We last left you with the beginnings of a sculpture of our dog, Iris', head. We shared the process of sketching an idea, deciding on a wood type and tracing the pattern onto the wood. The next step is the gluing and roughing out the actual shape of the bust. To begin with Martin cut out the profile on 4 pieces of wood using the paper template from the originial sketch.
For this he used a bandsaw which, as any hobbyist will know, is a saw that uses a band of metal teeth to cut through the wood. The "bands" vary with each machine and they also vary in terms of how course or fine the cut line needs to be. For this bust we used a medium band that was 155" long, 3/4" wide and with 4 "teeth per inch.
We jointed the sections of wood with a polyurethane glue made in the Netherlands by Rectavit and sold in the United States as Structan. We have used this glue for many years now as it is not as brittle as typical wood glue. Since it is somewhat pliant it allows slight movement in the wood to take place. Other glues may form a tough and brittle bond so that any movement in the wood can result in splitting or cracking. You may be asking why wood moves. The answer is that wood is actually a living thing and will expand with moisture and high humidity and contract with heat or very low humidity.
In this next photo you can see the rough sculpture all glued together. Notice the paper template next to it which was used in the creation of this sculpture.
We are getting closer to sharing the final sculpture with you and we are sure you will be as delighted as we are with the beauty of the wood and the fine detail of Iris' impressive profile. Iris still thinks it is a new friend and wags her tail when she sees it.
To view our entire collection of architectural hardware or to discuss custom pieces for your next hospitality project, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.