Thread: Some old photos of my work

Here are a few more pics from ANZ Bank complex - Stock Exchange doors.

Below: Front door to Stock Exchange
The RH pic is almost the same as what I was given to work off for the doors.
front door 50%.jpg open doors 50%.jpg

Below: The 6 main panels of the actual doors
6 panels 60%.jpg

Below: Work on the RH side head
Sorry for the poor pics, best I could come up with.
The work begins. Hard to ree but in the 2 below you can see photocopies of a newspaper photo from 1900 which were apparently the only photographs of the doors in any archive on the bank or Melbourne history. So I was told.
it begins 33%.jpg rh head2 50%.jpg
Below: Almost finished, mostly cleaning up of background to do.
rh head 50%.jpg

Below: Elvis lives
I was to do famous figures for the heads and La Trobe and Sturt were the suggested heads as there were good pics to design them from. However once the sketches were done and the carving had begun I was told to stop as someone might recognise them as not the originals and there could be hell-to-pay.

So as the carving had already started on the left head I had no choice but to change it to something the\at looked similar to the blurred, unrecognisable, featureless, partial thing, on the photo. It does look kinda like the non descript unrecognisable, featureless, blurred pic, but from the right angle, in the right light, it definitely look a bit like Elvis looking down on you from above

One of my least favourite things turned out to be working with architects.
Elvi2 33%.jpg Elvi33%.jpg
Strange that in the history of Melbourne no one had any idea who the 2 faces were on the original doors of this most important, historical, landmark, Melbourne building.

Below: one of the 2 Quatrefoils at the bottom of each door.
Quatrefoil.jpg

There's a lot more carvings to finish off the side panels of the door but they're for another post another time.

Apologies for the quality and lack of definition of these photos.

Most of the photos were done to keep the architects appraised on the progress of the job, hence many of these pics are of unfinished work.

Great stuff Neil. Keep them coming when you can.

Sorry had a bit of a late night (early morning) problem with that last post which compounded as I tried to fix it.

Working on it now and will post it again if and when I get around the problem.

Another carving of Stock Exchange doors

Below: Close up(ish) pic of left door Stock Exchange door section
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Below: The 2 side panels ready for fitting
Below right: Final fitting on site at (Donald Varey factory) of side panel into frame, detail carving bead on top panel.
side panels 25%.jpg final fitting.jpg

Some pics of Safe Deposit Building doors Queens St Melb
Entrance doors To Safe Deposit building, Queens St Melb.
safedeposit.jpg

Below: Some of Trefoil Pointed Arch panels for Safe Deposit building, front doors.
The trefoil meeting points are filled in with carvings on the Safe Deposit building, where as the trefoils on the Stock Exchange doors are open although still carved on the ends.
3 panels60%.jpg3 panels Deposit40%.jpg

Below: 7 of the 14 different roundels/rosettes 10 on Stock Exchange doors and 4 0n Safe Deposit doors.
Rosettesx50.jpgRosettesx4.jpgRosettesx2.jpg

Hello Neil,
you would be very proud of them. Excellent and important memories. Thank you. Drillit.

Unless I find anything else really good I'll leave the ANZ Bank / Old Stock Exchange / Safe Deposit project with this last post and couple of pics.

Below: A couple of a number of linenfold panels carved for the bank chamber of the old ES&A which was also a part of the same project.
The panels are all highly figured fiddleback making them look horrible in a photo but they do look great. Horrid stuff to carve.
Linenfold tall.jpg Linen foldsshort.jpg

Below: Part of just one of a few linenfold walls in the bank chamber. The door on the right leads out to the front doors of the Stock Exchange.
linenfold wall.jpg

For anyone Visiting Melbourne (or if you're a Melbournian and have never been there) it's well worth a look at this complex the heritage part is amazing and very interesting.I Believe they still have a tour guide there who will tell you all about the banking chamber, Stock Exchange and safe Deposit Building Just don't ask who carved the doors or the transom panels over the internal doors or many of the linenfold panel.

Last time I asked some 18 odd years ago I was told it was a wizened old German gentleman. Made me feel like an old, wrinkle, foreigner. I told her she was wrong and was unceremoniously told that this is what was written and so that was the fact of the matter of fact. To which I in return unceremoniously sad a bad word or two and was politely asked to leave the building by security.


If you do happen to go for a look see, and I do highly recommend it, don't try to take any photos. That will also get you politely removed from the building.

Cheers - Neil

On to another project or two.

I did work for all sorts of people in my time and one of my favourites was for a Gypsy gentleman, Rayer Pots (couldn't spell his last name or even pronounce it so most people called him Mr Pots)

Rayer was an extraordinary traveling Gypsy story teller and could be found at carnivals and other such events. Below are just 3 of the jobs I did for him.

The 2 figures below are for the story of a carnival roustabout who lost his lucky doll. A little girl found it and brings it to him. These biggest carving is approx 65mm high (a bit over 2.5 inches). The carvings were panted and mounted in a Story Tellers box which Rayer would sit on his knee and tell the story to children from 5 to 75+ years old.

The carvings were automated by pulling on string or wires. The box the roustabout is sitting on would rock back and forth and the little girl would cross the width of the box to return the doll. There was also a little dog that would spin around with joy when the doll was returned. No photos of the dog or the finished Story box.
Lost dolly.jpg

Below: The organ Grinders Monkey
This little guy is roughly 75mm (3inches) high and sat on the top of a small organ grinders box. His right hand is animated and can hit the drum, as you can see in the pics.
Left photo: Drumstick up. Right: Drumstick down.
monkey up.jpg Monke x2 stick down.jpg

Below: Happy Harry worlds smallest and most unusual draught horse.
Harry was a carnival/sideshow horse back in the early 1900s. He was (from memory) 8 hands high (34 inches/863.6mm) but 6ft (1.82mt) between his front legs, this was due to him being double-jointed and made him one of a kind and a sideshow sensation
.
If you click on image to enlarge there is an almost recognisable pic of Harry in the bottom right corner.
Harry1.jpg Harry2.jpg
Harry is mounted on the biggest music box I have ever see. The mechanism inside is massive and the resonance quality of the drum shaped music box is amazing. It can be heard clearly from over 100 metres away.

Harry is used to tell a story similar to the ugly duckling and has been enjoyed by young and old for years. Can't find the photo of Harry nor is there anything I can find on the internet.

Below: Harry partly painted and fully painted, mounted on his music box.
Harry partially painted.jpg Harry3.jpg

Just as a final Gypsy thing. I also carved and some 20 or so horse ears to replace all the ears broken off a horses on a big Merry Go Round.

OK Can't find any other pics for this lot so I'll move on.

Rayer was a joy to do work for and every time he visited or spoke on the phone he would leave or finish with the parting words... "Oppy now" (happy now)

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Last time I asked some 18 odd years ago I was told it was a wizened old German gentleman.

Perhaps they checked your ancestry without your knowledge.

Sorry I missed one posted at 1:54 am this morning but forgot to hit the submit reply button. Doh!

It's there now above Toms post, Work done for the Gypsy.

I have to say it looks as though you are pretty accomplished at chipping bits of wood away.

A German cabinet maker in Castlemaine made a beautiful 2 piece or 1 piece semi oval display cabinet for the Bendigo Library. This was froim my bad memory back in the late 90s.

I was commissioned to carve 4 sections for the top of this cabinet depicting some of the historic industry and trades etc brought to Bendigo by immigrants (or something like that).
Below are 3 of the cruddiest photos of this cabinet. If any Bendigo members happen to venture into the Library and have a camera with them I would love to get a couple or few good clean clear photos.

I had a 2nd hand, 2nd hand Pentax SLR at the time which went out of focus when the button was pushed, either that or the pics were really grainy and very low definition so any new pics I can get would be most gratefully accepted.

Anyway pics are below.
Full cabinet can be split down the centre into 2 stand alone cabinets
cabinet33%.jpg

Carving on rounded end of cabinet with Gold pan pick and shovel motif below shell, saw and adze left of centre and I have no idea from the crummy photo what's on the right could be metalwork I know it's not farming as I think that one has wheat sheaf in the carving. There is a similar 1/2 round carving on the other end of cabinet
.Cabhalfrnd35%.jpg

This straight header is inset with a chunk of white quarts with walnut surround and gold leafed acanthus leaf up the sides of oval.
To the left of oval is a gold pan and pick, to right is gold pan and spade. The header on the other side of cabinet has the same quartz centre. but I can't remember what the other carvings are. Hence anyone with a camera and good clear pics would be a big help.
cabtopstraight 35%.jpg

Must have done hundreds of signs over the years. Most were all hand cut the few that were router cut were all done free hand no stencils or overhead computer driven stuff. Traced or drawn onto the wood and freehand routed out. I could cut one out on about the same time it took to set up stencils or guides.

I did a number of grave markers for mostly those who had passed at a very young age.

Grave Markers:
The cross and the heart were for very young children.
Pretty crummy pics but the blurring makes it a buit more private.
sign4.jpgsign3.jpgsign2.jpg

More signs:
Memorial plaque - Middle school sign - Right: 7 of 20 signs for Maryborough Golf Course Vic.
sign1.jpgsign5.jpgsigns.jpg

7 shots of lectern made for Newstead Shire.
Delivered about a week before the shire was dissolved/incorporated/unwillingly melded into Castlemaine Shire. Doh!
lecturn1.jpglecturn2.jpglecturn3.jpglecturn4.jpglecturn5.jpg

Those are really nice work as a Cabinet Maker wood carving has always been an interest of mine although I have never actually bitten the bullet, I am starting to play around with engraving as I now make jewellery. I make Sgian Duhbs as presents and usually send out the handles, although my carver has gone to the big carving bench in the sky so I may have to bite the bullet after all.

This post is the additional cabinet end missing from Post #27

Found photo of other end of Memorabilia Cabinet Bendigo Library the cabinet bits photographer came up reasonably OK but carvings all looked pretty ordinary.

This one has carving of Set Square and T Square to left of centre, denoting Architecture and on right Gum Leaves and a Bottle denoting Eucalyptus Industry.
Both were great
Cabhalfrnd50%.jpg
In the above you can clearly see the split down the centre allowing for the cabinet to be split into two stand alone units.
The carving would be taken from the top and stored if this was ever done.

Forgot to mention before. Timber is all solid Qld Maple.
Don't inhale the dust, very nasty.

Cheers