Creative Woodworks & crafts 2001-11, страница 51

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Raising, towering, I and contouring

Once you have cut and fit all pieces, it is time to raise or lower the appropriate parts. The body, head, and •legs are our main concern here. Raise or "lower the pieces as indicated on the pattern. Pieces can be lowered by resawing and raised with shims of the appropriate thickness. Contour the pieces down to each adjacent level, making sure the body parts flow together. Contour the edge of each feather to give the appearance of them overlapping each other.

The dreaded talons

The talons are not only devastating to a falcon's prey, they can also wreak havoc on your thumb and fingers. You want the talons to be raised 1/2" higher than the legs. This will require a lot of cutting, fitting, and checking. Because the claws are so small, it's a good idea to adhere these pieces to a l/2"-Dia. x 6" long length of dowel with hot melt glue before you contour them, using the dowel as a handle. Go lightly with the contouring here and take your time, as the piece could break loose and fly across your workshop. The talons should be contoured to look as if they could wrap around their prey.

Finishing

When you are satisfied with the fit of each piece, edge glue them together. When dry, lay the falcon on the 1/8" plywood and trace the outline. Saw out the backer, cutting 1/8" inside the traced line all the way around. Glue the falcon in place on the backer. Apply clear finish of choice and attach a sawtooth hanger.

AI Martinson, woodworker

Twenty years ago, Al Martinson sold liis boat and bought a saw. He then | proceeded to teach himself woodworking. Al built coffee tables, end tables, sofa tables, and roll top desks. He built computer desks, futons, cribs, and cradles. He built Grandfather clocks. Grandmother clocks, and Regulator clocks. He built model trains, lire engines, and cars.

Finally, he ran out of floor space and dccided to start decorating the walls. That was when he discovered intarsia. Al was hooked on the craft from his first project, a pattern from Robert J. Hlavacek, Sr. of Wildlife Intarsia Designs.

In five years, he filled wall after wall with other people's designs until finally he dccided he could make up his own. He loved seeing a projcct begin to take form and would spend hours studying the grain on various boards until he saw what tihey could become. Al even attended one of the many scroll saw picnics where he met some of the designers whose work meant so much to him. When JoAnn, his wife of 35 years, asked Al why in lhe world he wanted to go to a picnic when he didn't really know anyone there, he answered "They are all woodworkers—they are all my friends!"

Al was bom in North Dakota, served in the Air Force in Guam during the Vietnam War, and lived in Montana for many years. He worked for Farmers Brothers Coffee Company for 28 years as the Branch Manager in Rapid City, South Dakota. The beautiful Black Hills provided the inspiration for many of his original designs such as the falcon featured here, a mountain goat, and a cougar. His piece entitled Black Hills Whitctail Buck appeared on the cover of the October '2000 issue of Creative Woodworks & Crafts.

Al died of a sudden heart attack on March 10, 2001 at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife, three children, three grandchildren, bis mother, sister and brother. Here is an excerpt from a poem he wrote to his grandchildren on Christinas 2000: "I, as Grcunpa, don't do much, Mom and Gramma have the Midas touch. They nurture your spreading wings, Ijust fix your broken things." JoAnn adds, 'The only thing he can't fix is our hearts."

I.ook for this beautiful intarsia project by AI Martinson in an upcoming issue of Creative Woodworks & Crafts.