Some fantastic craftsmanship

[Oddjob]

Words fail me Ian, those are really beautiful, the contrast between the ebony and maple is an inspired choice.

Is dovetailing the correct description? I can’t see any dovetails at all, inside and out, it looks like marquetry where one piece of work is inserted into a gap carved into the surface of the other. The small animals on the handle are exquisite, some real skill on show there.

You could make a living carving them for tourists I’d imagine, wouldn’t even know where to start with a value but I’d imagine quite a lot. 

[Matt_Harrington]

What is even more interesting (amazing) is that the ebony detail is different on the inside to that on the outside. Fabulous work!

[Orcade-Ian]

Ken and Matt,
The ebony was dovetailed sideways across the vertical sections but not to full thickness, so the inside is still just one wood on each stave.  Not sure if any of it was glued - traditionally they never are!  Even the base is just let in to an annular groove near the bottom and the liquid swells the staves and base.  Orcadians are not known for wasting a drop of drink, so they never leak!
I made a simple tin man's Jenny to put the angles on the brass hoops for a Cog maker in Sanday (one of the North Isles) he sadly passed away recently.  I think there is a piece about it on my web site somewhere.

We're still trying to track down a Cog made by Stevie's Dad Alec which he made from Greenheart and was a stunner.  Some kind of marriage split has made the whereabouts shrouded in mystery but folk in Orkney usually find out - there's nowhere to hide!

Ian

[Matt_Harrington]

Ken and Matt,
The ebony was dovetailed sideways across the vertical sections but not to full thickness, so the inside is still just one wood on each stave.  Not sure if any of it was glued - traditionally they never are!  Even the base is just let in to an annular groove near the bottom and the liquid swells the staves and base.  Orcadians are not known for wasting a drop of drink, so they never leak!
I made a simple tin man's Jenny to put the angles on the brass hoops for a Cog maker in Sanday (one of the North Isles) he sadly passed away recently.  I think there is a piece about it on my web site somewhere.

We're still trying to track down a Cog made by Stevie's Dad Alec which he made from Greenheart and was a stunner.  Some kind of marriage split has made the whereabouts shrouded in mystery but folk in Orkney usually find out - there's nowhere to hide!

Ian

Good grief, that is even more impressive!

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15110/lot/649/

[Orcade-Ian]

Thanks for that Ted,
I heard that the stuff from Graemshall had been sold - considering the amount of work involved I don't think many can make much of a living from making Cogs - they are usually a labour of love from a family member or great friend for the forthcoming wedding - that's Orkney in a nutshell!
Found that piece on the hoop making machine I made:

http://www.stallard-engineering.co.uk/Engineering/Tinmans%20Jenny.htm

Ian