I took the inspiration for my candlestick spider from the classic woodturner's books “Das Drechslerwerk” by Fritz Spannagel. I turned the middle part between the four-point and the center punch. Sharp tools and cutting techniques are required to avoid tearing out of the lime wood, which is otherwise very easy to turn. The underturn at the bottom, which is reminiscent of the hat of a mushroom, is a small challenge that visually enhances the otherwise simple workpiece.
By the way, I have my own theory about the invention of the Christmas hanging chandelier: I think a skilled hobby wood turner discovered after years of creative work that all the floor space and walls in the apartment were occupied by his exhibits. A look at the ceiling brought enlightenment in the truest sense of the word: this could have been the birth of the hanging chandelier!
Cherry wood forms a beautiful contrast to the light, simple lime tree thanks to its darker color and coarse grain. Stopping and measuring often, as well as a good sense of proportion, which has been trained through many previous turning exercises, are the “secret knowledge” that is necessary for turning the five nozzles. For fire safety reasons, like any other candlestick, these must be fitted with suitable metal inserts (product liability!). I made the metal arms and chain from strong copper wire. To make the chain, I wrapped a spiral around a matching rectangular wooden stick on a very slow-running metal lathe. For the arms I made a small bending template out of scrap wood. Not shown in the picture is a rosette turned from pear wood, which forms the visual connection to the ceiling.
The set of stamps (picture 1 to picture 6), which my wife gave me as a “return gift”. presented to the candlestick spider, impressively demonstrates the long tradition of such hanging chandeliers, candlestick spiders and even running chandeliers with an inner part that rotates according to the principle of the Christmas pyramid in folk art.
Über die Erfindung des Weihnachts-Hängeleuchters habe ich übrigens meine eigene Theorie: Ich denke mir, ein tüchtiger Hobbydrechsler musste nach einigen Jahren kreativen Schaffens feststellen, dass alle Stellflächen und die Wände in der Wohnung mit seinen Exponaten belegt waren. Ein Blick zur Decke brachte im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes die Erleuchtung: Dies war die Geburtsstunde des Hängeleuchters.
Falls auch sie alle ihre Regale bereits mit Drechselarbeiten gefüllt haben: Bild 8 zeigt eine mögliche Lösung!
Set of stamps showing
hanging candleholder
