Thread: WIP pics and info for "Segmented Eagle"

Brett, I gotta say it....I think my hubby could relate to you extremely well.....cause I think he is the "King" of procrastination.........LOL
Lin

Had hoped to get one of those sanders last months.... but received one of those little belt/disk sanders instead... it's a start
Still love that eagle and seeing it progress........ not sure I'd have that much patience tho.

As for King of procrastination..... ha.... my "boys" have that one covered.. the two of them have been building that shop inside the shed for two months now..... there have been lots of coffee/cookie breaks, runs to the hardware store, runs to the brother's house for some other tool, redesigning when things didnt' work as they thought.. really... I think it's an excuse so life won't return to normal just yet! lol

Did I say "normal" ? hahaha.... won't happen.... it's always chaos here

Juvy

Juvy, I reality...the layering, rough shaping, and final sanding doesn't take as long as te pics make it look....once you get rolling on it. It tends to take me just about as long to decide what to do as the actually doing of it.....lol
I'm in process now of cutting this same eagle again for a customer...I cut and did all the layering and over half the rough shaping last Sunday...Will get all the sanding done and started on the coloring this week-end....Hoping to be at backer board point by next week-end...so if I wasn't a week-end wood worker....the entire project could be completed in a week with no problem...
Lin

More pics....coloring and beyond.
Lin

Pic 20- shows the pieces after coloring...I used three colors of minwax stains...dark walnut, english chestnut, and early american on the wings and body. Beak, feet and outer eye are done using woodburst stain...colonial maple....I sanded most back off on the outer eye to lighten it. Black leather dye on the pupil and white pigmented gel varnish on the tail pieces and head...I ended up going back over these white pieces with thinned white oil paint to whiten them up a bit more.....


Pic 21-The eagle after coloring put together to check and make sure I didn't miss any areas with the colors...I have done that and have learned to look before gluing it to a backer....



Pic 22-I laid out the piece on an 1/8" backer...(used a piece of cherry ply I had laying around-thinking I wanted to use a darker backer on this one rather than the normal BB to help hide any seethru in the veinging areas) and drew around it to give me my cutting line. Normally I just wing it while cutting the backer by just staying approx. 1/8" inside the drawn line but because of the wing tips on this piece I redrew myself a line to follow while cutting. You can see both lines on the pic...light line is the original and the darker line is the redrawn line for me to follow. I use a #2r blade when cutting the backer....really thin wood and cuts fast.


Pic 23-The backer cut and laid out on the extra pattern..

Brilliant work, thanks for the step by steps show.

I wonder if I could do that and colour it to look like the aussie wedge tailed eagle (my fav)

Brett, I'm sure you could make it look like your favorite eagle...this pattern was of a golden eagle and I just changed the colors to suit myself..(just stained scrap pieces to find my colors)
More pics coming this week-end...of what I do to the backer before glue up and the glue up process itself...almost done thou....I think I have 4 or 5 pics left to go....
Lin

Pic 24- After cutting the backer I color the edges of it so it won't stand out while hanging on the wall. There are lots of ways to do this. Many use stain or ink...I use a brown marker. Notice thou I didn't use the marker on the areas where the tail will be glued...First time doing one of these where white ends up being on outer piece...so I thought leaving that area without the edges colored would be the way to go



Pic 25- Next up I seal the back of the backer with lacquer. Three light coats...sanding with 400 or 500 grit after the first coat.




Pic 26-Then the gluing can begin. I edge glue some of the pieces...checking the fit of the entire piece while I'm edge gluing...then I place all the piece on the backer and pick out a base point to glue from...On this piece I used the eye and beak area that I had edge glued together. Holding everything in place I pulled that set out and put glue on the back of it and then placed it back in..still with all the other pieces in place...making sure no part of the backer is showing...let that piece dry to the backer



Pic 27-The rest of the glue up can begin. I did half one day and the other half the next day...Notice I used pieces of ply under the clamps to protect my project from the pressure.



Pic 28- This is the final pic of the Eagle project with four coats of semi-gloss lacquer on him. I lightly sand the entire piece with 600 grit after the first and sometimes second coat if needed....Hanger on the back and remember to sign it......I also put the year that I made the piece in also. I use a sharpie to do this...Easiest way I have found for signing...

Is a sharpie the same as our texta? ..... felt tip pen?

You could also use a pyrography pen for signing... might be even more permanent? On something you put this much work into you really want the next generation to know who made it don't you?

Did you use a dab of high gloss on the eyes?

Wish I had your patience.... but somehow I can't see myself doing intarsia.. at least not something with this many pieces. Do you have any fingers left after all that sanding? It sure look great tho.

Thanks for posting the how-to pictures here

Juvy

Juvy, Yes same as your texa. Never have really tried the woodburning thing....would like to but no time. I also place my label (sticker) on all pieces I make that have my website addy on it. Helps for future business.
Generally I put a little white dot on the eye of these pieces using a toothpick and acrylic paint....but this one didn't seem to need it. This piece seems to say more about the wings than the eye to me anyway so I didn't do it....pupil on this one is reallly small also.
This piece is not a lot of pieces. Its just a few over 20 which is really an good number to work with. Most of the pieces are large also...that to is a plus when I comes to the sanding part. I do think everyone that is into scrolling should try at least one intarsia and/or segmented piece to find out if its' something they might like to add to their project line. I to didn't have any desire for a long time to try one of these. I didn't figure they would sell and didn't want to do all the sanding involved in them. I started out just doing one that was about 20 pieces just for fun....and sold it. Got another order for one and then left it alone for more than a year. Decided this type of project would be good for x-mas gifts for the family members and would do them over a several year span....one or two a year and give them to family at x-mas time. Now I have done one for my brother, one sister, one daughter, and have three more to do to finish up the family members.....but now they are selling. So having a hard time getting at least one done for a x-mas gift this year.....lol
See what I started.....
Lin

I only wish I could sell like you do! last months did fairly well at the club's cottage, but this month.... it's half over and all I sold was 6 bucks worth.. that's not going to pay for materials. Can't keep making stuff if this is all we're getting.
Now it's a slow time of year and there are problems like rebuilding of the road and a popular cafe neaby being closed.... so am hoping it'll improve again soon.
Anyway.... we did sell a piece of intarsia yesterday.... our club's carver had a cute little frog on a mushrom... the lady fell in love. That's the second frog we've sold in two months time. Frogs are still in.
One couple bought two 40 year calendars and that was it... not good for 7 hours sitting there....
Thinking more and more maybe folks are right and I should give e-bay a try, but I believe that once you put things there the chinese will have what you sell copied a months later .... selling it for next to nothing. Would much rather stay a bit more exclusive.

Oh and got myself into trouble.... on two of the items I put my own label ( left from t-shirt days saying " Juvy Original" ) and just like back then I put my phone number on the back... oh sheesh.. found out quick that's not acceptable..... so I glued the shops own label over it. Oh well.... not like I have ever gotten a call for any orders...

Juvy

Lin,

Wonderful thread really enjoyed it.

Have to say also you have me very interested in the bow sander. I will enquire locally about belt options and see about one of those too.

Thanks

Just wanted to bring this back to the top .... this eagle is too good to be missed by anyone

also..... since I'm already here.... just posted this link in the "inspirational" section..... this is a website showing quilts carved and watercoloured in wood!!!!!
Unbelieveable stuff
http://www.gofraser.com/photos.htm

Juvy