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Herres Presentation Gavel
Herres Presentation Gavel
Click picture for more detail
Click picture for more detail
I made this gavel for a good friend of mine for the occasion of the conclusion of his year as Master of Libertyville Masonic Lodge No.492.
The woods I selected are cocobolo and figured maple. The maple was a piece otherwise destined to become a cello rib. The design is my own; somewhat of an art-deco riff which I came together as I worked. I wanted to try a secure method for attaching the gavel head to the handle that required less work than mortising a solid block. To do this, I made the "mortise" in a single piece of cocobolo the same thickness as the handle which I then laminated with contrasting maple to build up the head. Not only does this add cosmetic interest, but it meant that the motrise/tenon fit was easy to adjust before gluing up, and required minimal adjustment when completed.
The handle shape materialized as I thought about adding emblems to the finished piece and the "bulbs" allowed ample surface for hand painting these, also providing places to continue the maple contrasting pieces on the handle as well.
The cocobolo was allowed to oxidize naturally for a few days to return to its rich, natural red/brown color, and then the whole thing was given a few rubbed applications of tung oil and a light shelac finish.
Cocobolo is one of my favorite exotic woods to use, but some people have terrible (and even life threatening) alergic reactions to it and its dust. In it's finished state, the gavel is fairly inert (unless you licked it or sucked on it enough to get through the shelac), but if you have never worked with cocobolo before do so with caution and proper ventilation!
I made this gavel for a good friend of mine for the occasion of the conclusion of his year as Master of Libertyville Masonic Lodge No.492.
The woods I selected are cocobolo and figured maple. The maple was a piece otherwise destined to become a cello rib. The design is my own; somewhat of an art-deco riff which I came together as I worked. I wanted to try a secure method for attaching the gavel head to the handle that required less work than mortising a solid block. To do this, I made the "mortise" in a single piece of cocobolo the same thickness as the handle which I then laminated with contrasting maple to build up the head. Not only does this add cosmetic interest, but it meant that the motrise/tenon fit was easy to adjust before gluing up, and required minimal adjustment when completed.
The handle shape materialized as I thought about adding emblems to the finished piece and the "bulbs" allowed ample surface for hand painting these, also providing places to continue the maple contrasting pieces on the handle as well.
The cocobolo was allowed to oxidize naturally for a few days to return to its rich, natural red/brown color, and then the whole thing was given a few rubbed applications of tung oil and a light shelac finish.
Cocobolo is one of my favorite exotic woods to use, but some people have terrible (and even life threatening) alergic reactions to it and its dust. In it's finished state, the gavel is fairly inert (unless you licked it or sucked on it enough to get through the shelac), but if you have never worked with cocobolo before do so with caution and proper ventilation!