Bed Update

3/28/10 ... Ok Home Stretch .... The woodworking part of the bed is pretty much complete and the first coat of stain is already on all the bed parts except the headboard, where we still have to do the inlays this week. They are going to be fun .... Click the pictures to enlarge them.
headboard assembled, ready for the inlay strip and inlays
This is the first sample inlay for one of the pair of center ducks. We did it in aluminum as a test, but the real inlays will be steel copper and brass ,,, all colored slightly with different patina solutions ... like a painting, sort of ...

The nearly completed CAD drawing

3/16/2010 OK ... we're making progress on the bed ... Will has finished carving the spiral posts and the walnut pine cones and is about to mortise the headboard posts to receive the headboard ... Below, Will and Jim are checking the pattern to be sure everything's the right size now that we've got it together for the first time. Happily, it all seems to line up ... Tomorrow, we mortise and cut the real headboard to shape for the final fitting before the inlays ....

Bolted up for the first time .... Click the pictures to enlarge them ,,,

Close up of the post top and one of the walnut pine cones

A sample center inlay Trevor cut today ... The ones in the bed will be made from brass, (beaks and feet), copper (reddish color details) and steel, blued, blackened and polished for grays ... It's going to be really interesting when we get to that ....
Some really fine curly maple for the headboard from our friends at Irion ... Totally white, totally nice and totally consistent figure across all the boards ...