Thread: Halibut Serving Platter

I like this one. Quirky, original, functional. What else can you ask for?

The first picture shows the scale up from a photo/painting to wood-size. You can see a lot of fin and a lot of tail which compromises useful dish area. So, by the time I got to wood, I had narrowed the fins, shortened the tail and jammed the gill cover closer to the eyes.

The dish can be recognized as not being a product of Pacific Northwest Native Art/Carving by the simple, circular eye. They have much more elaborate eye designs that I refuse to use.

Very nice Robson, I like the grain and the markings in the wood, fish are definitely not a smooth creature. I also like the abalone shells for the eyes but feel one eye may have looked better being a side on view, does that make sense? only my opinion anyway
Rob

Rob, the Pacific Halibut are a lot like flounders. After free-swimming for a while, they lie down, predominately on the left side, and the left eye actually migrates around the skull to the right side. The left eye doesn't ever seem to get all the way around so I did about 2/3 of an eye and left it at that (no pun intended).

The wood? This was a 190cm/6' piece of birch firewood that I scarfed off the pile before it went into the wood stove last winter at the diamond willow furniture shop. It should have gone up in smoke about November. It had two fist-sized knots, one at each end. I cut those off, cut the rest in half and did a glue up for the design. There was a lot of dark heartwood that made me believe that I'd do a platter/dish with it, some day!
The dish is soon to be a gift for my D1.
Abalone shell from the British Columbia ocean coast is a common decoration in Pacific Northwest Native art. I like to use BC wood, stone, copper, shell and bone, as much as I can.

Hi RV, I googled Halibut images and I see now where your coming from, good job.

Rob the whole concept is very simple, very straight forward.
Any fish would do. Simple timber, simple carving.

The timber is standing against the wall in my shop.
I have a choice = a Mexican corn tortilla press or two Halibut sandwich plates. Hmmmm

Nice fish but where are the chips?

Clint, this is like shaking hands with an octopus = one thing at a time.
a) I swept up all the chips and put them in the box (where I dump bits of leftover acrylic paint).
b) Oh, those chips. Which do you prefer, potato or yam?

that works, it's attractive and functional!

Thanks Jack.
For a first effort and firewood at that, it turned out OK.
Think I'll do another this coming winter.
Hopefully a little more sophisticated woodwork with a router for the tray.
I got too far down with the Forstners and the crush ahead of the bit center seemed to go forever. I got down to 1/4" and decided to call it quits and fill the rest.
Pac Halibut are quite mottled anyway.

Hi Rob
I think it's really beautiful! Wondering how did you cut out the abalone shell so nice and round? Was it difficult?

Cutting shell is really fun but you need nearly perfect dust extraction.
All pictures in other computer at home, hope to be back in 2 days, will post.

1. What sizes of Forstner bits have you got? + usually sets eye size? I can cut the holes by hand but I'm impatient.
2. Select shell, trace template inside.
3. "Guesstimate" and sketch size plus 1/4" on outside.
4. First cuts with the edge of a 2" x 80 grit stone wheel in drill press 1100rpm, faster and it cooks. Crepe rubber stick to clean stone, Very bright light to shine thru shell at the cuts.
5. Go around until mostly just barely cut through. Carefully break it loose in your hands.
6. Switch to a 2" x 80 grit sanding drum.
7. Carefully take down the excess, stick to clean the drum.
8. Test fit, shape, test fit, shape, test fit shape. . . . .. .
= = =
The crepe rubber stick is critical to clean the stone/drum just as soon as it goes white. DON'T push harder. Clean the stone/drum instead. If not, the shell dust cooks in the abrasive and it's ruined. I estimate that wihout the rubber stick, each eye would have cost more than $100 in stones and sanding drums.

I think(?) I've posted my pair of big raven bird carvings. 2" abalone shell eyes.

Thanks Rob,
Looking forward to pics. I'm intrigued!

Shaping inlay is up in a new thread.
I f anyone knows of an easier process, we all need to read about it.