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A Display Platform for Bronze Pears

March 2020 — Laura Baring-Gould Bronze Pears

My wife owns three cast bronze pears by Laura Baring-Gould. She has had one for many years, but decided that it needed a friend. So, she took it to the Marlborough Paradise City Arts Festival in the fall of 2019 to choose another one. With help from the sculptor, she chose two smaller ones and called me over to write the check. Back at home, she found that they looked better arranged on a small cheese board than just sitting on the side table. Months later, looking around for approachable woodworking projects, I decided that I could make something more suitable.

She received the pear platform with a mixture of delight and bafflement. She appreciated it as a piece of art, but felt that (knowing me, its maker) it should also have some purpose. The clue of "How many levels are there?" followed by "And what do you have three of?" did not help her guess, so I had to tell her. The cheese board is now back where it came from. The pears take up different positions each week, providing an ever-changing viewing experience.

Laura exhibited at the show again in 2022 (after the pandemic) and we took the platform for her to see, along with the three pears. She absolutely loved it.

Zebrawood, Curly Maple and Cherry

The base of the platform is zebrawood, made from a 1½" by 1½" by 6" turning blank, resawn into three strips and glued up into a single board. The second level is cherry, cut from a ¼" thick panel. The upper level is made from two pieces of curly maple, also cut from a ¼" thick panel. The angles of the levels were chosen by eye for best appearance and the edges were cut at a bevel of 22½°, except for an undercut bevel at 45° around the bottom of the base. The finish is three coats of General Finishes Enduro-Var water-based urethane. On the bottom of the platform are self-adhesive rubber feet that just showed up when I was tidying my workshop area in the basement.

The only power tool that I used for this piece was the table saw. I had not made my drum sander, so what little sanding was necessary was by hand. The angled cuts were made by clamping the workpiece to the bed of my cross-cut sled, which has a field of holes for the insertion of T-bolts.

March 2024 — Someone Else Gets the Bronze Pear Bug