You're not just a gasbag Skybird, you're a very talented gasbag!:up:

Thanks, but you should see the pyramids he built himself. I really regret I have no picture of them, they are second to nothing I ever have seen in shops, on pictures from around the world, on christmas markets or anywhere else. Compared to his big ones, I was just a talented amateur, really.

I felt that after my third one I could not do it any better, and like often when I feel that I have touched the limits I could reach in something that interested me - I then started to lose interest.

The woodturned pieces I did in the working cellar of my grandfather, he had the equipement since he worked a lot with woods, but the wallpieces and the construction I did in our kitchen, with nothing more than a handful of tools and a separate table. I would not claim that all the design is my own idea, of course I was influenced by the ornaments he had used in his own pyramids, and what I had seen on pictures from other pyramids. The fretwork of the wallpieces was quite difficult, due to the precision needed, and I ruined more than one piece and thus had to do more than actually are present in the finished pyramid. Smoothing the edges in the correct angles also was very tricky, so that the wllpieces fit together without too big spaces being visible.

Oh my, those were the days. Ironically, in earlier years at school, I had one year of handicraft courses. And I sucked at it! Lack of interest, I suppose.

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3676/dscf0087q.jpg

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/2033/dscf0089t.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4925/dscf0093dt.jpg

@Rhodes and Tater..those are some beautiful Christmas trees and Rhodes even have the cave with the Jesus family set up :)

Nice trees guys. :yeah:

WTH August? Your tree also watched the Patriots? :har:

It does not have to be the biggest or the brightest to be a nice tree. :up:

Thanks, the cave was a inovation this year from my mother! But no fireplace for santa send the presents...

Of course! It's a New England Christmas Tree! :DL

Notwithstanding the general awesomeness of the entire pyramid, I really liked the 'feather stick' christmas trees you had going on there. :up:

I really like his big one. I hope the skills aren't lost in the family :DL

Surely it could be made a business.

Grandfather is dead, I don'T built these things anymore (have not even the tools and machinery for turning wood), my father played bassoon (now retired) and had to form the wooden mouth pieces himself, my mother painted old "Bauernschränke", and kids I don't have. So much for family tradition. :D

Grandfather also constructed wooden stars with electric light within, to hang up, and did some clocks that were mounted on or inside wood. Later he switched to a huge, a very huge electric mini-railroad, Minitrix format. :DL

The "feather stick" trees, Jumpy (I assume you m ean the trees I used in there), can be bought in according shops, in many sizes. It is difficult to carve them that way that the curls look equal and are of the same sizes and don't break off, I definitely recommend not to try that oneself. All the figurines are traditional work in Bavarian regions and the "Erzgebirge". So is the smoker.

Yes they are very nice!! I especially like the nativity scene Rhodes.:yep:

Just crossed my mind must be a lot of work putting that down :haha:

Wait a minute that's a real tree isn't it? Arrgh . . . . .