CHAPTER XIV.
ARTISTIC WOOD TURNING.
Some of the most beautiful work, really artistic in every sense of the word, is made by laying up woods of different colors, but of the same general character as regards hardness. If this latter precaution, which I have italicised, be neglected, the result will be wholly unsatisfactory, for where two or more woods of different densities are laid up together, side by side, the tool will act upon the hardest very well, but will glide or spring over the inferior material, and thus leave an uneven surface. White holly and ebony work well enough together, but I do not consider ebony a hard wood. Of course there are many who will dispute this assertion, but it is easy enough to pick out specimens of any wood that are hard, but what I mean to say is, that, in general, it is not a truly hard wood, like rosewood or even cocoanut. White holly is almost as soft as pine, and contrasts finely with the only natural black wood that we have. There is one other black wood, of which I have seen specimens, that is perfection itself, so far as color, grain, and strength are concerned. Indeed, it can scarcely be said to have a grain, so firm and solid is it in texture. It turns like horn, or ivory, and is of the “darkest, deepest, deadliest,” black. Unfortunately, I cannot give the name of it, for the reason that the gentleman who gave it to me, did not know himself what it was, and he obtained it from the captain of a vessel trading to Africa.[[1]]
Mere white and black wood, side by side, do not look well unless some kind of pattern or design is observed, and if the pattern is obtained only at great expense of time and labor, it is also unsatisfactory. I shall show, further along, how different designs can be produced rapidly and accurately, with but comparatively little labor.
By inlaying, too, many most beautiful designs can be produced, with but little labor compared to that which is generally bestowed upon such work. This kind of ornamentation is beautiful upon work tables, work boxes, cigar stands, paper knives, fan handles, fancy boxes, inkstands, card cases, vases, picture frames, penholders, sleeve buttons, ear-rings, chess and checker men, napkin rings, fancy drawer knobs, jewel caskets, watch holders, glove boxes, in fact, the whole array of fine cabinet work, looks better when neatly and tastefully inlaid with woods that match and harmonize with the subject, and with each other. I think that some of the methods I practice are new to most persons, and I am sure they will be found accurate and expeditious; which last is a point of no small importance; for when a person works a long time over an elaborate thing, he gets terribly tired of it after while, if it is slow and plodding. In fact, where there is much that is uniform in character, as in making a check pattern, in black and white colors in squares, not over the tenth of one inch wide—it is impossible to make any thing like regularity, or fine fitting, and close joints, by handling each piece separately.
I therefore have a variety of what I call “stock” on hand, ready laid up, in all colors and dimensions, so that I can choose from it exactly as I would pick out a tool. This stock consists of wood laid up in the patterns shown in Figs. 59-67, and of sizes varying according to my designs, but generally very near the sizes here shown.
Fig. 59.
Fig. 60.
