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4 days ago

Close-up Magic Table – Video # 3With your indulgence, I wish to continue documenting this build, as it keeps me accountable. 😜In the previous videos you saw me mill the wood and make the project templates.In this video, you see additional progress:1. The table top is glued. Because our planer only has a 13” capacity, while the table top is 22” wide, I am using domino floating tenons to “register” the top planks or components.2. The table top is glued and later cut to its final shape.3. Holes are drilled in the trestle component of the table. These will allow access to the connecting hardware.4. The legs are cut, glued and shaped with the template.Not every detail is depicted, but as you can see, although it is not a very complicated build, it is quite labor intensive.The 2 minute video at 2x the speed summarizes nearly 20 hours of work.#nielsenmagic #handcrafted #ilovewoodworking #closeupmagictable #finefurniture … See MoreSee Less

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1 week ago

Close-up Magic Table – Video # 2The next step in the process of making this table is to make the templates for it. Both the legs and the table top have graceful curves. The templates will be the pattern that will facilitate cutting the overall shape with precision.I am making the templates out of 1/2” MDF. Years ago, I would draw directly on the material, cut it with a band saw, and sand the edges smooth.Nowadays, I use modern technology to speed up the process. I create vector images of the shapes on the computer. This file is then transferred to our handy Shaper Origin which is a hand-held CNC. The cuts are made in several passes of the router, in order to avoid overheating the routing bit and have more precise cuts.The video, at 2x the speed, shows me cutting the leg template with the Origin router. Although not shown, the same process is done to cut the template for the table top.This little one minute video summarizes several hours of work.#nielsenmagic #handcrafted #ilovewoodworking #shaperorigin#makingtemplates #closeupmagictable #finefurniture … See MoreSee Less

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Nielsen Magic

1 week ago

Close-up Magic Table – Video #1It has been a busy month. For the last few weeks, I have been concentrating on a furniture project for a client.The mission— which I decided to accept— is to make a table for the performance of close-up magic.The good thing about the project was that she knew what she wanted. She submitted a rough sketch of her requirements, but it was up to me to execute and refine the design.The table had to be elegant to fit in high-end clientele venues, yet it had to break down to fit in a car for transportation. Her material of choice was a nice hardwood like cherry or walnut, and details such as a servante and a proper close-up surface had to be included.Using the dimensions of her sketch, I started to work on the project last month. She suggested a four-legged table. I concluded that four legs were not practical for this application. To have a sturdy construction, an apron is required, and we would have to find a method to pull it apart for transportation.I went with a trestle-style table instead. There is available hardware that connects the components for easy breakdown and assembly. After determining the base, everything fell right into place.In the last couple of years, my preferred method of thinking through a design is to build a miniature model of the piece to scale. This allows me to think about the joinery and the various steps I have to take for its construction, and it offers a three-dimensional representation of the piece to show the client.Once we agreed on the design, cost, and scope of the project, I started the build.This first video shows the little model I made and shows me doing the first step of any wood project: Milling the lumber to size.Future videos will show the rest of the build.#FurnitureMaking #finewoodworking #closeuptable #ilovewoodworking #handcrafted #nielsenmagic … See MoreSee Less

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2 weeks ago

For the last two and a half weeks, I have been working on a custom magic furniture project for a client.I am proud to say that the project is 75% completed. What remains are a few details and the finish which, IMHO, can make or break the project.For a great finish one needs to prepare the surfaces. Yesterday I spent the entire day meticulously sanding this piece.Before oiling the wood, I am signing my work. To keep up with the times, I was playing with our Shaper Origin router. I converted my signature to an SVG file, used the engraving feature in the machine, and voilà, there you have it… My signature for posterity. ✍🏼 The perfect marriage between handcrafting and modern technology. Every fine craftsman I know emphasizes the importance of signing one’s work. We have the privilege of visiting this world for a very short period of time. As craftsmen, our work will outlive us. Signing it will tell those in the future that it was handcrafted with love by someone who cared. ❤️☺️ … See MoreSee Less

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3 months ago

Whew! It has been a very busy and productive last two months for me. Between school, and my visiting friends, I have had a whirlwind of activity and tons of learning. It was fun to have machining genius Jim Riser around. I have so much to learn still!In order to get my little business going, I took some pieces of exotic wood I had in hand and made a few magic wands for magicians with them. The wands are straight, weighted and have a great balance to them, making them perfect for moves like the Vernon Wand Spin.They are quite labor intensive to make, and I currently have exactly TWELVE wands in stock and ready to be shipped. I don’t make wands often, so when they are gone, I will not make them again until there are either many requests or I have the wood and time to make a few more.The specs are as follows:Length: Approximately 13.5 inches.Thickness: 1/2 inchFinish: Polished CA finish.Material: These are 12 wands. We have the following:– 3 – Maple with Ebony tips– 2 – Honduras Rosewood with Ebony Tips and a Maple Stripe– 3 – East Indian Rosewood with Ebony Tips and a Maple Stripe– 3 – Leopard Wood with Ebony Tips and a Maple Stripe– 1 – Sapele with Ebony Tips and a Maple StripeThe link for the wands is in our website here:nnmagic.com/product-category/miscellaneous/magic-wands/If you want to see what it takes to make a wand, the two minute and seventeen second video shows you my process. I am self-taught in the procedure. Some makers might use different methods. I use a wooden lathe and a few tools.Hope you are having a wonderful Holiday Season! Be well folks! … See MoreSee Less

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