More presents!!

Today is my birthday, and for those who are following my blog, you may have read that I was hoping for a drill because mine had stopped working.  But my fiance thought that a drill wasn't appropriate birthday gift because it's something we both would use, so instead I got a DREMEL TRIO!!!  Yippee!  I am so pleased with my new tool.  My fiance's rationale on this tool was that it was something only I would use, so it was okay to give this as a gift!  Well sweetie I don't understand the rationale, but thank you very much.  In the meanwhile, he still bought a drill for us both to use!!!  Go figure!  So now I have no excuse for finishing my garden shed.  A drill was the only thing holding me up. 

I also got a wonderful miniature gift from my fiance's brother and his wife.  They always seem to find me the most unusual and wonderful miniature items.  This time they found a group of 12 miniature pewter chairs that were meant to be dining placecard holders.  The would work perfect in a 1/24th scale setting.  There is three of each style in the box.  Now I have to put some thought into where I can use them.  I've never done a 1/24th scaled scene before.  But it's the first time for everything.

Now I have to go and do some trial work with the Dremel Trio before we go out to dinner!!  I am so pleased with my new gifts!
-Wanda

Too many projects but ready to begin a tobacco barn

YES, I have too many projects going on in the studio. I have everything ready to begin building a Kentucky Tobacco Barn and I need some miniature tools. I have been searching , found a few Tom Thumb tools I had packed away and am working on my buying list for the upcoming Chicago shows.

While searching the internet for tools I found this website called the Toolchest Site and found this wonderful article. Time to share with others again...

http://www.toolchest-site.com/william-robertson-miniature-tool-chest

It’s almost difficult to comprehend that this replica of an 18th century gentleman’s tool chest, packed with tools, is only 2 inches long. It is a masterful 1/12 scale reproduction based on the Hewitt chest at Colonial Williamsburg and is by celebrated miniaturist William Robertson.

The chest is primarily made from mopane wood which looks like mahogany in scale and oxidizes similarly. The secondary wood is Swiss pear.

There are also cast brass Rococo drop handles as well as beaded backplates. It should also be noted that the miniscule lock actually works, and the label on the underside of the lid is printed on 18th century paper — in lettering to perfect scale of course.

As you would expect from something so masterfully created, the tool chest was made with the same construction as the original chest. Tool trays and drawers are fully dovetailed with hand-sawn dust boards. The dividers are v-notched and crosslapped and the lid sides are tongue and groove.

Robertson’s tool chest contains all the same tools that were found in the original. All the tools work, even the plane’s tote (handle) is set a scale 1/8″ to one side as the original. The saw has 160 teeth to the inch. Robinson says that the hardest tool to make was the folding rule with 5 leaf hinge. It is about .030″ thick and hand engraved on boxwood. Things like the shears and dividers also have nice little joints.

Also included in the tool chest are a Kent-style hatchet, claw hammer, a riviting hammer, marking gauge, five gimlets, a smooth plane, backsaw, saw wrest, divider, awl, round file, burnisher, inside/outside calipers, bevel gauge, try square, three turnscrews, four brad awls, an oilstone in its case, three tanged chisels, a mallet and a beak anvil. As stated all the tools are fully functional, with blades made of steel. Other parts are made from brass with handles made of pearwood, boxwood, African blackwood, Bolivian rosewood and maple.

The chest and tools took about 1,000 hours to complete.