Let me show off a bit

[Skybird]

Its just a quick vidoe in dark light with an action camera. Action cams are not ideal for this kind of filming, they have different strengths.This is my christmas pyramide. Self-made. In my teen years. Its the third of three pyramides that I created back then, every new one bigger than the predecessor.



This one has a ground plate with a diameter of 35-40cm, a height of 75cm, and it weighs around 3.5 kg. The figurines are not self-made, they were bought by my grandfather from whom I learned this (my grandparents travelled a lot in Bavaria and bought some of these figures there, mind you, it were the 70s and early 80s, such thigns were not as eaisly avialable as they are nowadays, he also sometimes bought in the CSSR and the GDR). He was was a great wood crafter and carver and turner. The axis rotates on an ordinary ball pencil tip, the bearing is a hollow ceramics marble, halved. It needed to be replaced every couple of years when we used the pyramide at home every year when I still lived with my parents, some say ceramics have no wear of friction, but they have, believe me, they just take longer time than other materials.

I do not have the space to set this thing up like it deserves, and as a matter of fact I have not set it up since over ten years, or even 15 years. I now wanted to look it up to see how it had survived the years in the basement, wrapped up in plastic sheets and a thick cardboard box. Well, as you can see, it still lives. Just the pencil tip and the ceramics would need to be replaced if I run it frequently again, there is a nick to be felt again already. But I have turned lazy. Who knows if I will ever replace it again in my life.
The patterns in the wall ornaments I took inspiration for from other pyramids that my grandfather made, and from those I saw on christmas markets. He used to use a machine that combined drilling and fine sawing, but I was not able to handle the wood with the needed precision on it, so I manually used a hand coping saw, which made it more time consuming, but then also more precise (in my hands at least, I was 14 or 15).

The biggest pyramide my grandfather did, had two more floors, a ground plate of 80 cm and a height of I think 1,30 or so. It was electrical, used a motor and electric candles. It weighted maybe twice as much, if not more. Unfortunately, it got lost. I would love to see it again, it was impressive. I never have seen such a beauty again, anywhere. A true masterpiece.

At home, my mum did not work in a job, but focussed on the household. She created a living, warm and comfortable home when I came back from school, the place was living and breathing and welcoming and secure, there was noise and life and our animals - birds and dogs - all were part of the family. I will be eternally thankful for that to her, forever. I get an ice cold, grim mood when i hear the carelessness with which so many progressive blokeheads and feminists today disesteem this and want mothers instead standing in the factory, becoming heroes of labour and being rewarded some socialist prize medal for it. Its so rotten. Family life, an intact home, is such a precious, irreplacable thing. It provides you with memories you can live of for a life to come, even when later, in the future, you suffer through hard times and loneliness. Its like an immunization against later hardships in your life. Our christmasses were alwayse very cozy and "gemütlich", with wonderful christmas trees and decorations, warm colours, warmth, wonderful scents in the air, and great mood. I am extremely, very extremely thankful for these memories. We had our butchies playing the christmas tree (yes, believe it , the cage doors were open 24/7), and the dogs, two dachshounds, sitting together with us on the Sundays. I admit I miss the feeling of those times. Very. Its gone. Never comes back. Irreplacable loss.

I am no big crafter myself, did only a very few things like this, but this pyramide I really take big pride in. Its without doubt the niciest thing I produced with my hands, ever. My grandfather was the specialist for these kind of things. But I am good in improvizing handcrafting solutions, were need may arise in my household. I do not have the space (nor the interest anymore) to work with woods, but back in those times, it was fine. I did a lot of martial arts back then already, and meditation training and such stuff, so I had little time left. And what then was left, went into chess.

Well, that was my teenage life. No girls and no discos back then. The first came a bit later, and the latter came never, clubs and such things were and still are not my thing.
Hm, I am in kind of a sad mood today, bear with me. Sorry.

[Eichhörnchen]

An astonishingly beautiful thing, Sky... we don't have these ingenious pyramides in England (would it be classed as "automata"?) What a treasure!

I read your poignant post to Moira and she admits to feeling rather tearful

We do entirely share your sentiments about the Festive Season: the inestimable value and importance of family, hearth and home... and of course 'Xmas Whac-A-Squirrel'

[Catfish]

I had no idea you were into such things.. reading your post i see that indeed you are not, usually. A shame.
Beautiful looking, and good craftmanship.
I like it

[Skybird]

Thanks for the flowers, both of you.

At that age we all have many different interests, and most of them sooner or later fade again in the early adult years. I had so many interests in younger years. At school microscopy and astronomy and volleyball. In private: tabletop cosims (very much loooked down upon in Germany), photography, blade forging (theoretically only ), outdoor stuff, rapier fencing. But time got in the way, the day and week had only so many hours, I was heavily engaged with chess and correspondence chess and martial arts, and so some things fell out of the timetable all by themselves. Wood working was one of these, even more so since beside doing such filigrane, small scale crafting like the walls for the pyramid, more robost, house-related handcrafting is not really a love for mine. I do it pragmatically only: if it needs to get fixed, I fix it, somehow, improvised, and if it works, fine, it must not look super as long as it just works. And suually it works, and yes, but it almost never looks super. Small wood crafting is what I can do best.

I would not have the room and space for a work bench today.

[Onkel Neal]

Wow, very cool! You should make a "making of" video, that must have taken a lot of time and work.

[Skybird]

No video cameras back in those days! It took me over a year, because there were breaks and interuptions. If I estimate the total working time, then I would estimate it were the later afernoons and early evenings of 3-4 months. Many pieces were made twice when i ruined them during processing, which happened especially in the beginning. You learn by doing. You are not born as a skilled worker. My grandfather only answered questions, and only helped where I indeed was helpless. Getting those figurines, for exmaple.

Here are two old photos of the first pyramid I made, a small one, the ground plate is around 30x20. Very first try, and thus very simple structure.




image


And here is a photo of the upper floor of the big pyrmaid in the vidoe, where the movie shows just darkness. this reminded me of that long time ago, 15 y<ears or longer, I seem to have tlaked about this pyrmaid before already, and maybe have posted photos of it back then. I am not certain. I realised it just because I looked up these old photos. That upper floor figure is the hidden gem amonst the figuriones used.Very fragike carving. Czech-made, I seem to recall, but I am not certain.


pic url maker

[Skybird]

My second pyramide I have no picture off, it got smashed during storage long time ago. It was of medium size of the three, and had this principle blueprint (just a googled photo for illustration, not my work):





Two sickels, their upper endings meeting kind of heart-shaped and holding the rotating central rotor shaft in the mdidle. Had the size of a cut-open, halved Halloween-gourd.


I hated to saws the rotor blades. They are made of balsa, and boy did that stuff splinter easily along the cutting edge. Maybe the sawblades were not ideal, but those I had were what I had.

[em2nought]

My brother really loved Christmas decorations, and he had one of those things. I thought it was pretty neat. Even more impressive to build your own. You did all the work on the simulated stained glass panels within the arches with a coping saw? Wow!

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by em2nought

You did all the work on the simulated stained glass panels within the arches with a coping saw? Wow!

"Uaaah" is more like it. Very repetitive.

There are small irregularities in the tiniest of openings, if one looks closely. Thats because of the "Uaaaah" of things. You reach a point where you just want to be finished with a given plate or piece. But the straight edges I usually got perfect. Straight, perfectd lines.

These things throw an impressive shadow play onto the ceiling, I forgot to film that. Every candle shows the rotor moving. So: multiply by six. Hypnotically.

[mapuc]

I..I...I...I am speechless

Really beautiful

Markus

[Reece]

Excellent workmanship there Sky, I salute you!

[Rockstar]

beautiful craftsmanship skybird, an artist in your own right

[Jimbuna]

I am mightily impressed Sky.

Christmas time has always been a special time in our household and now that our first grandchild has arrived it has suddenly been elevated to an all time high.

If I ever see anything like the above I will be on it like a flash because at approaching six months of age sensory light and sound is like a moth to a flame for our Lucia.

[Skybird]

Thanks again, guys! Thats the kind of compliments I was fishing for!

[Reece]

You may take a bow (or a curtsy) now!