Overflow
This is a U-Beaut Polishes… Woodworking Australia
landing page for photo and info overflow from shop.
This is a landing page for various links from U-Beaut Polishes online shop, to photos and information of commission works done, that were way too large or to numerous to fit onto the shop site.
If you find yourself here on this page it will almost certainly be because you clicked on a thumbnail or link in our U-Beaut Polishes online shop. Either that or you’re very good at finding stuff on the internet, or it’s just good old, dumb luck.
Feel free to visit one or all of our forums. Each can be accessed by clicking on their links below.
Clicking on some pics may give larger more detailed photos.
NUMBER ONE
VICTORIAN COATS OF ARMS
The first overflow photos are of the commission to carve 3 Huon Pine,
State Coats of Arms for the Supreme Court, three “Courts of Appeals”
255 Lonsdale St. Melb. Approx size: 85 cm wide x 109 cm high x 60 mm deep
Above: One of the 3 completed Coats of Arms. Each had a slightly different kangaroo. Rambo Roo, Regular Roo and Snookums.
Below: This is what a $3,500.00 piece of specially selected, 8,000+ year old, 8ft x 3ft x 6in Huon Pine looks like being sliced down
into 2 x 3″ thick slab. Made them do 3 test cuts with new blade before letting them loose on this one. Beautiful straight cut. Phew!
Below: One of the Coats of Arms being pierced through to remove unwanted sections after band-sawing outline & prior to carving.
Below: the three Coats of Arms, pattern glued on, cut out and pierced through ready to be carved.
Below: The carving begins. All that’s left is to bring out the hidden bits beneath the paper pattern.
Q: How do you carve an elephant? A: Cut off all the bits that don’t look like an elephant.
Same thing for carving a Coats of Arms. Just don’t leave it looking like an elephant!
Below: One of them partly carved. Note the photocopy to copy from & sketch of roo, plus inspiration roo on calendar (May 1986).
You don’t always get a lot to work with when you get a commission job, especially if it’s from architects
Below: top section, above shield, Regular Roo, holding the Saint Edward Crown, helmet (helm), mantling (swirls of material off the helmet) and the Supporters (the 2 hand-maidens supporting the shield). Both maidens have no discernable eyes, I reckoned if the law is blind and they are for the Supreme Courts so should they be. The maiden on the left is Peace holding an olive branch and wearing a laurel crown. The one on the right is Prosperity she wears a chaplet of corn and is holding a cornucopia (horn of plenty) denoting prosperity.
Click pic below for larger Peace and prosperity
Below: Bottom bits of maidens, shield and Horn of Plenty overflowing with fruit and veg. The tufted grass at the foot goes under the Peace and Prosperity scroll and extends up behind the shield, where there’s Pink Common Heath (Victorias’ sate flower) either side of shield. As for the Southern Cross (Crux) on the shield there are 5 stars. However 4 have different number of points. The bottom one has 8 points, small one has 5, right one has 6 while the top and left both have 7. Strange… and I can’t find any info as to why. But that’s what’s on all official State of Victorian stuff. Flag, letterheads, signs, State buildings, parliament, etc.
NUMBER 2
DOORS & MORE
FOR OLD STOCK EXCHANGE
ANZ BANK COMPLEX, 380 COLLINS ST MELBOURNE
Carved transom panels above doorway, which leads from the Cathedral room (the floor of the Old Stock Exchange) through into the ANZ bank chambers, and also the other way (from bank back into Cathedral room). This is part of the “Heritage ANZ Bank complex”. Cnr. Queen and Collins St Melbourne.
Below: is one of 8 panels (4 large and 4 small) for above both sides of internal doors. The panel below is fully carved sanded and ready for finishing.
Below: Left the internal doors finished with the transom panels in place looking from Stock Exchange towards the bank on the other side of the doors. Middle: view of the doors showing the amazing vaulted roof. Right: a wider view of this fantastic gothic room.
Apologies for the poor quality of pics. Unfortunately, it’s nigh-on impossible to get a half decent photo of the panels they always end up as a blurry mess.
Below: 4 photos showing stages of carving. roughing out through to the bottom ready for final clean cuts and sanding prior to finishing.
Below: One doors worth of panels. Patterns are book-matched, meaning, both long and short are left and right panels. ie; The top 2 are as they would be on door either side of the full panel. The middle panel is left and the bottom one is right. Hard to tell from the only pic I have of a full set.
Below: City of Melbourne plaque on the ES&A bank building for around 100 years before it became ANZ bank. Last but not least for this bit. A group photo of brokers on Stock Exchange floor (Cathedral room). Taken in front of the door, circa 1900 I believe it’s from the Melbourne Argus newspaper
NUMBER 3
FRONT DOOR ENTRY
FOR OLD STOCK EXCHANGE
MORE WORK FOR ANZ BANK COMPLEX
The front doors are the Collins St entrance to the Old Stock Exchange and lead straight through to the Cathedral room (Original Stock Exchange floor) and also to the Bank Chambers up a few stairs to the left of the door once your inside. Along that side entry are some of the linen fold panels I also carved.
Below: A full photo of the closed doors and the original gothic entrance flanked by pink marble pillars
Click photo to see larger more detailed photo
Below: Just the doors and nothing else. Each panel is carved.
The entry as shown below measures 3.25 MT high x 2.26 MT wide and consists
of 2 side panels and the 2 central doors. All up 12 carved panels and 10 rosettes.
All carved sections incorporate Australian motifs a variety of gum nuts, some flowering and gum leaves
Also a section of original plan of Front Elevation for the doors, with sizes and notes.
More pics of sections and work follow.
Below: Left What I was given to reproduce the panels. A photocopy of photo of a page from
the pages of long defunct Melbourne Argus Newspaper, somewhere between 1890 to early 1900’s?.
Right A blown up photocopy of the photocopy of the photo of the original page.
Centre What I ended up with. Lucky I used to be a genius back in the late 80’s (38 years ago)
More on the door panels below.
Below: Left. Sketch for trefoil at top of panel incorporates gum nut motifs
Centre. Centre panel, left door showing carvings in a little more detail, trefoil at top, variety of gum nuts, gum leaves and S for Stock.
Right. Centre panel of right door, partly carved trefoil ends and mouldings not yet done. This one has E for Exchange.
Below: Left. Top panel for left door fully carved and ready to fit into door. Right. Completed top panel ready for fitting to right door.
Boards top and bottom are to clamp on and hold panel securely whilst being panel is being carved.
No one had any idea who’s faces were on the original doors back in the 1800’s. So I submitted sketches for the faces. Left was Cpt. Cook, approved for the job, but was changed at last minute by architects, after carving had started. I was told to make both to look sort of similar to the Argus pics. Yeah right. Anyway… as it turned out. If you happen to viewed the no longer Capt Cook from the right angle, looks somewhat like Elvis watching you from above. Little bit freaky to say the least, but comforting to know he finally made it to Australia.
Below: One of the bottom quatrefoils beneath the central door panels
The doors are all made of Brazilian mahogany. the colour
difference is due to sunlight and cheap 2nd hand camera.
Below: Five of the ten carved rosettes all 10 are different and all incorporate
some sort of Australian motifs, gum nuts, some flowering most not, gum leaves, etc.
NUMBER 4
FRONT DOOR ENTRANCE
THE MELBOURNE SAFETY DEPOSIT
MORE WORK FOR ANZ BANK COMPLEX
This beautiful seven story Gothic building is behind the ANZ bank and Stock Exchange and is also a part of the ANZ bank Complex.
In Queen St Melbourne just around the corner form Collins St going up the hill. The vaults beneath the building are said to be haunted.
For more information CLICK HERE it’s a good read
Below: Photo of the front entrance to The Melbourne Safe Deposit building.
These doors have 14 carved panels 6 round and 2 quatrefoil all with rosettes.
The other 8 have carved trefoils at the top and every panel has a unique
carved pattern as requested by the architects. No two are the same.
click on pic for larger more detailed view and more info.
Below: One of the small trefoil panels and one tall trefoil panel.
Below: 4 of the round rosette panels all carved with different designs.
NUMBER 5
OVERMANTEL MIRROR
CARVED RED CEDAR MIRROR
COMMISSION JOB FOR CLIENT
Fully carved, overmantel mirror for a client. Carving starts as a tree at base on both sides and winds its way around the frame as a prickly vine that eventually flattens out and transforms into a very fine linen-fold, ribbon across the top. Client was given a drawing of the mirror with a number of choices of pattern/design and this is the one they chose. Approx 2.28mt wide x 1.7mt high x 76mm deep (7’5″ x 5’6″ x 3″)
Below this photo is a pic of the design given to client with all the multiple choices showing.
Also a similar design idea carved for client as a cheval mirror that doubles as a hall mirror.
Click photo for larger view
