• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Creating a family heirloom

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
You folks know how much I love visiting Hawaii. I spent several years there as a teenager, and I've been traveling back there as often as I can ever since. I've always watched in custom gift shops for that perfect souvenir or collectible, but I never found it. Then it occurred to me that maybe I should set out to make my own.

I have a friend who makes clocks. That's really an understatement - he does incredible work, and his clocks are truly works of art. He makes them by hand from a variety of woods, and any of them would make a great item to have in someone's home. I asked him if he'd ever made a clock out of Koa wood. He knew of the wood, but said it was very rare, and he'd never had the opportunity. We talked about ideas and details I had in my head, and he was willing to give it a try. But where do you get Koa wood on the Mainland, when it grows only in Hawaii?

On my last trip to Kauai, I decided I had to find out if it was possible to buy raw Koa, and ship it home. Turns out that yes, it can be purchased from several suppliers, when it's available, and UPS would ship it home for me. I visited a lumberyard in Kapa'a, where I sorted through a stack of raw Koa boards in a dark storage area, trying to find pieces of the right size and condition. I found two pieces I thought looked good, paid for them, and delivered them to the UPS store in the Kauai Village Shopping Center in Kapa'a. They didn't look at me with too strange an expression, when I asked them to wrap and ship these two dirty, raw boards to my home in Washington state. The wood arrived in fine condition - UPS had even wrapped it in bubble wrap and plastic to prevent any damage along the way. They did a great job. I turned the wood over to my friend, who was very excited to finally have his hands on a usable quantity of this amazing wood.

That was about a year and a half ago. In the time since, between making clocks for his other customers, my friend started working on my clock. He'd periodically send me a picture of this or that piece or a mock up of the design, or how the wood looked after he'd planed it, book matched the pieces to "stretch" it to get enough to cover the front of the design, and on and on. Through it all I kept a patient eye on the finished product, knowing that an artist's work can't be rushed.

He called a few weeks ago and asked if we could talk about final details for things, and said he was very close to being done. I was starting to get excited. Last weekend I went to his workshop to make those choices, and seeing the result in person was beyond my expectations. He is a master of his craft, and I am absolutely delighted. What is most remarkable is he built this clock using only one of the boards I sent home. We're already talking about a project for the other one. Koa has a warmth and beauty that is unlike any other wood I've ever seen, and I can't wait to have it in my home.

The design is what he calls a Northern Prairie style. Kind of Arts and Crafts, but not entirely. The cutouts on the front are stylized canoe paddles, so the pendulum swinging behind it can be seen. The pattern on the face is a modified tropical flower design you might find on a Hawaiian quilt. The numbers are an art nouveau style that fits well with the overall design. The clock is about 18 inches wide, a little over 24 inches tall, and about 5 inches deep. When it is installed at my home it will be at the end of a hallway, lighted with its own soft track light, with a direct line of sight from the front door. It's the perfect location for what I think is a perfect clock, and what will be a treasured family heirloom. It is everything I wanted. Unmistakably Hawaiian to my eye, and looks as if it might be something that could have hung in the home of an old Hawaiian family.

What do you think?

Dave

Koa wood clock.jpg


Tug rules won't let me put the company name here, but if you're interested, PM me and I'll send you his website link.
 
Last edited:

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
28,464
Reaction score
17,215
Points
1,299
Location
Twin Falls, Eye-Duh-Hoe
That's GREAT! Is it electric, or will you have to wind it periodically? Having a pendulum, it will make that satisfying, soothing, tick-tock that will almost make an empty house feel like someone is home. Very cool, Dave. May you enjoy it for the rest of your days and for many more generations to come.

Jim
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
That's GREAT! Is it electric, or will you have to wind it periodically? Having a pendulum, it will make that satisfying, soothing, tick-tock that will almost make an empty house feel like someone is home. Very cool, Dave. May you enjoy it for the rest of your days and for many more generations to come.

Jim

Thanks, Jim. It's battery operated, (I confirmed this), so shouldn't need much tending. The entire front is a hinged door, so it's easy to access the insides. Kind of a nice blend of newer and older styles.

Dave
 
Last edited:

WalnutBaron

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
2,193
Reaction score
2,585
Points
574
Location
California
Resorts Owned
Hyatt Highlands Inn, Hyatt Pinon Pointe
Excellent, Dave! Your friend did a spectacular job. The clock is a vivid reminder of Hawaii, with the canoe paddle motif and the tropical flower face. It certainly is a new family heirloom. Now I just hope you have heirs who love Hawaii as much as you do so they can fight over it someday :)
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
Excellent, Dave! Your friend did a spectacular job. The clock is a vivid reminder of Hawaii, with the canoe paddle motif and the tropical flower face. It certainly is a new family heirloom. Now I just hope you have heirs who love Hawaii as much as you do so they can fight over it someday :)

Thanks! My daughter was stationed there with the Navy, and has fond memories of the place. I expect when the "time" comes (notice what I did there? ;) ), it'll go to her.

Dave
 

slip

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
11,139
Reaction score
14,576
Points
999
Location
U'alapue/Kaunakakai, Hawaii
Resorts Owned
Pono Kai, 20 wks; Maui Schooner, 1.5 wks; 1 week Ke Nani Kai; WaveCrest Condo, Molokai, HI
Very nice!!! I love look and richness that Koa gives. Did he say how it was working with Koa? Any different than what he’s used to working with?
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
Very nice!!! I love look and richness that Koa gives. Did he say how it was working with Koa? Any different than what he’s used to working with?

Thanks, Jeff. He said it was a lot like working with Oak. Enough so that he made a similar clock in oak alongside mine, so he could experiment on that one. He said since it was a new design, if he messed it up, he could always get another piece of oak. He liked the Koa, and said we needed to decide what to do with the second board I sent home. We haven't decided yet.

Dave
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent

heathpack

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
4,651
Reaction score
3,750
Points
598
Location
Los Angeles
Resorts Owned
Hyatt High Sierra and Highland Inn
Disney’s Grand Californian and Hilton Head Island
Marriott Barony Beach and Mountainside
MVC Points
Sheraton Broadway Plantation
Nice clock.

:)
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent

Karen G

Moderator
Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Messages
9,470
Reaction score
1,983
Points
749
Location
Henderson, NV
Resorts Owned
Once owned these: FirstFairway@Walden X 2; Lawai Beach; ManhattanClub; PuebloBonitoRose; 4 South Africa--now timeshare-free
That is simply magnificent! Thanks for sharing the picture with us.
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
That is simply magnificent! Thanks for sharing the picture with us.

Thanks, Karen! It's actually nicer looking in person. Very subtle tones on the wood, that change as the light moves. I'm thrilled. :)

Dave
 

bizaro86

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
3,664
Reaction score
2,489
Points
598
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
Congratulations! I'm very interested in the idea of creating an heirloom for my family, and I think this is great. Something that is unique and handmade, but also useful, while also being historic (related to your time on the island). Plus, you were personally involved in its creation by choosing the wood. That combines to a great story, which will make it an even more special item to pass down. I hope I am able to find something as meaningful to create for my children.
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
Congratulations! I'm very interested in the idea of creating an heirloom for my family, and I think this is great. Something that is unique and handmade, but also useful, while also being historic (related to your time on the island). Plus, you were personally involved in its creation by choosing the wood. That combines to a great story, which will make it an even more special item to pass down. I hope I am able to find something as meaningful to create for my children.

Thank you very much. It definitely is meaningful to me, and I'm very pleased to have it in my life. I wanted to represent a place I feel very connected to, but without being tacky or touristy. This clock speaks in a timeless way, (no pun intended), to the strength and spirit of the people in the Islands, as well as the Aloha that goes into a quilt made for a loved one, all housed in a case made from wood that is as beautiful as a day in the islands. That means a lot to me. :)

If you're interested, my friend isn't a hobbyist - he does this as his full time business. He sells at shows all over the place, and from his website. I think he would enjoy doing more custom things. Tug won't let me advertise for him, but if you (or anyone) wants to PM me, I'll be happy to give you his website link.

Dave
 

PamMo

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
5,197
Reaction score
3,024
Points
648
Location
Missouri
What a beautiful clock AND story, Dave. It's an interesting blend of Hawaiian with Arts and Crafts. The koa, stylized oars, and clock face all nod to the islands, in simply gorgeous form and function. Truly a wonderful piece, sure to become a treasured heirloom in your family. Well done!
 

mentalbreak

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2011
Messages
898
Reaction score
1,368
Points
353
That is amazing. I love the clock. And I love the passion and meaning in the story and description. I found myself deliberately not looking at the photo as I scrolled down reading just so that my eyes didn’t influence the mental picture I had.
Well done!
(And you should write up the history of the clock to be included with it for future generations.)
 

WinniWoman

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Messages
10,762
Reaction score
7,057
Points
749
Location
The Weirs, New Hampshire
Resorts Owned
Innseason Pollard Brook
This is very awesome! Great idea!
 

vacationhopeful

TUG Review Crew: Rookie
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
12,760
Reaction score
1,699
Points
498
Location
Northeast USA
Unique to you and your life experiences with joy. A heirloom for the years of enjoyment for you, your family and hopefully, your daughter's family.

I suggest you put together a picture book showing the full process ... the live trees that wood that grows from in Hawaii. The lumber yard plus the search effort ... how the harvested raw wood looks before being planed and sanded. The master clockmaker and his shop ... plus the various styles of clocks he has made over the years. And finally, you with the clock you "brought to life" hanging in its first home.

It will help you enjoy the "life" of this clock for years.
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
Thanks, everyone. A picture book and story are definitely planned. There are pictures of the process all the way from start to finish. I think I even have a picture of the raw boards hanging out the window of the rental car on the way to UPS on Kauai. :)

I watch the Antiques Roadshow on PBS. I see how the cool stuff with provenance is more interesting than those without. It'd be nice to be able to have something passed along to future generations in my family that could have its story go with it.

Dave
 
Last edited:

1st Class

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
1,400
Reaction score
333
Points
293
Location
East Coast
I've seen some Koa wood clocks but none compare to this one. Koa wood has a lot of character, and the design is just magnificent! (Love the oars. :thumbup:) Your friend is a talented artisan, a rare commodity. Enjoy your new heirloom and thanks for sharing.
 
Last edited:

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
22,003
Reaction score
29,217
Points
1,348
Location
Mesquite, Nevada
Resorts Owned
Free Agent
I've seen some Koa wood clocks but none compare to this one. Koa wood has a lot of character, and the design is just magnificent! (Love the oars. :thumbup:) Your friend is a talented artisan, a rare commodity. Enjoy you new heirloom and thanks for sharing.

Thank you! It's such a cool thing to see in person. I think the clock maker was quite excited about the properties of the wood, and how it picks up the light. He was really interested to see how it was going to turn out. I think in the end, he was very satisfied with his great workmanship. I certainly am. :)

Dave
 
Top