2016 Workshops at the Academy of South African Miniaturists

[ElgaKoster 540]

As I know that some of you are interested in the workshops that we do here in Johannesburg once a month I thought that I would show you each month what we made.

Today was our first meeting after the long summer holidays, today's class was taught by Lisa Martens, we made a chessboard from the following woods, beech, blackwood, imbuia and mopane.

Now I need a chess set!

Our next project is a Queen Anne lowboy that will be spread out over three months.

[Catherine Ronan 135]

It is lovely Elga. What fun. Now you have to make all the pieces. ;-)

[miraclechicken 172]

Really nice, sounds like some wonderful workshops!

[WeekendMiniaturist 280]

I wonder if anyone published any plans for turned chess pieces in miniature. That would be fun to make... must have collets! (fiddley but fun?!) The board is beautiful, the grain in the light wood is quite pleasing!

 

I was just looking at those ebony pieces at the woodworking store and wondering if should buy a stick...

 

Tamra

[ElgaKoster 540]

Catherine and Tamra, I found a wonderful 1800 chess set that I plan on making when I come back from the US early in May, I will use blackwood and South African boxwood that I have in my stash for the pieces. The knights in this set is of the older slope style that doesn't have the horse head.

[MeezerMama 40]

Debora Beijerbacht made a beautiful chess set, and posted about it in her blog.

[ElgaKoster 540]

Tamra, I am posting this in response to your comment in the lathe duplicator post about our club.

Our chair lady Lisa and I share the teaching, she is very good at it, she did it alone for a few years but it gets too much for one person. Other members help with wood supply etc.

The club has invested in buying quite a few tools like mills etc over the last few years with many members having bought some tools too which they bring along to class, so we are able now to launch forward into making much more complex pieces.

Check out our website to see past projects and the ones we have lined up for the next few months.

http://miniacademy.weebly.com/gallery.html

http://miniacademy.weebly.com/academy-workshops.html

We are working hard on raising the standard of teaching and projects, we discussed the future of the club at our first meeting to make sure the rest of the members want to work at this level and they do, so we are looking forward to an exciting year with great projects!

[WeekendMiniaturist 280]

Elga how many miles apart are we?  Your club has done so many wonderful projects... ok, I accept the commute is too far for me, but I'm going to send the link to my club mates so the rest of my friends can be green with envy.

 

All of you should be very proud of your accomplishments....

 

Tamra

[ElgaKoster 540]

Haha, I told our club members on Saturday that a lot of my overseas friends are jealous at what we accomplish at our club and that I think we are unique in that way, I don't know of any other clubs in the world that focus on furniture making with joinery, this was all started because of Aubrey Cronje after he had attended Castine a few times. Our club members didn't quite realize this, I think Lisa and I scored a few brownie points with them :-)

[ElgaKoster 540]

Our class went well this morning, we are making the Queen Anne lowboy in Harry Smith's book "The art of making furniture in miniature", our chair lady Lisa Martens is teaching the class. Today we pinrouted the cabriole legs, the back, sides and front apron.

Working hard and making lots of dust :-)

And I learned something new today on the mill, how to square off the rounded corners on the pinrouted edges with a cutter, now we are all supposed to shape our cabriole legs nicely at home before the next class.

[lisaMartens 1]

Teaching is so great and when you see a students eyes light up the first time they cut one of those legs and it's perfect, is all worth it.  We have some super projects in the pipeline this year.  Taking it up a notch 

[WeekendMiniaturist 280]

Welcome to the forum Lisa.  I have enjoyed the reading about the projects of your club.

 

Tamra