ARTISTIC WOOD TURNING.
Some of the most beautiful work, really artistic in every sense of the
word, is made by laying up woods of different colors, _but of the same
general character as regards hardness_. If this latter precaution,
which I have italicised, be neglected, the result will be wholly
unsatisfactory, for where two or more woods of different densities are
laid up together, side by side, the tool will act upon the hardest very
well, but will glide or spring over the inferior material, and thus
leave an uneven surface. White holly and ebony work well enough
together, but I do not consider ebony a hard wood. Of course there are
many who will dispute this assertion, but it is easy enough to pick out
specimens of any wood that are hard, but what I mean to say is, that,
in general, it is not a truly hard wood, like rosewood or even
cocoanut. White holly is almost as soft as pine, and contrasts finely
with the only natural black wood that we have. There is one other black
wood, of which I have seen specimens, that is perfection itself, so far
as color, grain, and strength are concerned. Indeed, it can scarcely be
said to have a grain, so firm and solid is it in texture. It turns like
horn, or ivory, and is of the “darkest, deepest, deadliest,” black.
Unfortunately, I cannot give the name of it, for the reason that the
gentleman who gave it to me, did not know himself what it was, and he
obtained it from the captain of a vessel trading to Africa.[1]
Mere white and black wood, side by side, do not look well unless some
kind of pattern or design is observed, and if the pattern is obtained
only at great expense of time and labor, it is also unsatisfactory. I
shall show, further along, how different designs can be produced
rapidly and accurately, with but comparatively little labor.
By inlaying, too, many most beautiful designs can be produced, with but
little labor compared to that which is generally bestowed upon such
work. This kind of ornamentation is beautiful upon work tables, work
boxes, cigar stands, paper knives, fan handles, fancy boxes, inkstands,
card cases, vases, picture frames, penholders, sleeve buttons,
ear-rings, chess and checker men, napkin rings, fancy drawer knobs,
jewel caskets, watch holders, glove boxes, in fact, the whole array of
fine cabinet work, looks better when neatly and tastefully inlaid with
woods that match and harmonize with the subject, and with each other. I
think that some of the methods I practice are new to most persons, and
I am sure they will be found accurate and expeditious; which last is a
point of no small importance; for when a person works a long time over
an elaborate thing, he gets terribly tired of it after while, if it is
slow and plodding. In fact, where there is much that is uniform in
character, as in making a check pattern, in black and white colors in
squares, not over the tenth of one inch wide—it is impossible to make
any thing like regularity, or fine fitting, and close joints, by
handling each piece separately.
I therefore have a variety of what I call “stock” on hand, ready laid
up, in all colors and dimensions, so that I can choose from it exactly
as I would pick out a tool. This stock consists of wood laid up in the
patterns shown in Figs. 59-67, and of sizes varying according to my
designs, but generally very near the sizes here shown.
[Illustration: Fig. 59.]
[Illustration: Fig. 60.]
[Illustration: Fig. 61.]
[Illustration: Fig. 62.]
[Illustration: Fig. 63.]
[Illustration: Fig. 64.]
[Illustration: Fig. 65.]
[Illustration: Fig. 66.]
[Illustration: Fig. 67.]
These are laid up in long strips, say twelve inches long, or as may be
conveniently handled. They are all sawed out with a fine circular saw,
by some one who understands cutting hard wood for this purpose. The
stuff must be shoved through the saw with a very regular, gradual feed,
so as to cut a smooth surface, and if the saw is not right for cutting
smooth on the side, it must be made so; for it will not do to plane the
strips after they are sawed, as there never would be any uniformity
between them, and the joints would be very imperfect. In gluing them
up, there is nothing particular to be observed, except that the glue
must be very hot, laid on well with a stiff brush, and the stuff
clamped between two thick boards, which have been planed perfectly true
on the faces; so that the union will be perfect between the strips. In
this way the job will be well done, and the sections will show
uniformly. As it is the sections that are mainly used, this is a matter
of great importance; for when it is necessary to have an ornamental
border to a work-box, for example, it is only requisite to saw off as
many sections, from the end of any of the blocks, as may be desired; as
in Fig. 68. It is then a simple and easy thing to lay them in, one
after another, in the place that has been left for them.
[Illustration: Fig. 68.]
[Illustration: Fig. 69.]
I do not saw off each square strip by itself before I glue the stock,
but I lay up several flat pieces, as in Fig. 69, which represents one
_end_ section of the strips, longer than it is high, the saw removes
some in cutting, so that when I saw down through the top vertically, as
shown by the straight line A, I obtain square strips in long pieces,
but all glued together so they are easy to handle, these I afterward
glue together again, so that white and black alternate, as in the
checker-board, and I then have the pattern precisely uniform in all the
length of the stock. I claim originality for this plan, and also
expedition in execution; more than either I get entire uniformity. Of
course it is easy to make any other pattern in the same way, and it is
surprising to see how many rectangular and acute-angled patterns can be
made with these sections. It is sometimes possible to get veneers of
the right thickness, but any veneer cutter will saw the wood as desired.
Since the paragraph above was written, I have seen some “Tunbridge
Ware” work made in England, which is, I am sure, done in the same way.
Therefore, I am not the originator of the idea, but I can certify that
it is a good and a quick way of making very elaborate patterns.
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Footnote 1:
I have since learned that it is called African “Black Thorn.”