The Normandie Motel

For the oldest motel of the series I wanted to make something less technical and more rustic. I mean, the place has a giant axe for a sign. Not to mention the quaint little cottages on the property. I wanted a frame made by the axe-wielding woodsman themself.

I kept thinking of an old wanted poster nailed to a tree once we decided to add this motel to the collection. I had the design in my mind as David was creating and once he delivered this on the vibrant red I knew walnut was going to be the choice.

I sifted through slabs of walnut, looking for the right piece. After a few dozen 40lb chunks, I found this straight slab with good thick bark on both sides for the frame. Preserving the bark required a bit of delicateness when planing and sanding. Luckily, the natural bond is quite strong the majority of it stayed right in place. There is a little corner missing the bark but I like that it shows how delicate this incredibly strong hardwood can be.

Then, it was just routing out the center and making a small walnut mat. I purposely left the top and bottom a little out of square, like maybe it was roughly chopped by that huge axe. Timber!