FrankEV

Wenge is just Eyes and nose. Quite hard but cuts fairly well. Doesnt really look black until a finish is applied. The dark lines in the manatee is just the edges of the individual pieces being shaped for deffinition. The Manatee is all just one color, but the photo lights create the darkening of the joints. Much more uniform in real life.

As a Florida resident I felt it would be appropriate to make an Intarsia piece of our well-known waterway residents, the Florida Manatee (Florida’s State Marine Mannal) that are often affectionally called Sea Cows. I developed the pattern for a 12”x 16” panel from a free Coloring Book page. I chose to add a 3/4” wide rail frame with mitered corners, fixed to the panel for an overall 13 1/2” x 17 1/2” size. Wood Used: Aspen, Blue Pine, Black Limba, Poplar, Wenge, and Ebonized Walnut for the Frame. The piece is protected with multiple coats of Clear Semi-gloss Lacquer. The color of both the Aspen representing the Sea water and the blue Pine used for the Manatee were enhanced with dyes. Comments and critiques are always welcome. I will post the pattern in Pattern Exchange

The backer gets the air brush coloring. I attempt to set a scene with sky and ground colors. The reflection off the background colors and the shadows created by the 1/2" thick cutting play havoc on the photo. That image was the best of about a dozen shots.

I suggest you read my post in Coffee House; “Where have I been”. I’ve noticed recent post of people cutting ‘Tree Of Life’ fretwork type projects. For my return to the work shop, I decided my first project would not be an Intarsia piece, so, I thought I might join the crowd and see if I could come up with a new, but somewhat different pattern, for a 12” diameter T.O.L fretwork project. This is what I developed. The pattern has 230+ holes. I used 1/2” thick Walnut that I cut with Pegas #3 mgt R blades. The suggested use of solid wood results in a very delicate, easily broken (which I can attest too), cutting that requires a backer. As an option, using my Air Brush and Acrylic paints, I chose to pre-paint the backer before affixing the cutting. The final assembly was protected with multiple coats of spray Lacquer. Photo lighting creates a lot of shadows of the 1/2" thick wood. Less noticable in real life. Comments and critiques always welcome. I will be posting the pattern in Pattern Exchange

24" diameter.

Funny you should ask. We just returned from an 8 day Cruise to the Carribean and while on board, booked two more crusies, an 11 day Southern Carribean cruise next November and a 19 day Seattle to Miami cruise throut the Pannama Canal in September of '27. Optimistically hopefull I'll be around to take it. My sales do not pay for them or for the Diamond Necklass and Rubby Bracelet I bought for her on this past cruise. That was just spending my kids inheritance. The money I make on sales will never cover the material cost I have already expended on my art. It is just a wonderfull feeling when someone appreciates the art enought to purchase it and display it in their home.

Back on Nov 11, 25 I posted my "Another Tree Of Life- Intarsia". I hung this piece in the Gallery, where I display much of my work, just before last Christmas. Gallery Price, which includes their 35% commission, was $900. I have just been informed it was sold. You would not guess that I'm very pleased !!!! That is a total of 7 pieces in about 6 months...not too bad, I'd say. Just to refresh you memory here is the piece again.

The branches (dark and light) are two different woods. Both had some texturing to look like bark.

Looks good. Very interesting project.

I adapted a Stained-Glass pattern into a 24” x24”, 250 piece Intarsia pattern making many modifications to the original. Wood used: Aromatic Cedar, Cherry, Bloodwood, Padauk, Poplar (Green dye enhanced), Purpleheart, Osage Orange, Roasted Birch, Sapele, Yellowheart, and Walnut. The Intarsia assembly was mounted onto a 1/4” thick extended, and painted, BB Plywood backer. The mitered full 4/4” x 2-1/2” wide Walnut Frame rails were rabbeted and affixed to the backer and Intarsia assembly. The entire piece was protected with multiple clear coats of, Gloss for the Art panel and Matt for the Frame, Polycrylic Spray Finish. 24+5 =29" 24+5 =29" Comments and critiques always welcome.

I dye after pieces are shaped and finish sanding. Usually apply the dye with air brush or rag.. Yes it will raise the grain, but after assembly, I use a sanding mop on a wand to do a final light sanding to entire piece. Does not affect the dyed wood. Then a final buffing with a buffing wheel on a wand before applying finish.

The Brand is Keda Dye. I purchased the 5 color kit (https://www.ebay.com/itm/355444405005). Very concentrate, a tiny amount goes a long way. For the amount of wood I dye, it will long outlive me. Works on any wood. Resulting color will vary based on color of wood. Light color wood dyes truer to color than dark wood. I have enhanced the green heartwood of poplar for leaves with green dye often.

The photo colors are not too accurate. The nearest water is blue ( more grey) from Blue Pine. The far water is Black Limba that is a mottled color that has a faint green tinge. Blues and Greens are difficult to find in natural wood and I did not want to use dye or stain to enhance the water color. Yes, the grain direction would have been better more horizontal. Sapele does not have a strong grain anyway so not a very visual foopar. Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

Yes. The frame is rabbeted to sit on the 1/4 inch thick extended backer and glued in place.

This framed 12” x 16” Intarsia Art was made from a pattern that I created from an image of an abstract painting that featured a bright Yellow sky. The Artist is unknown. Wood used: Aspen, Blue Pine, Black Limba, Roasted Birch, Sapele and Walnut for the Frame. The Spinnaker sail was cut from a different piece of what I thought was Aspen but may have been Butternut as it darkened when the finish was applied. The clear parts of the Blue Pine used for the sky pieces were enhanced with an application of a very diluted Yellow dye. The finish is Clear Semi-Gloss Spray Lacquer. As allways, comments and critiques welcome. Edit: Pattern posted in Pattern Exchange.