The main design element around “Talon” was a Griffin.  A very fun build itwas.

The body of “Talon” is constructed of Wenge. While still in its square form I placed in all the handmade dowels (made of maple), milled the pockets for the back hinge plates and milled the pockets for the feet. The dowels are three different sizes and follow the curve of the box. The back hinge plates were needed since once I shaped the body I needed a flat surface to mount the back hinge to. Once the pockets were milled I made an insert that fit perfectly into the space. I did this by using a handmade fixture to first mill the pocket and then use the same fixture to create the insert. To shape the body I used a combination of a belt sander and a handplane. I made a template out of 1/8” hardboard that I could hold up to the box to see my progress in shaping it.

The feet are made from Birdseye Maple with a piece of Rosewood veneer separating them. The Rosewood veneer draws the eye all the way to the tip of the foot.

The main part of the lid is made from Wenge also. I used a sliding dovetail joint to construct it. The floating panel was made from a glue up of Birdseye Maple.  I made a fixture and dished out the inside. I then used a block plane to curve the outside edge. The beak is made from a piece of Birdseye maple. There are two dowels that hold it to the lid. The nostrils are actually handmade 1/8” Gaboon Ebony dowels.

The hinges are carved out of rock hard Birdseye Maple. I started the design of them by getting a copy of “The Illustrated Bald Eagle” by Denny Rogers. Amazing book for anyone interested in doing anything artistically based on a Bald Eagle. The talons are made from Gaboon Ebony and use a .093” diameter brass rod and epoxy to attach them.  I used a removable dowel pin for the pivot. I made Gaboon Ebony end plugs that contain rare earth magnets so they are attracted to the dowel pin. There are three positioning dowels in each section of the hinge.

The trays and cufflink area are made from quartersawn Sycamore. The trays where constructed using a box joint and every single divider has two dowel pins strengthening the joints. The middle tray has a covered area made from Leopard Wood. The holes to grab it were designed/carved to look like an eagle talon had scraped and pierced down into it. The bottom is the cufflink area that can hold 24 pairs of cufflinks. I used two different densities of foam to make them. All trays where lined with a blue/gray suede fabric.

Overall dimensions are 14” x 13.25” 10.25”. Finish is Danish oil and wax and also the Beall three step polishing system on the talons.

Launch Gallery