Great White Egret

[Walney Col]

I've finally finished my latest scroll saw project based on a pattern I got from http://www.fantasticwoodworking.com/intarsia-1

The original pattern was intended as a 20" diameter frame for a wall mirror but I have a grand daughter off to university shortly and I wanted to make her something she could take with her so I decided to scale it down to take a 4" diameter make-up mirror she could have permanently on view.

I wanted to give it a light airy look so having first tried water colours on for the flowers a piece of scrap (which looked horrible) abd bleaching the wood for the egret (which didn't work) I tried colouring just the edges of the coloured pieces in the hope that their reflection in the mirror (the pool the bird is fishing in) would add even more depth.

The mirror was seated in the backing ring with clear silicone sealer (odd bits of which escaped onto the glass and still need tidying up) and the backing was stiff white card onto which I printed snippets of info relating to Great White Egrets plus an inscription to prove it was made by her grandad. The stand is a regular plate-stand design with each leg being glued up from two thicknesses of 3mm ply with 3 tiny pink ribbon hinges sandwiched between them.

So there you have it. It was FAR too fiddlesome for me to want to dash off and make another any time soon but overall I'm quite pleased with the outcome and would welcome any comments or constructive criticism especially with regard to the way the piece is finished which I see as it's main let down.

 

[Claymore]

..........

 

[Walney Col]

Thanks for the comment claymore and also the warning about sunlight that's well worth pointing out to her.

If you search ebay for "hardwood offcuts" you can often find a pretty good selection of scroll saw sized pieces. I too have bother getting small enough quantities of mixed woods locally and if you can stand the added postage the actual ebay selling prices are very reasonable.

The lacquer I used is holts, and yes it's glossy, but I like it that way because I get to use less colour but still have it sharp and highly noticeable.

 

[Chippygeoff]

A very nice piece, your grand daughter will treasure that for the rest of her life. It is very well made, very well thought out and the finish is just perfect.

 

[ChrisR]

Col.

Nice work, I like the idea of using the mirror, never thought of that, will have to ask my long haired boss to keep an eye out in the charity shops for any old mirrors, then give them a new life.

Take care.

Chris R.