Yijing is an ancient Chinese method of seeking guidance and insight by interpreting hexagrams (combinations of 6 lines that are either solid or broken) generated through the casting of coins or manipulating yarrow stalks. I wanted to create a casting dice set with equivalent probabilities to traditional methods, intended as a gift.
One day I figured I’d make some birthday gifts instead of falling for cliché and buying chocolates or alcohol. This seemingly simple idea soon became an obsession and opened up unexpected horizons.
I wanted to make grips from poplar burl and Turkish walnut for 1851 and 1860 historical black powder revolver reproductions. Turkish walnut stands for itself, as it was expected. Poplar burl, although being soft and a bit hard to work properly, turned promising, as well.
I took a piece of available poplar burl from Dictum and wanted to turn it into 1911 grips that would look handy on a Ruger or a Walther Colt Gold Cup.
People began spinning fibers into threads some 40,000 years ago or even earlier. Initially, fibers were simply rolled between the fingers. Spindle whorls were invented much later, perhaps around 7,000 years ago.
I made some wooden pendants to test my scrollsaw, and in a moment, it felt as if I was baking cookies… Plum, olive, cherry, walnut cookies.