As part of their bicentenary celebrations, Charlotte Chapel in Rose street, Edinburgh commissioned the design and build of a new lectern. I had recently acquired, after much scouring of suppliers (most of whom turned out to be non-suppliers e.g. “haven’t seen any for years” “that’d cost you but I haven’t got any anyway”,”no idea”, “I’m pretty much retired nowadays”), a load of really nice brown oak to be used for the armoire which I am now currently working on.
Brown oak is not a species as such but is oak which, as a living tree, has hosted the beaf-steak fungus. The effect is, over the course of years (decades?, centuries?), to turn the heartwood of the tree a rich brown in colour – rare and much sought after. It was decided, in the context of the chapel interior that this would be a most suitable material with which to do the job.
A post-and-panel construction was agreed. The main panel incorporates a relief-carved cross. For stability in use the whole front inclines backwards,( i.e. towards the reader), by 2 degrees. The incised inscription is by the Edinburgh-based lettercarver Roger Hall(who is now on my blogroll) .
Just to show not everything is an end-product, below is a picture of the piece in the making, at the stage of being a skeletal framework
…the structure of the piece is thus made very apparent. Jointing is mortice and tenon. The grooves in the posts to accept the floating panels can be seen.
Chris Holmes Cabinetmaker 