"Discovery" - A Mosaic in Wood

You certainly have something there to be very proud of… and I am sure that Robyn would agree..
My only critique would be the one Robyn gave me when I made my first… check the grain orientation.. always have each piece at angles to each other piece… ie don’t have the grain run the same direction in adjacent pieces…I have always remembered that and tried to comply…
Other than that … one very nice piece … and the fact that is it hand cut..wow…

-- Drink twice... and don't bother to cut... @ lazylarrywoodworks.com.au For lovers of all things timber...

Nicely done! Those diamonds take a bit of work to keep aligned – looks like you did a great job!

Thanks for sharing.

-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive

Have made a few of these myself,and can’t imagine cutting all those pieces by hand.Good job.

-- Walnut,Muskies and campfires what more could you ask for. Mike

I love Robin,s work you honor him.

Nice work, Mathew. Looks beautiful.

-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging. http://www.theartofboxes.com

Neat & beautiful work. I don’t think I have patient to do the glue-up job.

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Wow!
Beautiful work. It certainly is a piece of art.

-- Chuck

Well done Mathew. I’m in the process of making my first Mosaic style piece myself. I applaud you hand cutting all of those pieces. Hopefully my project turns out as well as yours. I will have WoodMosaics and degoose to thank for it if it does turn out nice.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Sweet job Mat.
You have got optical illusions going on all over the place in there.
I see new ones every time I look at it.
Bravo !!

-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/

Really nice. Very inspiring.

-- When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.”   Theodore Roosevelt

Looks great.

Wonderfull job.

Great work….you used a hand saw to cut all of the parts???

Wow, you are a patient wood worker!!!! But it paid off because

your work is very beautiful.

-- Bob Kenosha Wi.

Thanks for all the nice comments everyone. I really approached this as a study in Parquetry and used some of the techniques I have learned on the marquetry side to make this assembly manageable. I believe in the old days they would call this type of work “Frisage”.

I assembled the entire top using blue tape to hold it all together, then flipped it over, taped the entire assembly, then glued it to the substrate all in one go. Robin glues his pieces on one at a time with hot melt glue, using my technique I was able to do it all at once.

Also, yes hand cutting each piece did take a while, but I felt it was the only safe way to work with small pieces. Of course, I used the machines in order to prepare the thin strips that the diamonds and triangles are cut from. Each piece also needed to be scraped with a utility knife to remove the small burr at the trailing edge of the cut that despite the jig acting as a zero clearance support I could not seem to eliminate.

If anyone is interested, I have a picassa web album that contains a lot more photos of construction details.

-- You either think you can, or think you can't. Either way you are right. Henry Ford

Very impressive piece. I admire your patience and precision with the hand saw.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

This is beautiful work and fine craftsmanship.

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau