Beautiful work as always Michael! We still have and use your Pagoda on a regular basis! You are very meticulous in your workmanship and that always shows in your final products!

Thanks everyone for your kind words! I have some other projects in the works, so I'll show them here sometime down the road.

Michael --

I believe I have the booklet on which your project is based.

I believe my shop is fairly well-quipped.

I believe my skills and experience in woodworking are reasonably proficient.

I believe you couldn't pay me enough to attempt this project, so I'll just leave this here:

:righton:

Michael,
I really love the "The Temple of the Golden Dragon" as well as all your other pieces.
I lurk on your thread and always can't wait to see the next release.
The really are some awesome pieces and you should be proud.
You really are digging deep to find your own style and niche in this little pie we call MAGIC.
Keep up the great work!
Chance

Thanks, Chance! That means a lot!

I guess there is a style emerging, some of that because of the customers' requests, but my brain still runs in eclectic ways. There is a lot that I can envision, but haven't been able to bring about yet.

Oh, and by the way... if you keep at it, one day your hair will be as long as mine is!

Ok, something new from the workshop...

This is "The Mystery of Three Boxes". The effect is based upon some other similar concepts from past and present. Three boxes, one containing silk, one with tea, and one with a borrowed signed bill, rearrange their order a couple of times within a tube. Then, the "money" box vanishes and reappears between the other two boxes inside the tube.

I made two sets.

Gorgeous work!!!


Larry

Thanks, Larry!

Michael, very nice.

Jeff

Beautifully done Michael.

Doc

Each piece gets better and better Michael. Simply stunning!

Thanks for your positive comments everyone! I sold one set immediately, and may hang on to the other. But, it looks like we may be releasing a run of them through Stevens Magic.

I have for some time, been toying with the idea to produce a cooler version of "Skeleton in the Cupboard (Closet)". I haven't completely settled on my design for that, and didn't want to step on Michael's cool "Mis-Made Monster" over at Wack-O. I also want a considerable difference with the effect and routine. I have a few ideas that I've toyed with for a few years, but haven't allowed them to gel yet.

But, then I ran across an old Donald Holmes effect that used, among a few other things, a stack of tea chests. There was a similarity to the old Thayer "Bewildering Blocks", as well as the skeleton effect, and of course U.F. Grant's "Strat-O-Sphere". I figured since I'm already waist deep in producing the oriental stuff, that I'd tackle that first, before the skeletons.

The Holmes trick had some random peripheral stuff going on which I thought made things a bit confusing, so I changed the routine and props considerably, and the result is above.

Latest item completed...

This is my spin on the Okito Miraculous Production, which is also known in various incarnations as, Box, Tray & Screen, Ming Production Box, etc. The table is spun around to show it unprepared. Then, the box placed upon it, which is dismantled to show it also quite empty. The parts are reassembled and a very large production is made... livestock, or whatever.

It utilizes an elevator load chamber, not the rotating chamber as Gwynne developed, and as was made by Thayer. This provides a very large load capacity, maybe 90% of the size of the box.

My intent was to minimize the apparent size of the load space in the table, something I considered a weak area with other makes of the same trick. This was done both in design and coloration.

I began making two, although have only finished this one. The other is only partially built.

Beautiful, Michael. The base looks very deceptive. Great job as always.

Drooling...

Well, that there is a fine bundle of mystery. Nicely done as per usual.

I can't wait to see what you do with Skeleton in the Cupboard. While your current line is exquisite, I would love to see what you do with the "dark side" of magic. One of my prize possessions is your Vampire Block Escape. It's just a strikingly beautiful thing to look at and perform with. Creepy elegance is how I would describe it.

Very Nice!!!


Nick

Thanks much, guys! As always, I'm very appreciative of your kindness.

Wizard, glad you still like the Vampire Block Escape. Those are a fun design. Just enough of a Goth twist to make them more interesting. I do want to make more Halloween-themed magic... several ideas in the works. I did make a couple sets of Halloween theme nested boxes recently, that have a really clever load system that I devised.... at least I've not seen the idea used before. One set went to a friend and the other, is for me. They were decorated with images of vintage Halloween decorations, another hobby of mine.

OK... Just finished another Livestock Production like the one above. Currently working on a table that a friend plans to use in his close-up act, and a couple units of a one-door checker cabinet modeled after the Arturo Oriental Fantasy. The table will be done in the next two weeks, but the checker cabinets have no deadline. I think that they will be some of the best work I've done. I'm keeping a photo log, but can't really post much here because it would expose too much. I may eventually compile it into a webpage for the magic builders.

In the meantime... It is a rainy day while the cold front pushes in, so I decided to do something besides make sawdust. I'll share the results as it progresses.

A neighbor was kind enough to give me a bunch of Roma tomatoes from his garden, so I decided to make some roasted tomato soup.

This photo shows the tomatoes halved and on a sheet pan, along with some onion, garlic, and fresh basil. There is also a whole garlic in the center of the pan, which I decided to roast at the same time. Purty, ain't it??



All this has been drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground peppercorn medley. This latter is a McCormick product found at most grocery stores. If you even somewhat like black pepper, you'll love this stuff!

Anyway, it is now being roasted in the oven at 375 F for an hour. The smell in my kitchen is absolutely amazing!

I'll shoot another photo once they come out of the oven. They will likely look shriveled and slightly burnt, but that's what makes them good! I'll likely work on this slowly, to time it with supper.

In the meantime, I'll be searching recipes for grilled cheese sandwiches to see if I spot one that speaks to me. GCS is after all, the perfect accompaniment for tomato soup!