Another day, another geometric design!
This one is different though.
I actually got the idea from a Pin I saw. I liked the look of it and I wanted to try it myself. I have all the wood scraps I need and I'm in between projects...so why not?
Let's get started!
I gathered the pieces of wood that I needed for the project. I needed (6) different color/shades of wood to make the design.
I wanted to try and make it as close to the Pin as I could, so I used that color scheme as a loose guide and I picked from my stash accordingly.
After picking out the wood, I cut it into 1.25" strips using my table saw. I decided on the 1.25" because that's how long the cut sides will be when I use my miter saw to cut the angle...
This part took a little bit of geometry and pythagorean theorem, blah blah blah stuff... So glad I actually remember it!
So, after many confusing calculations and diagrams, I decided that the angles had to be cut at the 30 degree setting at my miter saw. Basically, this piece is made up of different colors/shades of wood that are all the EXACT same shape, which happens to be a 1.25" rhombus!
Glad we got that cleared up! Now I can start cutting the strips into the rhombus shapes!
I started with the star in the center and decided to work my way out.
Phew
Big sigh of relief on this one! It's a great feeling to have an idea in your head, or on paper, that works out in real life!
The star is made out of a darker wood panel that I had in my stash; I really like the texture when you look closely at the wood. What you can't see, however, is that this wood is like Swiss cheese in the middle! It looks like a bunch of termites ate their way through this wood, giving it so much character.
In the Pin, the inner star is surrounded by red "rhombuses" all around. Luckily, I just picked up some red reclaimed barn wood. The red color is not super red; it's faded and weathered, just like reclaimed wood should be!
The next layer is made up of greenish-gray reclaimed wood. I originally picked this wood out for my first, very large quilt square. I've since used this wood in a couple different projects in small bits, and I didn't have much left over.
It looks gray in pictures and from afar, but when you really get up on it, you can see a greenish "tint" that makes it unique.
Moving on!
This next layer is this rich, dark brown wood. It's got really deep grooves and striations which give it a lot of nice texture. I bought a big plank of this wood for the first quilt square I did for my mother-in-law. There was barely enough left to do this; safe to say, it's all gone now!
The next layer is this white reclaimed barn wood panel I've had for a LONG time. I actually have a lot of this particular paneling left over, and I need to start using it more!
The white is very vibrant, with some nice striations and grooves in the wood. I had to be careful when I was cutting into the wood because I didn't want the paint to chip too much. As you can see, a couple of spots still chipped, but that just adds to the rustic look!
The last layer is some very light, natural hardwood that I got from the scrap pile at my local spot. It's extremely durable and held up really nice to cutting. It's so stark and sleek that it pulls everything together and frames the whole piece nicely.
After this final layer, I had some decisions to make...
In the Pin, the geometric piece was mounted on a rectangular section of reclaimed wood that left about .5" on the straight sides. While I think this looks really nice, I wanted to see how it would look as the shape itself, no background...
I went ahead and cut out some backer board in a rectangular shape that was the same width as the finished geometric piece. I'm not worrying about the pointed sides right now; I can trim that down once the piece is all dried and in position.
Next up was to start gluing the pieces to the backer board!
I used wood glue to secure the pieces to the backer board. I started with the outer edges and worked my way inward. Each time I would place 2-3 pieces, I would clamp to make sure the pieces didn't move and everything stayed symmetrical.
It took some gentle manipulation and sliding to make sure that everything lined up and all pieces remain where they are supposed to be!
After applying, I let the glue dry (while clamped) overnight...
The next day, I removed the clamps and all the pieces stayed in position (yay!)...
Next, to the miter saw to trim the backer board to match the pointed sides of the geometric design!
And that's it!
This design was actually quite simple to do once I got in the groove. It was just measuring, lining it up on my miter saw, and cutting the angles. Then, just like a puzzle, putting it all together to finish it all off!
I like the way it looks without a mounting piece of reclaimed wood behind it. But, if I (or the future owner) ever wanted to mount it on a wood plank, I (or they) have the ability to do so with very little aesthetic difficulties, thanks to that thin backer board! BONUS!
Like I said, this piece is going up on my Etsy store, so be sure to check it out if you're interested!
Stay tuned!
-Kevin
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