Tuesday, January 23, 2018

In the Beginning.....


It all began back in early December.  The obsession developed as the whole project kept being interrupted with things.  Christmas was a big interruption but there were a lot of behind the scenes things that just didn’t make it happen. The biggest problem was that the maker really didn’t have a plan. Throw in a time when I wanted to just tear it apart and burn it did slow things down.

The design kept evolving and in this shot things were not attached as I was questioning the whole plan.

My original design started as four wide boards put into a box and every board had a twist in it making it appear to be a square wrinkled piece of pasta. I would never had put any shelves into the design and the weight would have been too much. Also it was so twisted that it would not of gone against the wall.

This is now all in the past.  I succeeded in getting all of the tops of the screws covered and mounted the backing. I was successful in putting on the wall with only a minor twist that required me to screw it to the wall. The one photo in the collage that I was going to have a short shelf in the middle.  I gave up some cash and bought another board to put there.

The whole piece is inspired by the woodworkers who create furniture with mixed hard woods. I was going to paint it gray at first but then the walnut and aspen woods had contrasting colors. The white pine isn’t ugly but normally we do stain it.  The oak paneling did reinforce my idea to leave it all natural. I realize that the obsessive project is replacing my need to get into the studio and start painting and drawing again. I guess it became an artistic sculpture.












It is on the wall and has been loaded down.  I do believe as time goes by the my dad’s two smaller trains will be combined and reduced in size so I can display more antique toys and things. The older engine on that train would never be pulling a car from Montgomery Wards.



Now that it is done, I need to move on to other things. Taking a jet to the south for some sun would be great but that isn’t going to happen,  I am going to consolidate the children’s toys now and make room for a place to put the rest of the Christmas decorations. I am going to clear all the mess from the shelf project and get my workspace opened up for the next inspiration.  As was said in one of the Star Trek movies, you all are now relieved from your duties of hearing about the past project.  I am relieved too that it is done.

Light snow today as we missed the major storm by two counties. It was good to not have that storm but feel badly about those in northwest Iowa and Minnesota. We completely melted off our snow and I got to wash the car and garage floor. The just above freezing temps seem warm compared to what we have had the past month.  Thank you for stopping by today.

8 comments:

A Colorful World said...

Gorgeous finish on the shelf! I wish you were close to me...I'd hire you to build the shelf I need in my diningroom! :-) Great-looking train display!

Dolly said...

It was hard to imagine what you were going for while looking at the early photos.But, boy, is that good-looking AND practical now that it's finished.

A Brit in Tennessee said...

What a beautiful creation Larry, a perfect piece to showcase your trains and such.
I like that you have decided to keep the wood in it's natural state, showing the grain, and colors.
What a clever and creative person you are !
~Jo

The Great Ethan Allen said...

That looks AWESOME! So different from the design you began with. Funny how your vision of something morphs when you actually begin to build it. I have been waiting to see how it would eventually turn out. Very VERY nice!

I have plenty of stories of projects that were more "function over form" They were not very pretty...but worked. Looks like you have achieved both. I'm glad you did not have to paint it. I think the color of the various woods add plenty to the style. With that success, I'm sure you are now looking for your next project. Careful! Woodworking is an addiction sometimes.

The Furry Gnome said...

Those shelves for displaying your trains worked out GREAT! I'm impressed, both with the shelves and the train collection. Good decision not to stain or paint it if you ask me.

Red said...

Awesome set of shelves!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Your train display really turned out great! I know you struggled with it, but now you are done! What a relief! No snow for you, you were on the edge and so were we. That was just fine with me:)

Anonymous said...

Your finished project looks great!