Since I got the files from Scott i figured I better start using the 2" thick slabs I've been tripping over for 2 years, amongst a bunch of various other pieces that I've forgotten about.  Wife wants the basement cleaned up and organized a little.  Well, maybe a lot.   Since I've had these since who knows when I look at it as free wood ....... til the next "deal" comes around.  These should stand out on somebody's wall.

Edited February 21, 20242 yr by honesttjohn

Excellent work, as usual, HJ!

Very nice John. I particularly like the pheasant in flight one. Thanks for sharing your talent.

No talent, Dave.  It's just a matter of getting models from people who have talent and placing them here and there, with a few adjustments, and making them look  right.  Then hit go.  The model makers are the ones with the real talent.  It all comes down to either creating or cutting.  Not enough time to make it profitable doing both.  Just my thoughts on it.

7 hours ago, honesttjohn said:

No talent, Dave.  It's just a matter of getting models from people who have talent and placing them here and there, with a few adjustments, and making them look  right.  Then hit go.  The model makers are the ones with the real talent.  It all comes down to either creating or cutting.  Not enough time to make it profitable doing both.  Just my thoughts on it.

 

If it were that simple we would all have a CNC in our shops!  BTW, I like the pheasants also...

The pheasant reminded me of how plentiful they were around here when I was a kid

Just curious, have you ever used a glaze between layers of finish to highlight the details?  Might work better on a non-ring porous wood, though.  This isn't the best example, but all I could find.  Shows the effect of highlighting the detail beading around the border.   I use them a lot.

 

 

Edited February 21, 20242 yr by kmealy

1 hour ago, lew said:

The pheasant reminded me of how plentiful they were around here when I was a kid

I thought the same Lew. Living rural, around cornfields, woods and fence rows, they were common. We hunted them in the fall along with quail. Sadly, the woods and  fence rows have mostly been bulldozed away which provided them habitat. Along with all the farm chemicals now used, we rarely see a pheasant or a covey of quail.

 

However, I did see about 40 wild turkeys tonight along a woods and corn stubble.

3 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Sadly, the woods and  fence rows have mostly been bulldozed away which provided them habitat. Along with all the farm chemicals now used, we rarely see a pheasant

It's the same around here. There are no more fences, and the crops are planted pretty much right to the road's edge Haven't seen a ringneck in 30 years, or a Ruffed Grouse,  and the woodcock are all gone too. Never did have any quail here.

That circumstance about the pheasants and quail hold true for this area as well, and in southern Ohio where I spent a lot of my youth. The founders of a gun club I belong (mostly a trap shooting club, with a rifle range) are big pheasant hunters and farmers. They used to release pheasants every year hoping to bring them back, they had a couple of English Pointers they used to hunt them. Sadly I think they've given up on their attempts. In all the years I've spent lots of days bowhunting deer in this area, I've seen pheasants once...a couple of cocks fighting. I've never seen any quail around here.

 

Keith, about the only time I've used a glaze was on qtr sawn white oak to get the rays to show up, this was using a technique Mickley described for me.

14 hours ago, lew said:

The pheasant reminded me of how plentiful they were around here when I was a kid

 

Growing up in upstate NY I also hunted pheasant and they were plentiful.  About that same time the Conservation Dept. reintroduced wild turkey.  IIRC, the turkeys carried a virus or some type of disease that was fatal to pheasants.  True or not, I don't know.  Whenever I visit NY, I do see a lot of turkeys... and haven't seen a pheasant in forever.

Methinks John is downplaying the decision and planning process he makes to get these beautiful results!

29 minutes ago, Artie said:

Methinks John is downplaying the decision and planning process he makes to get these beautiful results!

Nope.  If it took ability and talent I'd be out in the cold looking in.  I just use and adjust what others have the ability to make.

Don’t sell yourself short!  Those look awesome!

On 2/25/2024 at 9:40 PM, honesttjohn said:

Nope.  If it took ability and talent I'd be out in the cold looking in.  I just use and adjust what others have the ability to make.

So basically you look, see, learn, and then do! I call that talent!