playing with wood - no prior experience

[sam]

inspired by a post on another forum, I'm trying my hand at making ne taku and ji ita stands. the work is trial and lots of error since I started 3 or so weeks ago. the good news is, I still have all my fingers. the stands are humble but improving. sharing some of the results.

best wishes, sam

 

[sam]

more

 

[sam]

last

 

[Bob]

Thanks Sam, they look really nice. What kind of wood is that ?

Bob.

 

[JudyB]

Always a plus!

I like the 4th one in the first set..

 

[JudyB]

Always a plus!

I like the 4th one in the first set..

 

[sam]

thanks for the responses. the smaller ones are koa. the larger ones, hibiscus.

best wishes, sam

 

[edprocoat]

They are beautiful, what is the white stuff that you put around the edges and then made the design with? I like them all, they would look good on their own as a decoration alone.

ed

 

[sam]

thanks ed.

glad you like the results. here are two more with a first finish coat applied today. the redwood ne taku stand started out as a very junky looking slab. I'm pleased with the improvement. the hibiscus wood ji ita also looks better than its original form. both will look more finished with two more coats of polyurethane. the white edge you inquired about is actually the color of the sanded wood before texturing and stain.

 

[sam]

coupla pictures of the redwood ne taku and hibicus ji ita stands after finish coats today

best wishes, sam

 

[artofthedaiza]

Keep on going! They look great!

 

[sam]

thanks for the encouragement. I admire your work very much. this is a ne taku from hawaiian koa

best wishes, sam

 

[tmmason10]

Thanks for sharing, I recently asked my cousin who owns a tree service company to keep a lookout for wood that we could try this with. Funny that you shared these now. They look really good I'd say keep it up.

 

[sam]

an unexpected windfall yesterday. truckload of rough sawn koa for stands.

best wishes, sam

 

[sam]

sharing some new works in progress. 3 ne taku stands and some ji ita wafers from the koa stash I acquired last week

best wishes, sam

 

[sam]

practice practice

the last batch of ne taku and ji ita were pretty sad. 2 of the 3 ne taku looked like eggs, oval and boring. the shape of the ji ita boards needed to be made more interesting, also. couldn't do anything about the ne taku. once the wood is cut and the holes made, no alterations are possible. just gotta chalk it up to experience and move on. worked on new ji ita today. all are koa. these need to be sanded, edges darkened and finish coats applied. the only way to improve is practice. the new boards are perhaps the best result so far. sharing some pictures of the reshaped ji ita wafers and the new boards.

best wishes, sam

reshaped ji ita wafers

 

[sam]

new koa boards

trying new techniques daily. different bits for creating the outline shape, beveling the edges, etching lines and creating the stippled edge. so much to learn

best wishes, sam

 

[Vance Wood]

trying new techniques daily. different bits for creating the outline shape, beveling the edges, etching lines and creating the stippled edge. so much to learn

best wishes, sam

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You don't need me or anyone else for that matter to tell you what to do. Why don't you make some bigger ones for bigger trees? You might find yourself in a situation where you can sell some of them at a decent price to help fund future projects? Just an idea you might find worth thinking about. These are certainly nice enough to be marketable.

If you plan on going down that road there are a couple of things you have to consider. The cost of materials plus your time. Don't make the mistake of selling your time short. Not everyone can do what you do here, or as well. Your time should be worth at least $20/hr or you will be working just to pay the bill for material and resources . Remember that hourly rate pays for the best part of this project, the ability to make the thing and the artistry that makes them salable.

 

[sam]

hi vance.

thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. I have several larger projects underway/completed. see my post 1/24 on this thread for some larger sizes. in fact, I have a 3 foot slab of monkeypod that I am going to redo soon. with a months experience under my belt, I have way more to learn. when/if I get better/more confident and begin running out of room to store completed pieces-then we'll see.

best wishes, sam

 

[Ang3lfir3]

this are looking really good ..... there a couple I would certainly purchase

I am guessing that with this much Koa, Hibiscus and Monkey Pod you are living in Hawaii ???