The Blakely Burl Tree Project: Artwork
THE FRENCH COMTOISE CLOCK PROJECT
John Self and Val Minch from North Carolina
are making a clock for the Blakely Burl Tree Museum
See The Finished Clock >
John Self (left) and Val Minch in the warehouse, Blakely, GA 3/17/2010
John and Val with a section of the Blakely Burl Tree.
John loads BBT veneer into his van.
Additional wood for the clock project is sawn at Cross Sawmill, Iron
City, GA
Mark Lindquist with a special pecan crotch log at Cross Sawmill.
Steve Cross is sawing 20,000 board feet of pecan wood for the BBTP.
Steve Cross (left) and John Self (center) and Val Minch discuss
cutting strategy.
Mark Lindquist (center) contributes his perspective on wood usage and
design.
Finding the best pieces for the clock design.
Val Minch (Left) and Mark Lindquist with freshly cut pecan flitches.
Mark Lindquist, Val Minch and John Self with pecan crotch
flitch.
Val and John with trailer - happy campers!
John and Val stacking the wood in North Carolina
John with the final
stack.
Making the clocks
Preliminary sketch - French Comtoise Grandfather Clock by John Self.
To make the curved side walls, John and Val steam bend the wood:
Home made steam bending box
Powered by a steam kettle and hose
Wood goes in box, is steamed, then comes out ready to clamp.
Steamed wood is clamped
to a jig made in the shape of the clock.
Care is taken to
carefully clamp the wood evenly.
When the wood is dry it
is unclamped from the jig.
Un-clamped, the two
steam bent sides of the clock.
The Finished Clock
Comtoise Clock,
John Self, Val Minch,
2009-2012
Burl from the
Blakely Burl Tree Project and Orchard Pecan, South Georgia
98 1/4"H x 20"W x 15 1/2"D
Clock Details
Clock photos by Fanjoy /
Labrenz
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