The trefoil was just an interesting shape that I thought would look intriguing as a carving. Like many of my other carvings, it was roughed out with bandsaw, drill and Dremel, and then brought to the final shape with sandpaper strips. I selected Curly Birch since it had an interesting grain and was reasonably strong in the cross-grain direction. I have used a computer to draw patterns of many of the things I have made, but this one was just sketched up with pencil and paper. Looking at the "plans" now, I'm not quite sure how I figured out exactly how to make it.
Since the final piece was somewhat fragile (or at least crushable), I decided to make a case for it as well.
It was made out of a single piece of Padauk. The top and bottom were cut off, and then the inside milled out to the proper shape for the trefoil piece. I then cut the body to define the lid and base, and reattached the top and bottom pieces. Thin pieces of African Blackwood were used to delineate all the seams, as well as for
alignment pins between the two pieces of the body. The Padauk has darkened up quite a bit since the case was made - it started out as a bright orange-red. Oxidation of the wood is likely the cause. The darkening could probably be delayed with a more-impervious finish, but I prefer using wax since it does not alter the size or the fit of the pieces.
African Blackwood is a very hard wood with very little apparent grain, and it lends itself well to fine details. I have found, however, that it is tough on sawblades. After cutting African Blackwood into veneer on my bandsaw, I had trouble cutting less-hard woods as well. Turned out the blade was very dull. I suppose it may be minerals embedded in the wood that dulls the blade, but now I tend to try to sand things into shape where possible when using this type of wood.
Trefoil:
| Material: | Curly birch |
| Finish: | Wax |
| Size: | 2.6" dia x 1.25" high |
| Done: | October 3, 1993 |
Case:
| Material: | Padauk & African Blackwood |
| Finish: | Wax |
| Size: | 2.75" x 2.75" x 1.75" |
| Done: | October 10, 1993 |
