Creative Woodworks & crafts 2004-03, страница 22

continued from page 21 including the horse and rooster, also sell to collectors of the specific animals.

The horse and rooster patterns that we are publishing here are the large base-mounted versions. They can be reduced on a copier to 60 or 50% and cut out of 3/4" wood to make small gifts for those horse and rooster people out there. Before we start, here's a little bit of Chinese astrology that you can pass on to the recipient of the finished horse or rooster:

of the Horse

The most recent lunar years for the horse are: ^ggm January 30, 1930 to February 16, 1931 February 15, 1942 to January 4, 1943 February 3, 1954 to January 23, 1955 wti^foa^ January 21, 1966 to February 8, 1967 February 7, 1978 to January 27, 1979 W*^ J January 27, 1990 to February 14, 1991 » February 12, 2002 to January 31, 2003

Horse people are often popufar due to their cheerfulness and verbosity. Wise and talented, they handle money matters well. They enjoy crowds and enferfainmenf but are independent and short-tempered. Horse people are most compatible with Dog and Sheep people; least with Rat people.

INSTRUCTIONS

Cutting and Construction

The best color for Chinese characters is red, followed by gold; woods like paduk, cherry or mahogany would make great red pieces and something like Tree of Heaven, if you can find it, would work for gold. For base-mounted pieces, use 3/4"- to 1 "-thick wood.

Make a photocopy of the pattern and glue it to the wood. I recommend using clear packing tape on top of the pattern to reduce the burn from the tight turns you will have to make when cutting the pattern. For cutting, I recommend a No. 5 or No. 2 reverse tooth blade to reduce chipping on the bottom of the piece.

After you have drilled the guide holes and cut out the fret pieces, use a solvent such as paint thinner to remove the paper pattern

Year of the Rooster

The most recent lunar years for the rooster are: January 26, 1933 to February 13, 1934 February 13, 1945 to February 1, 1946 January 31, 1957 to February 17, 1958 February 17, 1969 to February 5, 1970 February 5, 1981 to January 24, 1982 January 23, 1993 to February 9, 1994 February 9, 2005 to January 28, 2006

Determined and ambitious, Year of the Rooster people often undertake tasks beyond their capabilities. They are bold and outspoken, often distrustful of others but capable of having loyal friends. They are best suited to those born in the Year of the Ox, Serpent or Dragon; worst suited to 22 Year of the Rabbit people.

using your tool of choice (I use a clean paintbrush).

The oval base can be cut from complementary 3/4" hardwood. Oak is usually a good match for a red wood, or you could just use more of the same wood that you used to make the piece. I find that the base looks much more finished if I use a router to round it after I have cut it, but you could just use sandpaper to take the edge off the top of the base.

Mounting on the base - two methods

There are two methods that I use to mount the finished piece lo I he base. In the first, the pattern is marked to show where dowels can be inserted in the piece and base for the best display. Carefully drill a hole for the dowel in the bottom of the piece and the base. I would recommend using something like a 1/8" dowel if you can find it; a piece of a nail of a similar size could make for an even stronger connection.

Glue the finished piece, the dowel and the base together and clamp (I use big elastic bands) the assembled piece in the correct pose, making sure that the animal is standing true to either side as well.

A second method that I have used is to draw a tongue, roughly 1/2" long, at the base of the horse or rooster in the same direction as the dowel line before I cut the piece. Then, I fit that tongue into a hole I cut in the base after I trace the footprint of the tongue on the base and fret cut the hole out. This will work if you are making the piece out of strong hardwood. However, if you can make the dowel attachment work, I recommend going with that method.

Finish the base and animal with a thin oil to seal the inner edges (I use either walnut or tung oil). Apply multiple coats after fine sanding to get a better finish, if you wish.

The finished horse and rooster shown in the picture were made using red box elder burl from a local Ontario free, but that is another story!

Send questions concerning this project to: Wayne Fowler, 33 Longmeadow Cres, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 356. Email: wfowler@allstream.net

and let the piece dry before you sand the two faces and the four edges on a disc or belt sander. I find that then using a 1/4 sheet of 220-grit sandpaper is a good way to remove any remaining burs and to lightly round the edges in order to yield a more finished look. Clean the piece