aged wood

The garden gnome house was carved out of a solid poplar log that fell during a windstorm. Poplar is not the best wood for carving — it splits and rots easy — but it was big, free, and delivered from the sky in our backyard.

The garden gnomes have their house in a raspberry patch with a waterfall flowing just below the winding staircase.

A Stihl MS261c with the factory bar was used. That’s a mid-sized saw that idles well so the chain can chew slowly without too much gas. This allows for more detail work without revving the saw to high speed. The smaller bar on a MS170 was used to notch out the stairs. See more here…

So how did it do after a year in the sun, wind, rain, and snow? Not too bad considering it had two litres of linseed oil dumped on it. There was some cracking and a polyurethane glue was injected into the deepest splits. The wood was also stained anywhere water collected. Time for another coat of clear sealer or linseed oil as winter approaches.

In the heraldic tradition, we’ve completed a family crest in a wood cut design on spruce. Read more here…

This is not a shield, as the armor version would include iron strapping and bolts, as well as hand grip and sleeve. Check back for that one soon.

After the edges were flamed, the design had a brisk resand with 100 grit to blur any soot and scuff up the chisel marks. The finish is a mix of Prairie Bench Storybook with a lot of mineral spirits, 3 to 1. This gives a dirty, aged colour and brings out the grey tones.

A diluted mix of International Red was painted on the lion and the rear flag. Then the crest received several coats of poly, but not too much because the dry look adds to the age.

A heavy gauge picture wire is connected to a bracket then screwed to the rear for hanging .

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Approx size: 32″x21″ with 5% curve. Spruce finished in polyurethane.

Revisiting the Garden Gnome House

Family Crest