The South Pacific Room-Vista,CA-updated 04/15/15

A lot of work, but from the results it is SO worth it.

Awesome effort on the window trim - and love all the details of the alternating styles of matting. Looking great.
Can you tellme about the foam you used to sculpt the large tiki -
i.e. type of? and where did you get it?. Used to sculpt large props in the 90's in hollywood for movie production, but never actually bought the foam myself - it was always provided by art department.
Thanks and great work1
Jon

Its sheet insulation foam. 2" thick and glued up in a 24"x24"x8' block then carved by the artist.

He bonded each layer of foam together with spray foam insulation in a can.

Marcus Pizzuti does great work.

The window trim is absolutely beautiful. Magnificent work!

Monkeyman, your work continues to inspire and awe! That router work is beautiful! Now, break out the Icy-Hot and get back to work!

Wonderful work
Sketching and routing is a laborious task but the end result is well worth the effort. The foam Tiki is great, solves the problem of working with wood at that scale, just imagine how heavy that piece would be if it were solid wood! Looks like another outstanding Tiki build!
Trader Bob

That pic of all the window trim almost gave me a seizure.
Looking great.

Your untiring work is paying great dividends. Your work is inspiring and always a pleasure to my eyes. Great to see the attention to details you provide to your work. Keep those pictures coming.

I want to practice doing some trim work, any tips of your trade?

Looks great and I love the pool and landscaping! Are you going to keep the fence around the pool?

Thank you for all the nice words everyone. Its very rewarding to have a group like all of you who appreciates this stuff.

Tiki Vato- Tips on router work? I dont know. I do my best to sketch it all out very clearly and have a plan for which bit profile will work best for what Im trying to accomplish. This repeating Maori pattern is a favorite of mine because its all done with one bit. A 5/8" or 1/2" V-Bit. Some of my more complex router work requires multiple bits and so I have to figure it all out in advance.

I think the one thing that I try to avoid at all costs when doing router work is "straight lines". The spinning motion of the router bit combined with its super fast speed makes it really hard to free hand straight stuff. It ends up looking crooked and thats not the look I want.

I try to stay with curves... as long as it has some sort of curve its pretty easy to cover up inconsistencies. Keep your elbows close at your sides and find a position with your feet so that you are balanced throughout the entire movement.

Agent 86- I would love to get rid of the pool fence but I thought that it was law in California unless you were grandfathered in from an older home. Or maybe its that I wouldnt be able to get homeowners insurance... I dont recall. I dont particularly like the fence but for now it will stay and I might find ways to decorate or refinish it.

On 2010-04-29 09:07, Monkeyman wrote:
Thank you for all the nice words everyone. Its very rewarding to have a group like all of you who appreciates this stuff.

Tiki Vato- Tips on router work? I dont know. I do my best to sketch it all out very clearly and have a plan for which bit profile will work best for what Im trying to accomplish. This repeating Maori pattern is a favorite of mine because its all done with one bit. A 5/8" or 1/2" V-Bit. Some of my more complex router work requires multiple bits and so I have to figure it all out in advance.

I think the one thing that I try to avoid at all costs when doing router work is "straight lines". The spinning motion of the router bit combined with its super fast speed makes it really hard to free hand straight stuff. It ends up looking crooked and thats not the look I want.

I try to stay with curves... as long as it has some sort of curve its pretty easy to cover up inconsistencies. Keep your elbows close at your sides and find a position with your feet so that you are balanced throughout the entire movement.

Agent 86- I would love to get rid of the pool fence but I thought that it was law in California unless you were grandfathered in from an older home. Or maybe its that I wouldnt be able to get homeowners insurance... I dont recall. I dont particularly like the fence but for now it will stay and I might find ways to decorate or refinish it.

Thank you for your tips, They will come in handy as I start this trial and error process.

[ Edited by: TikiVato 2010-04-29 12:28 ]

Those routered boards look very nice. They match these album frames that I have. :wink:

I'm expecting a stunning room when this is all finished.

Ceiling Beam in progress

A cow that is holy, or holy cow! That's awesome stuff there Monkeyman. I love all that carved trim.

WOW!! That is friggin sweet!!!

Chris

[ Edited by: WestADad 2010-05-02 17:41 ]

Painted, distressed, stained, clear coated and installed...

Fan blades installed...

next its time to start hanging some lamps...

That's amazing! When will it be time for another Chop so I can see it in person?! :)

Derek, when I clicked on your lastest post I literally gasped out loud.
You sir, are master of your domain. I'm out :wink:

I am not worthy!!

That is truly amazing work you have there. This thread has been great to watch. Keep up the stunning job.

Thanks!!

WoooHoooo! Your Tiki Room is AWESOME!!!

That is pretty, pretty good.

Yes, I'd like to order one (1) "South Pacific Room." Just back it up to the large hole cut in the back wall of my house. I'll take care of the tieing in to the existing structure bit. :)

What can I say? FANTASTIC work! I LOVE that carved beam and your choice to subtly color the different elements, rather than stain it all one shade. It lends another dimension to the work and gives it a whimsical vibe a la Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. I want one.

Awsome work
Did you use chisels or a router for the carving?

Derek, your work is, as always, immensely inspiring. The same kind of quality and attention to detail you put into your picture frames really shows through in that carved trim. That ceiling reminds me a lot of the bedroom Bamboo Ben did a few years back. Truly beautiful. Really enjoying watching this room take shape.

Trader Bob,
its all done with a plunge router. Its the only viable way of tacking this much area. A chisel would take a long long time.

Gator Rob,

I remember that thread and that room that Ben built. Absolutely one of the most inspiring tiki rooms Ive ever seen. I think the similarities exist because of the shape of the roofline. Not many folks here on TC have vaulted ceilings in their tiki rooms.

Derek I am speechless .Masterful work as always .You attention detail astonishes me!

Amazing work. Loving that central beam.

Great work Monk!
A very talented carver and designer.

Damn Derek! I was waiting for that. Can't wait to see more progress.

Even though you used a router, it still appears to be a chisel because of the high and lower waves of rough marks. I think there is another TCer who found a way to mass produce this kind of work but lost the hands on approach your still has. Its as great as your frames.

Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring installed...

Ceiling Detail (many more lamps to come.. ive only installed a few of what I have)

Curved Sectional and tiki in place. (still need to hang all the artwork)

Your room is amazing!!!

I have to ask, where did you get that nice sectional? I've been looking for something exactly like that.

Kudos - I can't wait to see more pics!

Breathtaking....simply awe inspiring.

More pics, must have more pics. It is looking amazing. I think you have created a room that many of us just dream about.

Wow, MM looking good. Considering the amount of space you've got I can see this thread being a very long one. Can't wait for each and every update.

Love that ceiling! Also like my hanging Tuki Tuki Tiki Room bird up there! You're getting me fired up to go finish my beachcomber shack now!

Beautiful work Derek! I love how it is all coming together.

Some great detail work on the beams, and the color is a really great addition to it all! Great design elements!

I've found that sometimes working the router is more difficult than hand carving. A steady hand and slow cuts come from intense concentration.
But you can't beat it for getting large pieces complete in a reasonable amount of time.

Thanks for the progress shots... and congrats!

Place is looking hot!

:o
Can't wait to see it finished... You are a real craftsman! Very inspiring Mr. Monkey!

Any eye-candy-filled updates to drool over? How about some night shots? Oh boy, night shots.....

wow! I love the beam , that looks amazing! the big tiki is cool too, that is foam?? this gives me ideas... lol

Monkeyman, your use of color on that central beam is something I've never seen before.
It is absolutely perfect.

Some progress was made this weekend.... thanks to the chop and fellow artists for motivating me.

Some new trim over the archway.

that new trim looks great

Looking amazing. Loving the ceiling and trim.

Ive been busy creating lately. Here are some updates.

Painted, Stained and Installed.

[ Edited by: Monkeyman 2010-10-25 16:16 ]

Simply amazing! Looks like 1 inch pine? How do you keep the router bit from jumping around when it hits the grain? When I try to route a straight line it looks like it was done by a 3 year old (a 3 year old wearing proper personal protective gear of course :D )

Additional Trim work in progress.
This will fill the horizontal opening at the top of the beam in the prior set of pics

Painted and stained with the door and window trim beside it.

clear coat next and then installation.

Thanks for the update, amazing router work on amazing trim.