what I do and for trusting me with your dreams. I promise I will undertake each project with all the care and respect and skill that I can muster because you deserve no less.
Up until recently I didn’t know there was such an animal as a leopard cat – at least a small variety that could be kept as a pet. A spinner from Texas commissioned me to build this wheel and requested that her cat be the main theme of the wheel. Her other request was for me to incorporate figured wood and keep the wood tones fairly light. I had some great figured maple that I used in a number of places on this wheel. Each big wheel has four inlaid sections of maple, and over this I tried to paint a pattern like that seen on her cat. My goal was to make the pattern equal in importance with the flash of the figured wood. Quite a balance to aspire to! I decided to use the photos she sent as reference for two portraits painted in the center of the hubs. The side not seen in these photos has a different view of the cat. In order to add a touch of elegance beyond wood and paint, I inlaid glass jewels in the big wheels as well as both sides of the handle and the scotch tension knob. Jennifer wanted a simpler handle than what I have been making lately yet this one still has an artistic flair and feels good to carry. Now we begin to test!
I’ve been making wheels pretty regularly for just about a year now and have learned so much! The wheels have evolved, and my skills and tools have increased. We’ve had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people in the spinning world, and the extra privilege of making wheels for some of them. An interesting thing happened yesterday that made me realize that we are at a pivotal point in this venture. A lady from Spin-Off magazine called me and suggested we put an ad in the upcoming Fall issue. It will be an issue focused on wheels and their makers. I’ve thought about doing this before, but never got serious enough to follow through. Well, she gave me till tomorrow to make up my mind! Since a wheel-focused issue only happens once every five years or so, I feel I can’t pass this up, even though it is a big financial investment.
So, by saying yes to Sarah I am in theory entering another level of this business. Instead of seeing myself as the new kid trying to break into this world, I am saying I am serious and intend to stay. In order to make this commitment work, there will need to be some other changes as well. I have been pretty unrealistic with my prices and my family has often reminded me of this. I can’t make a living at wheel making at the price structure we have now and I can’t upgrade my tools, advertise, or attend many events either. Starting August 1st our prices will go up 15% on all wheels. Not a huge increase, but enough to let me continue to improve business as well as pay the bills. If any of you have been considering ordering a wheel, it might be a good time to place an order at the current prices. I’d be happy to make one for you! Gary
Sometimes I get into a routine. I putter around in the shop most of the day and into the evening, taking breaks for meals and chores. In the evening I enjoy time with the family and then quiet time to read and reflect. Not bad and no complaints will issue forth from me! Once in awhile an unexpected event breaks my routine and that is a refreshing change. I had to get up at 4:00 this morning to let a work crew into a building downtown, and rather than return home and awaken the household, I decided to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. It was very calm and quiet and a fog bank was rolling in from the west. Gulls were busy with their own routine. Other than one early tourist, I had the whole beach to myself. The sun kept promising to rise and the incoming fog kept making its journey of lighting the sky a bit harder. For once I had all the time in the world to watch this little theater play out. Eventually the irrepressible sun won out and rose triumphantly over the fog. I felt like I should be hearing background music playing. But the birds kept up their chatter and that proved adequate. The lesson for me is to take the time to visit places just a stone’s throw away from my routine as often as possible. It was a great way to start the day.
Along this line of thinking, I decided to show you my little feather shaped orifice hook that will accompany the raven wheel on its journey. I took it to the same beach and placed it on a weathered log. It is made from padouk and has abalone inlay on both sides. Rather than seeing the hook as a nuisance to make or an afterthought, I gave this little thing the best I could and I found satisfaction in doing a small task well. I guess my life is mostly made up of small things anyway and so this lesson will be my inspiration for the rest of my day. (Remind me of this when I’m hot and dusty on a day that will reach into the eighties!)
Olympic Spinning Wheels 