Last night’s meeting of the Atlantic Woodworkers Association was an absolute blast! We were entertained, yes, thoroughly entertained, by paint and finish master Jim White.

Jim is the owner/operator of Lake City Paint here in Dartmouth, NS and well known for his frequent guest appearances on CBC’s Maritime Noon call-in talk show. Jim’s vast knowledge about painting and finishing comes from having spent 30 years working with James F. Lahey Ltd., one of the oldest and trusted painting companies in Nova Scotia, as well as working for himself.

Jim’s presentation was on the art of ‘wood graining’. Wood graining, also known as “faux bois” (false wood), became very popular in the 19th century where, because of economic reasons, the natural look of rare woods were replicated in cheaper woods. Because of low labor costs in those days this was far less expensive than using the rare woods.

Continue reading 'Expert Finishing Advice At AWA'

Here is a plate that I recently turned out of a piece of Fiddleback Maple.

Fiddleback refers to the effect that shows as you change the angle of light on the wood. You will see bands of light and dark that will change as you move the wood, the light will turn dark and the dark will turn light giving the illusion of waves. Fiddleback is often used synonymously with Curly though Fiddleback is considered to have tighter striping.

Unfortunately the photo doesn’t show the Fiddleback very well.

The plate is 7″ diameter and a bit less than a 1/4″ thick. It’s finished with the EEE Cream and Shellawax combo.

Here are a couple of more photos:

Continue reading 'A Fickle Fiddleback Maple Plate'

As you traverse the great plains of life you acquire small mementos along the journey. These little tokens are kept to remind you of the blissful times. As they accumulate you realize that you require a special place for them to be stored, a place for safe-keeping, a place that they are easily accessed, to remember or to share their tales.

To this end I recently created ‘Gentle Safari’, a small box made out of African Zebrawood and Ebony.

It features a drop-in ebony lid that has been accented with three, almost parallel, Zebrawood strips that gives the sense that they will meet at some point in the distance. The bottom is also accented with a strip of ebony. The ebony base raises the piece almost 3/8 of an inch, elevating it with a hint of shadow. The sides are African Zebrawood.

It stands almost 3″ tall and is 4 1/2″ square. It is finished with wipe-on poly and lightly sanded between each coat to give it a velvety touch.

Here are some more photos:

Continue reading 'African Zebrawood And Ebony Box'