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John Carpenter Lodge Presentation Gavel
John Carpenter Lodge Presentation Gavel
Click picture for more detail
Click picture for more detail
I was commissioned to make this gavel by a good friend and Brother, who is a member of my Mother Lodge and was also serving as Master of his Mother Lodge in England. Our two lodges had partnered and worked together in the past, and they had presented our lodge with a gavel on an occasion when a delegation from England visited us in Libertyville several years back. This gavel was to be presented from our Lodge in Libertyville as a token of reciprocal friendship.
As I was on a time crunch to complete this piece before the Brother left on his trip to England, I did not photograph the step by step creation of the gavel. The wood selected is hard figured maple of excellent quality and figure; tonewood grade. The head is what I would call a "steeple" shape, inspired by chip-breaking masonry hammers. I joined the head to the handle with a dowle-style mortise and tenon.
I went for a more antiqued feel for the finish of the gavel, to give the character of an object that has been around and in use for quite a while. The finish is tung oil and shelac, but I also rubbed burnt umber oil paint into the handle/head joint and across the gavel to give the appearance of age and grime. Once this dried, another coat of shelac sealed everything.
I was very satisfied with the overall appearance, and the iridescent figure of the maple was greatly enhanced by the finishing technique. The flame absolutely shimmers in the light, and the effect is dramatic when the gavel is picked up and swung in use.
I was commissioned to make this gavel by a good friend and Brother, who is a member of my Mother Lodge and was also serving as Master of his Mother Lodge in England. Our two lodges had partnered and worked together in the past, and they had presented our lodge with a gavel on an occasion when a delegation from England visited us in Libertyville several years back. This gavel was to be presented from our Lodge in Libertyville as a token of reciprocal friendship.
As I was on a time crunch to complete this piece before the Brother left on his trip to England, I did not photograph the step by step creation of the gavel. The wood selected is hard figured maple of excellent quality and figure; tonewood grade. The head is what I would call a "steeple" shape, inspired by chip-breaking masonry hammers. I joined the head to the handle with a dowle-style mortise and tenon.
I went for a more antiqued feel for the finish of the gavel, to give the character of an object that has been around and in use for quite a while. The finish is tung oil and shelac, but I also rubbed burnt umber oil paint into the handle/head joint and across the gavel to give the appearance of age and grime. Once this dried, another coat of shelac sealed everything.
I was very satisfied with the overall appearance, and the iridescent figure of the maple was greatly enhanced by the finishing technique. The flame absolutely shimmers in the light, and the effect is dramatic when the gavel is picked up and swung in use.