Projects From Our Readers
Chest of Drawers
John Richards, Hickory, N.C.
Richards constructed this huge chest, 80" x 48" x 22", of mahogany (case and drawer fronts), soft maple (drawers) and poplar (drawer guide structure). He used the English piston fit method to fit each of the 24 drawers, and crafted the drawer fronts from three wide boards selected for their figure and grain match to achieve the appearance of one-board construction. The center cabinet is designed to house audio visual equipment.
Violin Sculpture
Steve Lustig, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Lustig chose cherry (body) and maple (bridge) for this violin which he carved using an Arbortech Lancelot chainshaw on an angle grinder. He finished the shaping using a die grinder with a double-cut burr, filing and sanding by hand prior to staining. The strings are painted steel rods, and the base is cast stone. Lustig donated the violin to the Pacific Symphony for an auction to benefit an education fund for children.
Large Segmented Vase
Alan Johnson, Heyburn, Idaho
Johnson used African mahogany, curly maple, ash, ebony, chate kote and redwood burl for this 1,108-piece segmented vase that measures 29¼" in diameter and is 27½" high. The project took about 50 hours (8 to turn the outside) over six months and features a scroll saw image of a buffalo skull on the bottom.
“TriChair”
John Kriegshauser, Chicago
“TriChair” is a prototype in Kriegshauser’s ongoing effort to design lightweight furniture. It features tetrahedral construction using commercial hardwood dowels and spheres and, despite its scant weight (less than 3 lb), can support a large man. The chair was part of “Form Follows Form, Architecturally Inspired Furniture,” a fall 2006 exhibit of works by Chicago Furniture Designers Association members.
Entertainment/Work/Storage Center
Linda Rakey, Anderson, S.C.
Rakey designed and built this combination book shelf/desk/bookcase/entertainment center for a friend’s bedroom. It is a 14' section of a total of 20' of cabinetry, all 7½' tall and crafted from white painted poplar and birch ply. The desk is laminated.
Nature-Inspired Carvings and Turnings
Milo Mirabelli, Port Orchard, Wash.
After severe health problems left him unable to work as he had in the past, Milo Mirabelli’s desire to create art and be productive led him to a career in wood sculpture and woodturning. He produces one-of-a-kind functional and non-functional works of art from various recycled materials.
Milo’s work is designed to engage viewers’ senses and emotions through sight and touch. “Working with wood, for me, is a spiritual experience that brings me closer to understanding one of the most versatile products that we have,” Milo explains in his artist’s statement. “The tree provides us with so many options that are very often taken for granted. It provides us shade, warmth and shelter among a few things, and always, unseen beauty. It has served mankind and endured for centuries; it adds that touch of warmth to any room. It is the classic medium of expression that has held true throughout the ages and for those who love it, they must be able to feel it to really see it.”
“The inspiration for many of my pieces comes from the wood itself. This goes back to the reoccurring theme, ‘let the wood have a say in its ultimate conclusion,’ ” he continues. “It is truly incredible what Iuncover each time Ipick up a piece of wood – to see what is hidden beneath that rugged exterior of bark and to also know that Ihave given this tree another chance at life in a very different form than it started as. Iam happy that Ican do this type of conservation and help to keep from the useless destruction of the tree after it has given us so much.”
Milo also crafts teapots, one of which was chosen as a 2007 Niche Award finalist. He is currently showing at the “Hot Tea Exhibition” at Del Mano Gallery in Los Angeles. His work will appear at SOFA New York, and his junco carving (top left photo) was chosen for this year’s “Birds In Art Tour” by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisc.
