Feb 24

Cedar Platform Bird Feeder – Daniel D. Brown, 2018

Another Saturday, another quick little project. Made this bird feeder so that when we chill on our porch we’ll have lots of birdies more or less at eye level. Also the porch should stay cleaner with the lower overhang than our previous feeder. And you can’t make it any easier than this to refill. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out considering I designed it 100% on the fly as I was putting it together. Made from cheap cedar fence planks. I should probably put a finish on it. But I like raw cedar and don’t have to worry about toxicity. Most of it is strategically screwed, so it will hopefully hold up, and what little glue is in it is titebond III and should hold up to moisture (the whole thing is covered by the porch roof anyway). Worst case scenario: it eventually falls apart and I make a better one.

 

Oct 10

Cypress the Screech Owl – Daniel D. Brown, 2017, Wood Intarsia

I have been accepted into this year’s Wings & Wildlife Art Show at the National Aviary for the third year in a row. Thus, I decided to creat a piece specifically for the show. During last year’s show, the staff brought around this cute little screech owl around to my booth, where I got some great photos of him (see below). I based this piece on one of those photos.

You can purchase this original wooden artwork here.

If you are interested in making your own version of this piece, the plans can be purchased here.

The following instagram post contains a bunch of photographs going through the entire process of creating these intarsia pieces. Click through to see how it’s done:

 

May 21

Wooden Feather Earrings #5 – Cherry, Padauk, & Purpleheart

These earrings are hand-made, one-of-a-kind pieces made from cherry, padauk, and purpleheart woods. The colors are the natural colors of the wood (no stains or paints). These are finished with a food-safe mineral oil/beeswax mix. 

This pair of earrings is available for purchase on the Laughing Mantis online shop.

The wood is initially cut to size and glued in the desired pattern. I then sketch out the design and cut it out with a scrollsaw. Finally comes a LOT of sanding by hand and then finishing with mineral oil/beeswax.

 

May 21

Wooden Half-Feather Earrings #1 – Cherry, Padauk, & Purpleheart

These earrings are hand-made, one-of-a-kind pieces made from cherry, padauk, and purpleheart woods. The colors are the natural colors of the wood (no stains or paints). These are finished with a food-safe mineral oil/beeswax mix. 

This pair of earrings is available for purchase on the Laughing Mantis online shop.

 

 

The wood is initially cut to size and glued in the desired pattern. I then sketch out the design and cut it out with a scrollsaw. Finally comes a LOT of sanding by hand and then finishing with mineral oil/beeswax.