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Kaniok Presentation Gavel
Kaniok Presentation Gavel
Click picture for more detail
Click picture for more detail
This gavel was made and presented to a very good friend on the occasion of his installation as Master of Libertyville Lodge.
Knowing the recipient, I wanted to go for an understated elegance that highlighted the beauty of the wood, geometry, and eastern joinery traditions. I took inspiration from octagonal-shaped Japanese joinery mallets, and the classic wedges used to secure plane irons and wooden tennons through mortised holes.
Lightly spalted maple was selected for the gavel head, and a section of curly maple for the handle. The wedge and "caps" on the handle ends were made from African mahogany.
I employed some "faux joinery" for the gavel head and handle. I didn't like my chances of lining up a square through mortise with the octagonal facets of the gavel head, so I cheated by fitting the gavel handle and head with a simple round dowel shaped mortise, and made a special cap for the top of the gavel head which I motrised to take the small mahogany wedge. The effect looks like the square handle has been mortised all the way through the head and secured with a wedge, but required considerably less work to execute!
Several hand-rubbed coats of tung oil and shellac finish the gavel, along with some "grime" effects by means of oil paints.
This gavel was made and presented to a very good friend on the occasion of his installation as Master of Libertyville Lodge.
Knowing the recipient, I wanted to go for an understated elegance that highlighted the beauty of the wood, geometry, and eastern joinery traditions. I took inspiration from octagonal-shaped Japanese joinery mallets, and the classic wedges used to secure plane irons and wooden tennons through mortised holes.
Lightly spalted maple was selected for the gavel head, and a section of curly maple for the handle. The wedge and "caps" on the handle ends were made from African mahogany.
I employed some "faux joinery" for the gavel head and handle. I didn't like my chances of lining up a square through mortise with the octagonal facets of the gavel head, so I cheated by fitting the gavel handle and head with a simple round dowel shaped mortise, and made a special cap for the top of the gavel head which I motrised to take the small mahogany wedge. The effect looks like the square handle has been mortised all the way through the head and secured with a wedge, but required considerably less work to execute!
Several hand-rubbed coats of tung oil and shellac finish the gavel, along with some "grime" effects by means of oil paints.