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 04-015 Olson |
Is crown of thorns a lost art?There is a mind boggling quality to objects that are composed of hundreds, if not thousands of interlocking sticks. There are only a handful of contemporary crafters that know the secrets of this art. John P. Harden of Georgia and Ed Olson of Illinois are rare individuals; they work in the "all but lost art" of the Crown Of Thorns style |
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Ed Olson: The making of a "crown of thorns" picture frameThis frame is composed of 446 interlocking wooden sticks. The lengths of these sticks vary, but they all are the same thickness, they are all 1/2 inch square. Some sticks are crafted so they might interlock with many sticks along their length. The interlocking sticks form a joint called a KNOT. This frame is composed of 176 knots. Each knot is composed of 6 interlocking sticks or 3 PAIRS of sticks per knot. Each pair of sticks is cut and carved in such a way as to allow another pair of sticks to pass through them. How to make a knot (model of knot by Ed Olson)The cut-out areas on each stick we shall refer to as a "notch". We shall discuss the sticks as pairs. The pairs are numbered 1,2, and 3. Note in our photographs, pair 1 and 2 have additional notches along the length of the stick, for an additional knot, so for the length of those sticks, additional knots might be fashioned. The measurements given are based on the 1/2 inch square sticks used in this example. For sticks of OTHER thickness you can figure the measurements of notches by studying the relationships in the example supplied below. |
| pair 1 - one notch per knot | pair 2 - four notches per knot | pair 3 - two notches per knot |
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| This is the easiest pair to notch as only one notch is needed - the notch is 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch long. The un-notched stick we shall call the KEY. The key is the last stick inserted into the knot during assembly. When taking a knot apart, it is the first stick to be removed. | This is the hardest pair to carve as 4 notches are required. A 1/4 inch deep by 1 inch long notch is carved in each stick - then (colored in RED) a smaller notch is carved into one of the sides and middles of the larger notches. This notch (in RED) is 1/4 inch deep and 1/2 inch wide. | Craved into each of the sticks in this pair, a notch that is 1/4 inch deep by 1 inch long. You are now ready to assemble the knot. During assembly some "fine tuning" might be required ,carving the notches so the sticks interlock snugly but easily. |
| pair 3 - slips into pair 2 | notched stick of pair 1 - slips into pair 3 | un-notched stick of pair 1 - slips into pair 3 |
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| Grasp pair 2 with the large notches facing inward and the small notches (in RED to the sides). Grasp pair 3 with the large notches facing inward and insert into the opening in pair 2. | This is the trickiest part of assembling the
knot. Grasp the notched stick of pair 1. Adjust the sticks
of pair 3 so the notched stick of pair 1 can slide in UNDER the sticks
of pair 2. Press this joint closed so the sticks interlock.
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The small notches of pair 3 (in RED) should NOT be covered if you have assembled the knot correctly. Grasp the last and un-notched stick of pair 1, the KEY and slide it into the large notches of pair 3 and the small notches of pair 2. Congratulations, you have fashioned a knot, the "building block" of crown of thorns. |
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How many different kinds of "KNOTS" are there?
As time allows we shall untangle the knots shown in this photograph and publish "how to" instructions. The pictured SEVEN knots are supplied by Ed Olson who makes a study of crown of thorns. As far as how many knots styles exist we can say that Ed has identified EIGHT so far! |
