WSBO #7 – Brian Eve – Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong

Dimensions:

28″ W
17 3/4″ H
7 5/8″ D.

My shelf is made from the plastic wrapped laminated pine from the home center (probably scots pine), and a tiny strip of black wattle sent to me from Australia. It is joined with Roman nails and finished with a home made soap finish.

This hanging wall shelf was the first real project I got to do in my new, fully-set-up-in-it’s-final-configuration shop. My shop is a home office. I don’t have a workbench, I work on the floor, and on a pair of staked saw benches, and keep my tools in a newly constructed Dutch tool chest. My biggest challenge was finishing it in the time allotted. I was distracted by The Frau for much of Saturday, and I pounded my last nail at about 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night. Not ideal in an apartment building.

The shelf was inspired by the bookshelf in the Anarchist’s Design Book. A friend said it reminds him of my Dutch tool chest, which is unintentional. The Frau said the piercings remind her of an outhouse. That also was unintentional. I come from a part of the world where outhouses have crescent moons, not hearts.

The general dimensions of the piece were determined by the wood that I had available. I had a basic idea of what I wanted the shelf to look like, and designed it on the fly as it was built.

It was intended to be a little bit modern with a nod to the Bavarian country style with the heart piercings and Roman nails.

It eventually will be hung with a French cleat. I applied one coat of a soap finish before assembly, and as time goes on more coats will be applied on a regular basis. I expect it to darken over time with the sun leaving a rich patina.

Last of all, I would like to note that these photos were taken on top of a castle (St. Barbara’s in Alicante, Spain) overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Nothing quite says quality hand work like old castles and canons!

Cheers!