carving "Thunderbolt" #9: Mechanics completed !

Thanks to unusual snow-fall amounts in Arkansas, I’ve had a few days off and have been able to get the mechanics and a good portion of the base completed. I am a better wood-carver than I am a wood-worker, but I keep trying, thanks to all the inspiring projects people post on Lumberjocks! The construction and design are pretty simple, which is about all I can handle. I wanted a base that would be steady, when the toy is cranked, and I wanted it to be a little tall, to attract attention and to allow the mechanics to be viewed.

The gears, bushings, and cam are all from birch plywood, with few miscellaneous pieces of maple and pear. The stand itself is yellow pine and the legs are basswood. I wanted the gears to draw attention, but the main focal point will be the horse and rider, so I wanted to use a natural finish that let the colors and grain of the wood show through. I liked the contrast of the grain in the pine, but I wanted to make it a little more fun, a little more exotic in appearance. So I decided to play a little bit with some red dye. It ranges from pinkish-brown on the face of the pine to a reddish-purple on the end grain. I like the faded look it has in some areas and the rich red around the gears and cam. The basswood has very subtle graining that compliments and contrasts, I think, with the other wood.

The mechanics are very simple, but they operate smoothly and will give the motion that I am looking for to the horse, which will be mounted on the rod that will be operated by the cam. I am thinking about either using basswood for the top of this stand, in order to give it a better flow. Any advice on this? Should I use something else with more color on the top ( lacewood, walnut, paduak, cherry are what I have) ? Or would it be too much… too many different things… too distracting? Thanks for looking!

-- Mike P., Arkansas, http://mpounders1.blogspot.com