Hobbies are an important part of keeping your mind active and adding value to the joy of life. This is especially true when you have retired from working. As I have aged and matured, I have taken on more hobbies to keep myself busy, exercise my mind, and add new experiences.
One of the hobbies I wanted to bring to the table is the hobby of woodworking, specifically scrolling. This is one of the hobbies that my dad currently has and has made some pretty fantastic pieces. I am amazed by the simplicity in some of the pieces and the complexity in others.
Let me start with a couple of his artsy pieces. The first one shown below is literally scrap wood glued into a box. But the outcome was pretty cool. You can see the different types of wood, the crosscuts for texture, and the holes and staggering to add depth. Simple but very effective as a fun talking piece.
The second piece was also an experiment as my dad likes to call it. The piece is simply a cutting of different size PVC pipes glued together again into a rectangular shaped frame. This piece is also mesmerizing, especially when it’s raining outside. The rain creates an interesting effect as it drizzles through the PVC circles. Not going to sell for a thousand dollars but still fun.
This next piece is not actually scrollwork per se even though scrolling was used. I would really consider it a relief piece. Each piece of the eagle was actually cut out separately. The edges were rounded, and it was glued together to give a three-dimensional look. Each of the stars were actually scroll cut. Then below there are countersunk holes created for the quarters presenting different presidents of this United States.
So let’s actually get into some scrollwork. Below is the first scroll piece. It’s made up of individually scroll cut leaves that were then painted and glued in a layered fashion to create the wreath design below. This piece is actually hanging on a door and is a nice piece to hang during the fall. I enjoy its simplicity and decorative qualities.
This next piece is a dual clock piece with ornamental three dimensional scrollwork. The scrolling goes in several directions. Some of the scrollwork is flat and some of it is spherically. The main clock area actually creates a ball structure, and the base section is revolved. This small piece has some nice intricacy in depth and detail.
In the following three pieces we have a spiritual and religious set of themes. This first one, of course, is Jesus and the last supper. The piece was scroll cut and was backed with a black piece of material behind it. Then it was framed out to give it a nice, finished look.
This next piece of scrollwork is simply a set of praying hands. This piece was also scroll cut and just as the previous, was backed with black material and then framed out.
And this last religious piece is the complete Lord’s prayer; totally scroll cutting all of the words to the Lord’s prayer with a lot of elaborate embellishments making a very interesting piece to look at. This one was glued down to a black painted board making it a very fun and inspirational piece.
This next piece goes back to mounting clocks in a scrollwork. This time with a tiger as the centerpiece, the piece is oval cut, mounted to a podium, with a clock mounted between the tigers’ paws. This piece is simple yet fun.
At this point, we start getting into the very intricate pieces. This first one is of a Holland style windmill with a clock mounted in the center. The blades actually rotate. The house is sitting on a pedestal and as you can see, the blades are very intricately cut along with the ornamental attachments to the house in the base.
The last two pieces are very large, exquisite pieces. The first one shown below is what I like to call the capital. It has a base with a very interesting lattice cut. On top of that is the entryway with nice corner scrolling and dropped ornamental pieces. On top of that is the clock section and above that is the dome with a bell mounted inside. And finally, the cap on top. This particular piece has many hours of scrollwork in it and is all mounted in individual pieces in sections. The interesting thing about this piece is that most of the sections are not attached in any way; they sit loose with no glue or finish nails.
And finally, we have the standing grandfather clock. This piece has a lot of intricate scrollwork across the top and sides. This piece also took numerous hours and a tedious amount of cutting to complete. This one is a true piece of furniture.
As you can see, this is one hobby in which you can create beautiful pieces of art that can be enjoyed for years to come. If you’re looking for a hobby, scroll cutting might be right up your alley. Check out the website https://cherrytreetoys.com/ to purchase plans and get inspiration and examples. By the way, you will notice that my dad does not like to paint or stain. Maybe he simply likes the natural wood look.
