Thread: Some old photos of my work

Carvings came out well but it does make you cringe, at what went in and what came out.

Rocking horse restoration.

Series of badly treated, very low res pics of another restoration job.

This poor fellow had been severely mistreated and then left in a shed to rot, for around 30 years.
Joints were wrecked and partly rotted out. The rot didn't show but the wood was punky and all but useless on the legs and what there was of the base.
Metal rocker arms were cactus and full of cancer.
rhore2.jpg rhorebits.jpg

Rebuilt horse, and totally new base new metal rocker arms, 4 new legs and part of head. Undercoated and ready to paint.
rhore4.jpg rhore5.jpg rhore6.jpg

All painted up and ready to go back home.
rhore7.jpg rhores8.jpg

Two days after delivery I got an irate phone call from owner saying he wasn't paying for the work as his 3 children (3 little mongrel brats) had all but destroyed it with a baseball bat golf clubs and a small hatchet.

I told him it wasn't my problem but his. To which he screamed into the phone "Oh yeah lets see you try and get it cock!" He lived about 10 Km from me and I covered that distance in record time. Banged on his front door and said "No one calls me cock. give me money now or I'll feed what's left of you and the horse to your darling children." Luckily I was was in a foul mood and my loud bluster scared him more than he scared me.

I was suitably paid, on the spot, in full, in cash and received an apology (of sorts). From that day on if he saw me in the street he would turn and walk briskly in the opposite direction.

Ya gotta love a loudmouth bully idiot.

Why did his little thugs killed the horse?
Seems one of the little darlings jumped on the horse as it was, no saddle, reins, tail or main. one of the others tried to get on as well upon when they both fell off and the beating of the horse ensued with the third one joining in for fun. I never saw the damage but I believe the totally destroyed thing ended up under the tracks of the bulldozer at the tip a few weeks later. It had even been beheaded. Great parenting.

The mental picture (video?) that story has conjured up is priceless! Loved it.

Alan...

Here are a few more restoration jobs.

Below: This is a pair of badly broken side ornaments from a French walnut cupboard the light colour bits in the pic are all new pieced thet have been spliced into the original and carved ready for finishing. This was another piece repaired with wood from the 17Cent bed sides above in Post #31
cupboard side repair.jpg

Below: Pics of fire surround and over mantle from historic Plaistow Homestead, Joyces Creek, via Newstead, Victoria,
Again all the photos have been lost so can't show original damage although the black bits on left pic are a pretty good representation of the damage caused by a log rolling out of the fire place, setting fire to the surround. Most of the surround was destroyed and the overmantel was scorched bubbled and badly smoke damaged including cracking of all mirrors.
There were a number of complex mouldings that needed to be replaced. Needed to get them made but no one make a new cutter for each and were quoting well over $1,000 just for the cutters..... So I made up scratch stocks and made them all by hand and a lot of blisters.
Plaistowe1.jpg Plaistowe repaired.jpg

Below: Restoration 0f 120 year old, mahogany, Principals Office bookcase (badly worded) at Castlemaine High School Vic. (the cupboard was 120 years old and mahogany, not the principal)
Top, (finished) broken carvings partly finished awaiting about 3-4" of missing bits on both sides + joining carving in and re-fitting, 2 turned 2/3 split pedestals for base section (finished) sundry remade quarter mould pieces mostly polished and ready to fit to lower cupboard doors and 2 upper sections that sit atop the pedestals. You can see them in the bottom left pic. No idea what they are called.
principals cupboard mess.jpg
The entire unit was stripped and many hours spent with water dampened flannelette and a very hot iron removing hundreds of dents from the base to the bottom of the glass doors and right up the centre to just above the key hole. Was almost like it had been attacked by a heard of kids wielding hammers.

The finished piece. Right: a bit better look at carvings after splicing re-carving broken bits fitting and finishing.
principals cupboard1.jpg principals cupboard.jpg

Phew....

Odds 'n' Sods:

Duck in egg full size egg (X-LARGE)
Made chickens, duck, other birds & snakes.
Kids loved them
duckegg20%.jpg

Gum leaf brooch/brouch? Approx 45mm long.
Made lots of these, some plain some coloured.
Nearly all had caterpillar nibbled on them.
leaf broach.jpg

Fence post weed pot/candle holder.
Turned and carved with gum leaves
Complete with rusty barbed wire.
Test tube for weed pot can come out
and hole in top will fit standard candle.
Made a lot of these. Had many people
ask; "Was working around the barbed wire hard?"

weedpot-candle-fencepost.jpg

Hidden compartment box, made for Castlemaine State Festival 1989
Bad perspective on pic, the box is rectangular and the sides are not flared as it
appears to be in left pic. Canadian Birdseye Maple, mitred corners with 3 Rosewood
wedges in each corner. Pillow lined with red satin and hidden compartment
unfortunately the photo doesn't really do it justice.
box.jpg box2.jpg box3.jpg

One platter, 4 bowls, 3 lidded containers (1 is a miniature) 1 miniature goblet.
All made for an exhibition at the same festival. Made with prices to show that most
woodturners were drastically under pricing their work and devaluing the trade/craft.
The whole lot sold for over $3,000 to 7 different buyers. I even had an offer of $60
for the goblet. Couldn't take the ladies money and gave it to her as a gift.

Lucky I did as I heard later that she had put it in a little pill box with her saccharine
tablets for safe keeping. Later that afternoon she had a cup of tea and the goblet
ended up in the tea and then inside her. Would have been a very expensive cuppa
if I had taken her $60.
various bowls n boxes.jpg

Round, solid mahogany tripod pedestal table with carved ball and claw legs
and carved leaf pattern with stippling on bowl of pedestal. French polished.
round table.jpg

Swept forward leg, Kwila/Merbau extension table Made with some of many
hundred Kwila boards brought back to Australia by a returning expat from
New Guinea in the 1970's. Best looking Kwila I have ever seen absolutely
brilliant. Wish I had better pics to show it off properly.
Right: 3 of the swept back leg chairs made to go with the table which
comfortably seated 6 when extended.
table-swept-forward-legs.jpg chair backswept feet.jpg chair backswept fee 2t.jpg

Carved legs on a tripod pedestal, round, mahogany wine table.
tripod legs.jpg

6ft x 5ft high, fully carved, cedar, over-mantle mirror for a client.
Carving starts as a tree at base on both sides and winds its way
around the frame as a prickly vine that eventually flattens out and
transforms into a very fine linen-fold, ribbon across the top.
mirror.jpg

OK that's me done for now.

Once again I apologise for the poor quality of many (if not all) of the pictures.

Cheer

Very interesting read - thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nice table (claw & ball) NT&N type stuff I did work experience with them was hoping to get a apprenticeship with them unfortunately the waiting list was such that some one had to die before a position became available

Thanks for sharing this amazing history, Neil. Not many of us were aware of your amazing craftmanship. A lifetime's work to be very proud of. Well done sir !!